Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Republicans in disarray!

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

“Squeaker” McCarthy

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

People are complicated. Love is not.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

Bark louder, little dog.

This blog will pay for itself.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

You are here: Home / Nature & Respite / Nature / Ostdrossel: Birds On A Feeder

Ostdrossel: Birds On A Feeder

by | 80 Comments

This post is in: ,

Balloon Juice commenter, Paul in St. Augustine, sent me a link to a blog post about photos of birds taken by a woman named Lisa, who uses Ostdrossel as her professional name for photography.  I think she got some amazing shots.

I’ll leave the explanation of how she is able to get such great shots to the article Woman Sets Up A Feeder Camera to Capture Wild Animals Eating in Her Backyard.

Image credit Ostdrossel

Here’s a short excerpt from the blog post:

Lisa had the most *ingenious idea to capture the beauty of Michigan’s wildlife without ever getting close to them: she did this by setting up a hidden camera in her garden. Each morning, she used to leave out food in her garden for the various different birds to feast on. The result: a whole abundance of feathered and furry creatures alike, captured in time. These photos were later published, and there was a success that Lisa did not expect.

There is a charming story and at least 30 amazing photos published at the link above – I hope you will go check it out; you won’t be sorry!

I didn’t even select all the best photos, to encourage you to check them all out for yourselves.  Here is Lisa’s website.

Image credit Ostdrossel
Image credit Ostdrossel
Image credit Ostdrossel
Image credit Ostdrossel

*When I contacted Lisa to see if I could do a post with her wonderful photos, she was quick to point out that the idea of using feeder cams or trail cams is not her own, and she seemed slightly embarrassed that the writer of the blog post I link to had credited her with the ingenious idea of using feeder cams.  Also, it appears that not every quote in the linked article is accurate, as Lisa has never had a Garden Warbler at her feeders.

I have sent her a link, and I hope Ostdrossel will stop by the thread!

Reader Interactions

80Comments

  2. 2.

    Ostdrossel

    Thanks for the shout-out :) The “Garden Warbler” was a Pine Warbler. I hope he finds his way back to my garden this spring too!

    ​

  3. 3.

    WaterGirl

    @cope:  You’re supposed to be inspired, not discouraged!  :-)

    edit: Did you check out the links?  There are 30 amazing photos on the blog post I linked to.  I just got Lisa’s website from her a few minutes ago – I haven’t checked that out yet but I am looking forward to it.

  4. 4.

    CaseyL

    These are fantastic! It’s such a treat, to see animals interacting with the world and one another without a human around for them to notice. Trail cams and backyard cams in all their configurations are a revelation for providing unself-conscious glimpses of these beautiful, fascinating creatures.

    I have so many favorites among the photos at the link. Among them: a tanager (?) standing atop the orange-and-jam, that I imagine thinking “Mine, all mine!”; a jay with their beak full of mealworms; and one bird with their back to us, showing off their feathers and you can just make out the iridescence along the edges.

    It would be nice to know what species we’re seeing – not a criticism, just a wistful thought.

    Thank you, WaterGirl, and extra thanks to Ostdrossel!

  6. 6.

    Ostdrossel

    @CaseyL: ​That orange one is a female Baltimore Oriole. The one with the back turned to the cam is a European Starling. The jay is a Blue Jay. I usually add the species names with all my posts, so if you check out my Insta, Twitter, FB or website, you will get the names :) ​​

  7. 7.

    Doc Sardonic

    @Ostdrossel: Beautiful photos. What are the two birds on the orange half and what is in the center of it? I am in Florida and those birds are not a species I am used to seeing.

  8. 8.

    Ostdrossel

    @Doc Sardonic: ​
     
    They are House finches, and in the center is grape jelly. I put that out in the spring and summer for the Orioles but the Finches, Woodpeckers, Catbirds and Robins have a sweet tooth too.

  14. 14.

    TaMara (HFG)

    In other bird news – the duckteens have been outside with the big ducks for most of the day with only a bit of a dustup, which Nikki actually started and subsequently won (?).  My promised duckling update may be delayed as I’m using the few days of nice weather to get some outdoor work done, before the promised big rain/snow days this week.

    But I have some fun video and photos as they ventured outside all week…I’ll get it together eventually. LOL

  15. 15.

    cope

    @Ostdrossel: Thanks you for these intimate pictures of our dino-descended flying friends.  It’s as if you can actually sense their varied personalities in the images.

