After viewing the beautiful photos @plantladylin Lin has posted I decided I had to have her camera and so I ordered one. Got it today. It's overcast and rainy here today and by the time I got a chance to get the battery charged it was late and the light poor but I did manage to take a couple of test shot in full auto. Not great photos by any means but once I can learn this camera and with some decent light my bird photos posted here should improve. Thanks for the tip on the camera Lin.

Oooo, very nice! I think I need an upgrade too!!!

Very nice photos Dave.

Ohhhhhhhhh, you guys are so making me want that camera or something better than what I have. The budget says no.

The photographs of the pigeons aren't bad at all, Dave.

Saw American Goldfinches in the yard yesterday. Blooming Echinacea plants are magnets for them.

@flaflwrgrl Ann, I have a great Canon DSLR that I love for most of my photos. It does a great job but for some reason this year I had an itching to get some good photos of birds. Even with a 70-300mm lens that I have for the DSLR I just didn't have the capability to get close enough to get good shots. I did a bit of research and found that most "good" photos of birds required a lens in the 400-600mm range. Price for a lens in that range for my DSLR was several thousand dollars. This little camera zooms to 1200mm (50X zoom) for about $400. I have to learn the camera but I think it will be okay for this purpose. I prefer the DSLR when the situation allows it but this little camera is going to fill in a nice niche for those shots where I just can't seem to be able to get close enough to capture. BTW, I expect the price to drop on this one as I have heard that Canon is making this model with 60X zoom pretty soon.

Dave, Love those Dove photo's and the lighting looks fine to my eyes; recently someone told me that the best lighting for taking photo's outdoors is when the skies are overcast. Looking forward to more of your photo's!

Thanks for the info. Dave. Still out of my league. In about 6 months, I might see if I can pick up a used one on Ebay or something.

Olive-backed Sunbird. Sunbirds - the Old World's and the Orient's equivalent to a humming bird.

Glen, that is one very lovely bird! Sunbird is a new one that I'd never heard of so I had to google and learn more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O...
It is indeed like our Hummingbirds here in the U.S., a nectar lover but also eats insects. Very cool bird!

Here's a couple I spotted after filling the feeders early this morning.

A Blue Jay, A Juvenile Grackle screaming to be fed by the adult at the suet feeder and a male Red-bellied Woodpecker checking out a decorative birdhouse.


This Northern Cardinal stopped at an old birdbath for a little cleaning

Beautiful, Lin.

Thank you Glen! By the way ... I love your new avatar photo, beautiful bloom!

Thank you Lin. It is part of 11 month daylily flowering season for me. It is J.T. DAVIS. I am hoping to hit 12 months soon, which would be just amazing.

Hope you guys don't mind indulging me while I learn how to use this camera. A bright sunny day would help some. Once I know how it performs in very good light I will be able to better adjust to these lower light conditions. Of course it would probably help a lot if I were more familiar with all the features and where to find on the menu. Of well, I am persistent. Female Cardinal.

We'll indulge you all you want Dave & I would say you're doing great. That's a very nice, crisp, clear photo of her.

Lovely!!!

I agree too; please keep those beautiful photo's coming! Love, Love, Love your photo of that pretty little lady Cardinal.

A couple from my backyard early this morning.

One Mockingbird on a neighbor's roof in the morning sunlight and another in the Rain Tree in my front yard a little while later. They Mockingbirds have been singing their lovely songs lately.


Red-bellied Woodpecker in the Cypress tree and a Mourning Dove perched on the fence preparing to take off when it saw me.


Skies are getting dark and stormy here; thunder, lightning and wind is picking up ... and the rains have begun! I can just hear my garden smiling!

A couple of shots from today. Long distance. First shot in Auto and the second shot in shutter priority.