Friday 10 June 2016

 Orioles!
In this image we see the female Oriole beginning the construction of the nest. The nest is built exclusively by the female, however, the male will help gather nesting material.
In this image, the female landed directly over me while I walked around. At first I didn't notice that she was collecting nesting material. It wasn't until later, after viewing the images that I noticed the plastic ribbons wind blown into a dead Pine that she had spotted and was collecting.  
Here we see a completed nest. It hangs from a Pine branch about 20 feet high.
Here, the female has just arrived at the nest with dinner. Very challenging to get a decent shot because she is so incredibly quick. A very solid tripod and camera mount are required gear along with pre-focussing on the exact spot she repetitively uses. The slightest hesitation and you have a blurry image.    
Here, the brighter coloured male arrives with dinner. He's a bit easier to photograph because he's slower upon his entry into the nest. Soon, I'll provide some images of the fledglings...hopefully.   

Thursday 9 June 2016