    Also, you are kinder than I am in terms of the non-birds.  One of my biggest ongoing fights is trying to keep squirrels off my bird feeder.  Maybe I need to go with the flow and just buy bigger bags of bird seed so that all may feast.

    Thanks again.

  17. 17.

    mrmoshpotato

    That second picture – make sure you don’t owe those birds money.  They will fuck you up!

    Great pictures (of birds later featured in a police lineup) :)

  20. 20.

    cope

    @mrmoshpotato: Lizards, yes, brown (mostly) and green (a few) anoles.  The falling iguanas fall further south than where I live, unfortunately.  I actually have a few lizard and frog pics taken in my yard.  I have way too much time on my hands.

    Edit:  I have a ton of gator pics as well and have been know to paddle up quite close to them for a shot.  The trick is to pick the small ones.  I did get with a paddle’s length of a 7 footer once to shoot a dragon fly on its snout but I was so close, I feared the consequences of my camera making a sound if I took the picture.  Result: no picture.

  24. 24.

    Ostdrossel

    @cope: ​
     

    My camera does not make a sound. You can try any action cam that has motion detection or photo timelapse. Set it out and see what it captures.

  25. 25.

    zhena gogolia

    Wonderful site! I love the videos, especially the raccoon and skunk meeting at the watering hole.

  28. 28.

    Yutsano

    Everybody here talking about the birds (which are all lovely don’t get me wrong!) but all I keep coming back for is CHIPMUNK!!!

  29. 29.

    NotMax

    Having a grand old time testing various genres of music and vocals on the spiffy new computer speakers. This sneaks in under the wire as (very) obliquely bird related.

    :)

    Thanks to those overnight who provided some other choices!

  30. 30.

    Betty Cracker

    Excellent photos!

    I’ve thought of getting a trail cam for my dock because we get a ton of water birds on it, but I do wonder if I could keep up with sifting through the volume of images a motion-activated camera would generate…

  35. 35.

    trollhattan

    So much fun. Really appreciate the birds (and furry things masquerading as birds). Very different perspective from the typical bird shot (mine included).

  36. 36.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    I love the back view of the Starling, which is not generally one of my favorite birds. The very first Audubon walk I went on, I learned an ID maxim, “stars on a Starling” (as opposed to the iridescent but solid-colored Grackle). I also love the intimate look at a Titmouse.

    ETA: most of these comments apply to pictures on her website. It’s great!

  38. 38.

    satby

    @cope: Maybe I need to go with the flow and just buy bigger bags of bird seed so that all may feast.

    That’s what I did, it’s just less stress for all of us. When I really want the squirrels to bug off I put a bag of hot pepper coated seed out there,it discourages them for a while.

  41. 41.

    Mary G

    Those are amazing, thanks for letting us share them, Ostdrossel. Until I started seeing them here on Balloon Juice, I had not imagined how much personality and attitude birds can have.

  45. 45.

    mrmoshpotato

    @HumboldtBlue:

    no one wants to see a Balloon-Juicer wag their tail.

    Why not?  We’ll all have ’em once fully vaccinated.

    Also – TOTES MAGOATS!

  46. 46.

    satby

    @mrmoshpotato:  birds can’t. Squirrels can, and they hate hot sauce.

    Edit: so the squirrels leave the seed alone for a while. I put it in the feeder alone for a couple of days, then when the squirrels have decided my feeder isn’t a goid choice, I mix it with regular seed because it’s expensive. My local squirrels think baffles were invented as a playground just for them.

  49. 49.

    Mary G

    O/T but sweet:

    So there's this old, eversmiling cherubic guy like across the street from me. For 3 years we've both found ourselves out on our respective decks having a morning smoke & we'd wave to each other but we've never spoken. I quit smoking several weeks ago but go out to wave at him 1/2— Shiv Ramdas (@nameshiv) April 11, 2021

    So today I went out & he's there so we waved at each other as usual & I randomly decided to yell a hello and he yelled one back & then I realised he wasn't actually smoking so I yelled "Finished?" & he goes "Oh, I quit last August, I just come out to keep our waving going" 2/2— Shiv Ramdas (@nameshiv) April 11, 2021

  54. 54.

    Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.)

