Becoming One With The Tree Swallows (56K Beware!!!) -- Birds in photography-on-the.net forums

Trigger Man - POTN Retired

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Aug 08, 2004 17:43 | #1

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:

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

They would then land in the bushes:

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

So while CDS was off shooting terns....

IMAGE: 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:

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

IMAGE: 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:

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

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

It was fairly amazing really.

You can take my 100-400 L away when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.
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JZaun

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Aug 08, 2004 18:15 | #2

Wow, excellent pic's Scottes!!

JZ

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eric1

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Aug 08, 2004 23:52 | #3

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

Eric
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Ballen Photo

Cream of the Crop

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Aug 08, 2004 23:56 | #4

Great story :shock: and photos.
-Bruce

The Captain and crew finally got their stuff together, now if we can only remember where we left it. :cool:

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Aylwin

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Aug 08, 2004 23:59 | #5

Amazing stuff! Well done!

Aylwin
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nosquare2003

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Aug 09, 2004 03:12 | #6

Scottes wrote:
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.

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Big_B

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Aug 09, 2004 03:54 | #7

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

Fantastic shots.

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Andy_T

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Aug 09, 2004 04:14 | #8

Great story ... great pics!

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

Best regards,
Andy

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Scottes
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Trigger Man - POTN Retired

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Aug 09, 2004 07:10 | #9

nosquare2003 wrote:
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.

You can take my 100-400 L away when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.
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cmM

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Aug 09, 2004 07:53 | #10

Scottes wrote:
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.

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CyberDyneSystems

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Aug 09, 2004 09:02 | #11

Andythaler wrote:
...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?

IMG NOTICE: [NOT AN IMAGE URL, NOT RENDERED INLINE]
http://images.fotopic.net …;noresize=1&;nostamp=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!

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CyberDyneSystems

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Aug 09, 2004 09:07 | #12

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"

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Big_B

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Aug 09, 2004 09:17 | #13

CyberDyneSystems wrote:
You are now officially "The Worlds Largest Tree Swallow"[/I]

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

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PhotosGuy

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Aug 09, 2004 09:18 | #14

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.

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Scottes
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Trigger Man - POTN Retired

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Aug 09, 2004 10:09 | #15

CyberDyneSystems wrote:
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.

CyberDyneSystems wrote:
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.

CyberDyneSystems wrote:
...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?

You can take my 100-400 L away when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.
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