Becoming One With The Tree Swallows (56K Beware!!!)

[Scottes]

CDS and I went out shooting today. We went to a Mass Audubon site near Buzzards Bay. It's a small pond a couple hundred feet from the beach. Mostly marshy, it had a lot of scrub bushes and gooseberries (ask CDS) around the edge.

Well it seems that Tree Swallows love these bushes. They swarmed around them. Somehow I never managed a decent picture of a swarm. Here is - and I'm not kidding - about 1/100th of a swarm:

http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/TreeSwallows_8107.jpg


They would then land in the bushes:

http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/TreeSwallows_8124.jpg


So while CDS was off shooting terns....

http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/TreeSwallows_8196.jpg

...I crept closer to the bushes.



Well, I scared them all off, so I hunkered down in the bushes and waited.

I waited a LONG time.

I showed AMAZING patience.

I stopped moving.

I stopped breathing.

I blended into the bushes.

I became one with the surroundings.


Eventually they came back and landed:

http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/TreeSwallows_8224.jpg

http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/TreeSwallows_8243.jpg


They didn't seem to mind me at all.

I was, for a time, a bush that they knew well.

I belonged.

I became one with the Tree Swallows.


And then I got a little closer:

http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/TreeSwallows_8208.jpg

http://www.itsanadventure.com/postimages/TreeSwallows_8223.jpg


It was fairly amazing really.

[JZaun]

Wow, excellent pic's Scottes!!

JZ

[eric1]

nice story. good drama, almost a documetary. like watching BBC. two enthusiastic thumbs up. " feel good story of the summer ". :lol: :lol:

good shootin' Scott

[Ballen Photo]

Great story :shock: and photos. :D
-Bruce

[Aylwin]

Amazing stuff! Well done! :D

[nosquare2003]

I waited a LONG time.

I showed AMAZING patience.

I stopped moving.

I stopped breathing.

I blended into the bushes.

I became one with the surroundings.





You have confirmed that a birder = a Ninja 8)

Nice photos.

[Big_B]

You need to be carefull Scotts - you're starting to sound like a tree hugger :D

Fantastic shots.

[Andy_T]

Great story ... great pics!

Now I'm just waiting for CDS' pics of your tree-acting performance :twisted:

Best regards,
Andy

[Scottes]

You have confirmed that a birder = a Ninja 8)

ROFLMAO!

Well, I've been wanting to change the .sig and avatar for a while now, but nothing hit me. This did.

[cmM]

ROFLMAO!

Well, I've been wanting to change the .sig and avatar for a while now, but nothing hit me. This did.

LMAO !!!
"Ninja birder"

Great pics, Scottes. I like the very first one (artistic) and the one of the bird in flight about to land. That one is creepy. The rest are just amazing. I bet you guys had a great time.

[CyberDyneSystems]

...Now I'm just waiting for CDS' pics of your tree-acting performance :twisted:

Best regards,
Andy

Oh,.. you didn't think I'd let this go did you?

http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=y3w25m&outx=700&oq=0&original=1&noresize=1&no stamp=1

This was quite a scene.. Scott is not known for his patience :)

So he spends his "Birding time" in these "mass shooting" situations as often as possible... :wink: Sort of a "fish in a barrel" technique! :lol: 8)

...as opposed to a 3 hour stint waiting for a single bird.. Scott manages a way to "compress" his time spent... waiting perhaps 20 minutes for about 500 birds!

He's a Ninja with a Time Sharing Plan!

[CyberDyneSystems]

P.S.

Your Patience paid off... those close ups are amazing!


The tree swallows have decided to make you an honorary member by the way ... oh "one with the swallows"

You are now officially "The Worlds Largest Tree Swallow"

[Big_B]

You are now officially "The Worlds Largest Tree Swallow"[/i]


ROTFL!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[PhotosGuy]

I became one with the Tree Swallows.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

As usual, great shots! Except the last one, of course. It's been so obviously posed! Did you have it stuffed & mounted? :wink:

I saw something Saturday that I've never seen before - a flock of Blue Jays landed in the scruffy tree in front of my house. Not a big flock. I only counted 9 birds, but I've only seen them in 1s & 2s before. There I sat on my porch with my paper in my hand. 30 seconds later they were gone. :(

[Scottes]

This was quite a scene.. Scott is not known for his patience :)

Nope, I'm not. I don't even sleep for 10 minutes in the same position.


So he spends his "Birding time" in these "mass shooting" situations as often as possible... :wink: Sort of a "fish in a barrel" technique!

Damn you, you're giving away my secrets. At least you forgot to mention my patented "spray and pray" system of shooting. Pretty soon the folks will figure out my "lure them with seed" style, too.
:)


...as opposed to a 3 hour stint waiting for a single bird.. Scott manages a way to "compress" his time spent... waiting perhaps 20 minutes for about 500 birds!

