A year in the making

[Pappy]

Its been almost one full year of working with the wild birds here to get them to come to the area I have built to photograph them.

This mornings snowfall made the perfect back drop to capture the Cardinals, which a year ago would not come within a few hundred feet of me.

I was able to get more images of them in 1 hour then I have been able to get all year. Cardinals and snow are what is sought when you go after these birds.....it all worked out today!

http://kenhill.smugmug.com/Other/Private-Gallery/DSC2313/732330498_R5qZ2-O.jpg

http://kenhill.smugmug.com/Other/Private-Gallery/DSC2332/732333913_eh5Uu-O.jpg

[Quad18star]

Looks great Ken .

[LTandRaptorider]

More great pics for my "Pappy" folder! :cool:

[Pappy]

Time to put the camera away and get the rifle out for theis evenings hunt. Several of my bird shots have been purchased for calendars but I have no idea what company bought them or where they will be featured.

http://kenhill.smugmug.com/Other/Private-Gallery/DSC2350/732360499_jC5U5-O.jpg

http://kenhill.smugmug.com/Other/Private-Gallery/DSC2330/732360573_BeFxM-O.jpg

[Pappy]

A visitor without feathers arrived. He was blocked by a limb but eventually decided to check me out:p

http://kenhill.smugmug.com/Other/Private-Gallery/DSC2420/732369624_ecuZw-O.jpg

[jcs003]

nice pics. looks like you got more snow in WV then we did here in southwest PA

[Pappy]

He decided I wasnt a threat and went about eating his share of birdseed:scary:

I have another area set up to do squirrels but that will wait till after deer season.

http://kenhill.smugmug.com/Other/Private-Gallery/DSC2422/732374842_sENMb-O.jpg

[Pappy]

Originally posted by jcs003
nice pics. looks like you got more snow in WV then we did here in southwest PA

More coming, snowing so hard now that I cant see 75 yards.....

[Pappy]

A little pecker for Greg:devil:

http://kenhill.smugmug.com/Other/Private-Gallery/DSC2325/732360531_RdHZw-O.jpg

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by Pappy
A little pecker for Greg:devil:

http://kenhill.smugmug.com/Other/Private-Gallery/DSC2325/732360531_RdHZw-O.jpg

Now that's a nice lil pecker. LOL

What kind of bird is that? I've seen that type before, but their name slips my mind.

[Pappy]

Male Downey Woodpecker. They can become hand tame, very fun to watch. They have landed on the feeders while I was filling them:p

We also have Pileated Woodpeckers here that are around 20 inches tall. I havent been able to get any good shots of them yet. I tried locating their nest this spring but was unsuccessful.

[400exrider707]

Originally posted by Pappy
Male Downey Woodpecker. They can become hand tame, very fun to watch. They have landed on the feeders while I was filling them:p

We also have Pileated Woodpeckers here that are around 20 inches tall. I havent been able to get any good shots of them yet. I tried locating their nest this spring but was unsuccessful.

Ken I saw a Pileated in the woods here deerhunting this week. It was only the second one I've ever seen in person. You never realize how big they are until you see them. They're pretty neat birds. I thought of your photography when I saw it! It didn't sit still long enough for a pic anyways though...

[Pappy]

They dont sit still for anything ...especially when you have a camera:p

I was in my bird blind last week and 2 of them flew in and started feeding in a tree at the other end of my field....out of range for good pics but still a cool site. I see them every single day here, we have 2 mating pairs and man are they hardcore. Ive watched them rip a hole in a treated telephone pole that would make a Beaver jealous!

We have Pileated, Downey, Yellow Bellied sapsuckers and Yellow bellied Woodpeckers here. The Sapsuckers migrate in and tear my Maple trees up:grr:

I have been told that the Pileated's usually have a pattern that they follow each day and I have seen it, but its so tough to be at the right tree, in the right position with the right light for a picture. I bet I have 60 hours plus this year invested in just trying for them!

[Tommy Warren]

do you have any orioles ( I think thats how its spelt) I'm that area? they're my favorite and I would love a shot of one for my wallpaper. they're orange bellied, with black heads, and black and white wings. I have a feeder specially for them but I didn't see any this year.

[Rootar]

AWESOME pics Pappy,

while on the subject of big, hard to catch on camera, birds we have some dang road runners that we see our our R/C track and they are HUGE, we had a video camera going taping some practice one day and a road runner jumped out of the tree and ran over 100 feet across the track darting by cars and everything and ran off through the parking lot and the guy running the video camera was staring right at the bird the whole time but the camera was of course pointed at the ground:ermm:

Keep trying for the big pecker pappy:rolleyes: im sure itll be worth it in the end especially if you got something else in the picture that would show how large the bird is...

[Pappy]

Originally posted by Tommy Warren
do you have any orioles ( I think thats how its spelt) I'm that area? they're my favorite and I would love a shot of one for my wallpaper. they're orange bellied, with black heads, and black and white wings. I have a feeder specially for them but I didn't see any this year.

We get them here in the spring when they migrate back to this region. Actually had two pair build nests but then left. I was hoping to get some cool stuff from them but it didnt work out

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3580/3508027422_d4a3037336_o.jpg

[Tommy Warren]

I think they are the nicest looking birds around....great pic I hope you don't mind if I keep it?

[Pappy]

No I dont mind.

Well its 1 am, in about an hour I roll out headed to a wilderness area a few hours from here for hopefully some sunrise with snow shots and then a hike into an area to see what I can find. Then its on to the area I will be Bear hunting this week.

Yall be safe and have fun!

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by Pappy
No I dont mind.

Well its 1 am, in about an hour I roll out headed to a wilderness area a few hours from here for hopefully some sunrise with snow shots and then a hike into an area to see what I can find. Then its on to the area I will be Bear hunting this week.

Yall be safe and have fun!

Bear hunting ??? The suckers ain't hibernating in your area? They been sound asleep here for over a month.

[Pappy]

Originally posted by Quad18star
Bear hunting ??? The suckers ain't hibernating in your area? They been sound asleep here for over a month.

Real men go in and wake'em up;)

A few will den up here but normally it is in January. Our bears dont stay denned all winter, it isnt cold enough

http://kenhill.smugmug.com/Other/Private-Gallery/434707147dsc9604a1/732937231_ZQrHh-O.jpg

[rodeo#11]

your a wild man pappy, don't get killed doing that crap lol

[400exrider707]

Any more pics of the bears Ken? How'd you make out deer hunting this year? I haven't even seen a deer in the woods in over 10 days of hunting. I've only seen one doe and her fawn all gun season. I am really starting to HATE NY deer hunting.