Feathered Neighbors Cheer Our Days

That bird above would show up better if I'd shot from a lower angle, so as to catch him against the blue sky rather than the mountain, but it isn't easy to sneak up on birds. I stand in the shade with the camera held to my eye and hope to catch something quickly.

I'm also working without the telephoto lens that I had on my last camera, the lens that made capturing flighty images so much more successful for me. What I've done instead is to extend my lens as far as it will go, then crop the images afterward. It is a makeshift solution, but it works, as long as you the viewer don't zoom in and lose the resolution.

Today's shooting was an experiment. Rather than wait for the showy cardinal or ladderback woodpecker, I just decided to shoot -- with my camera, that is -- the birds that came to the feeder -- finches, sparrows, whatever. I think these little rosy guys are house finches. My neighbor calls them rosy finches, and that name suits them much better, don't you think? Finches, anyway, are sweet birds. They are like pets and don't need a cage. I like that.

Sometimes there is an excited flurry, a flutter of wings --

Sometimes it seems a little competition is going on. Other times some stay back and wait their turn.

The two below seem reconciled for the moment. And there is no warfare in their kingdom, anyway, no fights to the death among these little creatures. They squabble from time to time, but in general things work out pretty peaceably. 

Little birds make good neighbors. They are a welcome distraction from larger global events.