10,000 swallow-minutes gives me almost exactly 7 days worth of egret-minutes. Much more my style, and suits my [lack of] patience much better.

And obviously it works for me. How many terns did you get in that time?
:) :) :)

[Scottes]

I saw something Saturday that I've never seen before - a flock of Blue Jays landed in the scruffy tree in front of my house. Not a big flock. I only counted 9 birds...

9 Blue Jays is the breakfast crowd on SuperFeeder, LOL! The late-rising lazy grackles some in shortly after, and when all the big boys are gone I get a dozen goldfinches in. The goldfinches call it "brunch" by this time of the morning but it's their way of hiding their fear of the jays, really. I just go along with whatever they want to believe. You know how touchy models are.

[LazyPhotographer]

Wow! Very cool shots and a great story.

{applause}

[stoneylonesome]

great shots: the photo of you hunkered down in the marsh grass, Well you blended so well I could hardly make you out :lol: :lol: no wonder the birds didn't notice. Nice job. beautiful close-ups.

[PacAce]

:shock: Wow, Scott! Great shots of the swallows.

So, how long did it take to get off all that crap the swallows dropped on you while you were one with nature and the bushes? :mrgreen:

[Scottes]

So, how long did it take to get off all that crap the swallows dropped on you while you were one with nature and the bushes?

I was worried about the color of my lens... Otherwise I was wearing a green and white speckled shirt so I have no idea if I got bombed during a tree swallow raid.

[CyberDyneSystems]

... How many terns did you get in that time?
:) :) :)

I did get a few... nothing so picturesque as your swallow portraits. But I didn't want to scare them away! So I kept my distance :)

here's the link;

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=269077#269077


Leo,. I was not so lucky.. I got a tiny swallow sized "white spot" right on top of the MkII's top LCD :? :P

[Scottes]

But I didn't want to scare them away! So I kept my distance :)

Aah, grasshopper, if you were One with the Terns then they would not have feared your presence.

Of course if you were One with the Terns you would have walked home - I just cleaned my car!


Leo,. I was not so lucky.. I got a tiny swallow sized "white spot" right on top of the MkII's top LCD :? :P

See what I mean?

[PacAce]

Leo,. I was not so lucky.. I got a tiny swallow sized "white spot" right on top of the MkII's top LCD :? :P

Now, CDS, let's be a little more positive, shall we? Consider the other possibility...a tern-sized white spot completely covering the top LCD! :mrgreen: :lol:

[PacAce]

...Now I'm just waiting for CDS' pics of your tree-acting performance :twisted:

Best regards,
Andy

Oh,.. you didn't think I'd let this go did you?

http://images2.fotopic.net/?iid=y3w25m&outx=700&oq=0&original=1&noresize=1&no stamp=1


LOL :lol: CDS, if you hadn't clued me in to the fact that Scott is hidden somewhere in that picture of yours I would have never found him and that was only after I spotted his dead-giveaway off-white lens poking out from the bushes. That's now much he is one with nature and the bushes. :lol: :D :mrgreen:

[Scottes]

CDS, if you hadn't clued me in to the fact that Scott is hidden somewhere in that picture of yours I would have never found him and that was only after I spotted his dead-giveaway off-white lens poking out from the bushes.

I gotta get me some camo tape. Darn lens is giving me away. Even though *I* can turn sideways to make a smaller target, the lens is round - there's no hope there.

:wink:

[JZaun]

CDS, if you hadn't clued me in to the fact that Scott is hidden somewhere in that picture of yours I would have never found him and that was only after I spotted his dead-giveaway off-white lens poking out from the bushes.

I gotta get me some camo tape. Darn lens is giving me away. Even though *I* can turn sideways to make a smaller target, the lens is round - there's no hope there.

:wink:


:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

JZ

[JMAS]

I had a great time reading this post and watching the NG quality photos, Scott.

Seems you guys had a lot of fun. Thanks for sharing :wink: .


Jaime

[CyberDyneSystems]

:lol: Bump..

I'm not telling why I came across this one though ;)

[LazyPhotographer]

At first I thought this was a new post and I thought thank gawd the Ninja birder was back.... but alas, it's an old post. Would be nice to see some of Scott's shots with the 500mm though.

[timbernet]

First time I have seen these pictures - 100% amazing!!

[Stephen Stephen]

Nice shots Scottes. I've just experienced similar tree swallow behaviour but unfortunately for me they kept resting at the top of trees not bushes.

[gymell]

Interesting, I didn't know they swarmed like that. Must have been fun to watch!