    I’d like to ask that one of the front pagers do a post on this dumb Biden laptop story.  I keep hearing about it, and I know it’s horseshit, but the stories are all over the road.

     What I’d like is for somebody who knows something about this kind of disinformation shit to start by telling us exactly what the claims are, because I can’t even work out just what they are.  Is it Ukraine shit?  Child pron?  Something else?  I can’t really even nail down just what they say is on there.

    Then I’d love it if they could tell us just how this thing began—as far as they can work this out.  Then anything else that might make this easier to understand.

    I know it’s all horseshit.  But it just keeps hanging on out there.

    I really can’t find anything on the world wide web that coherently lays out all this.

  55. 55.

    Dan B

    Wonderful pics with such personalities!

    A warning for west coasters with feeders – there is a salmonella outbreak that’s sickening amd killing finches and probably other birds.  Feeders should be cleaned frequently and treated with 10% bleach solution, and then rinsed with clean water.

    Keep birbs healthy!

  56. 56.

    CaseyL

    @HumboldtBlue: Another Gold Shaw Farm fan!!  I’ve been watching him for nearly a  year – back when lockdown started, I was all over YouTube looking for stuff to watch.  Gold Shaw is a delight.

    I’m sorry that he got so much blowback over that cattle auction video.  Personally I think “the farm auction you went to is much better than most so you shouldn’t criticize it” is more of an indictment of farm auctions than of Gold Shaw’s perspective.

  62. 62.

    opiejeanne

    @Ostdrossel: Those photos are great. I entertained my husband with them this morning for more than an hour. We hear but rarely see pileated woodpeckers, they are very shy of people, and I wonder if I could photograph them with a remote camera in a tree. I have attracted them by playing one of these on my iPhone when I’m in the garden: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/sounds

    @WaterGirl: Thanks so much for sharing the links.

  65. 65.

    karen marie

    The photos are indeed wonderful.  I notice that Ostdrossel has a link to a store on Redbubble.  I also notice that Ostdrossel does not have a stamp on any of her photos (at least not that I can see but, admittedly, my vision is poor).

    One of the sheep people I follow on twitter had a whole bunch of photos hijacked by someone who was selling stuff using her images on Redbubble.  She now has a name stamp on the photos and videos she posts.

    Don’t let other people make bank on your work, Ostdrossel!

  67. 67.

    CaseyL

    @HumboldtBlue: Thanks for the Greg Judy tip.

    In return, here’s one for you:  Weed Em & Reap:  a family farming vegetables, dairy goats and chickens on one acre in Arizona.  I never would have thought one even could farm in Arizona, much less on one acre in the city.  (Though they don’t farm to sell their stuff; they just farm for their own food.  They do have baby goats they either give away or sell, though.)

  70. 70.

    Ostdrossel

    @karen marie: ​
     
    I have experienced this as well (more than I like tbh), and yes, I do have watermarks on my photos. It is also my backyard in each photo, and by now many people even recognize the background. My followers often let me know when someone shares without giving me credit. It is a fight against windmills but when I am in the mood, I go for it.

  75. 75.

    karen marie

    @Ostdrossel:   Oh, good!  Keep on keeping on, as the kids say

    Also too, thanks for stopping by!  It’s always nice to interact with a celebrity.  (You are one, even if you don’t feel like one, because we are celebrating you and your work.)

  77. 77.

    Laura Too

    @Ostdrossel: I love the opossum and racoon! That is adorable. I would love to see them in my backyard but my dog chases everything away. Thanks for sharing your talent. I love the writing on your blog.

  79. 79.

    Dog Dawg Damn

    A bit off topic, but we adopted a stray Great Pyrenees female 3-5 years old who is a flight risk from likely abuse & neglect. Happy to report she is now solidly attached to us and the sweetest, gentle giant I knew she would be.

    https://twitter.com/cleversubtle/status/1381433202963714048?s=21

     

    And can’t say enough good things about the Fi Dog Collar. Peace of mind that if she escapes (like DisaPyrs are known for), we can track her down via the GPS app. Highly recommend for dogs that wander!

  80. 80.

    Rinaldo

    @Ostdrossel: Some birders say jam/jelly is not good for birds because of the processed sugar and chance of contamination. I’m no expert but I avoid it because it’s certainly not part of a natural bird diet.

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