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Hide and Seek – American Goldfinch

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I don’t know if he was intentionally trying to hide from the other birds or not, but this little guy sure did give it a good try. So much so, I had a really hard time keeping the lens focused on him. You can tell because these photos aren’t as sharp as I would like.

This is one (1) of three (3) American Goldfinches we have visiting our yard this year.

Field Notes: F Stop 1/3200, AV 5.6, ISO 5000

Did you know the American Goldfinch is the state bird of Iowa, New Jersey and Washington?

Field Notes: F Stop 1/3200, AV 5.6, ISO 5000

They are also strict vegetarians in the bird world, eating an entirely vegetable diet albeit swallowing an occasional insect.

Field Notes: F Stop 1/3200, AV 5.6, ISO 5000

A breeding male Goldfinch can be identified by their bright yellow and black foreheads, black wings and white markings. They also breed later than most North American birds and wait to nest until June or July. This is the optimal time when milkweed, thistle, and other plants have produced their fibrous seeds, which goldfinches build into their nests and to feed their young.

Field Notes: F Stop 1/3200, AV 5.6, ISO 5000

I’m hoping to capture more of these little birds this summer. They always brighten my day.

Until next time,

~donna

Species Information Source: Cornell Lab – All About Birds

Shall we Dance?

/ Donna Robinson Photography / 4 Comments

Spring is finally here and time to begin the afternoon birdwatching. Our backyard is full of all kinds of birds, especially house finches and we’ve made it very attractive for them with our new bird feeders.

I started to caption this “dinner for 2,” but they looked more like they were dancing (probably more like fighting) for their space at the dinner table.

Until next time,

~donna

Out Like a Lion

/ Donna Robinson Photography / 4 Comments

As I sit here writing this post, most of the U.S. is buried beneath snow.

Our daughter, son-in-law and grandkids, who live in South Carolina have already received 8″ of snow and are expecting more throughout the night. Our son and daughter-in-law who are loyal parents to our oldest granddaughter’s traveling volleyball club are also knee-deep in snow somewhere in the middle of Tennessee. For us, we dodged winter storm “Gianna” with just a few snow flurries and frigid temps. January is definitely going “out like a lion” in 2026.

But the birds certainly didn’t mind the snow flurries and cold weather. The feeders were very active this morning.

This cardinal pretty much sums up how I feel right now with 22 degrees and wind howling outside my door……brrrr.

As pretty and cleansing as snow is, I’m finding the older I get, the only “white stuff” I want to see, is the sandy, beachy kind, where the weather is warmer and I can run around in flip flops. I guess for now, until I can find that “one particular harbor” I’ll stay nestled indoors by a warm cozy fire watching the birds forage for food in between the snowflakes.

Until next time,

~donna

31 Days of July – Reaching Over Your Shoulder

/ Donna Robinson Photography / 11 Comments

This photo pretty much sums up my attempt at a 31 Days of July Photography Challenge. I was reaching over my shoulder to scratch my back to make the shots happen every day.

If the hot temps and humidity weren’t bad enough for finding photo ops, I finally broke down and bought a long overdue new laptop. A great idea and a decision I’m very happy with. The problem is our wonderful friends at Adobe Photoshop no longer support my version of Photoshop Elements. So much so, they wouldn’t let me download it on my new laptop even though I had the serial number. Yes, I could always pay their exorbitant subscription prices, but for my photography needs, I think I’ll look for another option. Perhaps I’ll give Affinity a shot (pun intended) they seem to have some really good reviews and could certainly meet my needs.

So, for now, this is my last attempt at 31 Days of July. This photo was actually taken on Day 11. The squirrels are relentless with the bird feeders even though Michael keeps ample food for them on the ground. Hence my reference to “reaching over your shoulder to scratch your back.” The squirrels don’t need to climb the feeders; the food is already there for them in easy reach.

Editing notes: I applied the usual haze removal, some level balancing with the exposure, cropping and a final vignette.

Field notes: Focal length – 200mm; Exposure – 1/60 sec, f/9, ISO 1250.

I’ll return soon. Thanks for hanging with me on this challenge, although brief. 😉📷.

Until next time!

~donna

31 Days of July Photography Challenge – Day 10

/ Donna Robinson Photography / 1 Comment

Day 10 – We have a new visitor at the birdfeeder today, an Eastern Female Downy Woodpecker. According to All About Birds “Downy Woodpeckers are small versions of the classic woodpecker body plan. They have a straight, chisel-like bill, blocky head, wide shoulders, and straight-backed posture as they lean away from tree limbs and onto their tail feathers. The bill tends to look smaller for the bird’s size than in other woodpeckers.”

Editing Notes: I applied a haze removal before cropping and made some minor level adjustments to the lighting before applying a final vignette for accent.

Field Notes: 170mm; Exposure: 1/100 sec, f/9, ISO 1250

Until next time,

~donna

31 Days of July – Photography Challenge Day 9

/ Donna Robinson Photography / 7 Comments

Day 9 – House Hen Finch. This little bird was having way too much fun at the feeder today, but I was lucky enough to get a shot of him staring at me. His face is not quite as crisp as I would have liked, but it’s nature and sometimes you just go with what you get. I’m also linking this to Becky’s Simply Red Squares Challenge.

Editing Notes: Today, I applied the normal haze removal, level adjustments (lighting) and some sharpness adjustments followed with the usual cropping and vignette application.

Field Notes: Focal Length: 400mm; Exposure 1/125 sec, f/9, ISO 1250

Until next time.

~donna

31 Days of July – Photography Challenge Day 8

/ Donna Robinson Photography / 3 Comments

Day 8 – What was I thinking when I started a personal photography challenge in July, in Georgia? The temps are hot, and the humidity is worse. But here I am doing the best I can shooting photos from inside the house. Hopefully, this heat will break soon, and I’ll be able to venture out to find more interesting subjects. So, bear with me on this journey, you may be seeing a few more bird, squirrels or macro photos.😉

Today’s photo is of one our frequent mourning dove visitors. At any given time, there could be one, two or upwards to five of them hanging out around the bird feeders or on this limb waiting their turn. The complexity of this shot came from shooting it through a window screen. Fortunately, the bird didn’t move too much, and with an ISO of 1250 I was able to maintain focus and achieve somewhat of a crisp photo. Editing comprised of cropping and level adjustments in both lighting and color to achieve the depth and detail. I also applied a vignette outline.

Field Notes: Focal Length: 400mm; Exposure: 1/125 sec, f/9 ISO 1250

Until next time,

~donna

31 Days of July – Photography Challenge – Day 7

/ Donna Robinson Photography / 3 Comments

Day 7 – Back to the birds. This was a little challenging to shoot. The birds are very skittish and can see me pick up my camera through the back door. The second obstacle is the door is double pane window and casts a reflection if you’re not positioned correctly (hence why the image isn’t as sharp as I would like it to be). Nonetheless, here is the shot for Day 7 – Chipping Sparrow. Apologies for the dirty feeder…….the birds can be quite messy.

Field Notes: Focal Length – 390mm; Exposure – 1/100 sec, f7.1, ISO 1250

Until next time,

~donna

31 Days of July – Photography Challenge – Day 6

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Day 6 – Macro Photography. This was a little challenging getting just the right shot. I won’t even tell you how many images I took today. But, then again, that’s what this challenge is about, patience and practice.

When I brought it into Photoshop elements, I cropped it slightly, changed the background to black and applied the Orton Effect. I could probably go back in and clean up some of the edges a little more, but overall, I’m happy with the results.

Field Notes: Focal Length – 35mm; Exposure 1/85 sec; f32; ISO 1250

Until next time,

~donna