Bird of paradise
I had plans for a trip to Hyner View State Park in the hope of a watching a pretty sunrise but the weather was uncooperative. The sun did come out a few hours later however. The farm was quiet. I had been thinking it would be something of a challenge to construct a cairn in the backyard under the bird feeders. Perhaps some seed might entice one of the bolder visitors to investigate. It was worth a try. As soon as I finished chores I got hold of a wheelbarrow and made for the hedgerow. Our property line to the east is made, in part, of field stone. The pile is three to four feet high, ten to fifteen feet wide, and perhaps 500 yards long. This immense pile was constructed stone by stone, as each was revealed by the plow. I have often wondered how many years it took to construct. Such a lot of work, such dedication, perseverance, and patience. I collected as many rocks as my conveyance would hold and which I would still be able to control on the slope down to the house. The cairn I built was quickly toppled by the wind. The rebuilt structure still stands outside the kitchen window as I write. I put the D600 on a tripod and used an infrared remote to trip the shutter from the corner of the house. It was coincidence that Joanna and I had just finished watching the Jungles episode which is part of the BBC series, Planet Earth. At its conclusion there was a featurette which described the filming of Borneo’s famous Birds of Paradise. In particular, and in the light of the half hour I spent clicking away with the remote to get the shot below, I was struck by the dedication of certain wildlife photographers. The videographer who successfully captured the mating behaviors of the three birds presented in the episode spent more than two weeks, alone, in a blind to capture the behaviors presented. Such dedication, perseverance, and patience.
Looks like your subject was lured to the exact spot you had hoped! Did you use the seed? Nice job on this second cairn of yours. Perhaps your field stone fence would be a pretty spot for some images!
Yup … although there was seed all over the horizontal surfaces there was none on the point she chose to land on. Perhaps she simply the liked the view from on high. I’ll have to consider the hedgerow for images. It is still covered in a thin layer of the white stuff.
Is that a chickadee? How long did you have to wait until she found her perfect little perch? Lovely photograph and cairn!
Yup … ask Audrey … she could have told you that! Not long. Once everything was setup I would say I nabbed the photo within ten minutes! I wouldn’t have had the patience to hang around much longer. But, you knew that.
Hail to the master of the cairn. It looks like you’ve perfected the art.
I try. D
Beautiful shot!
Thanks Rexlin … I’m glad you liked it. Have a great day. D
This is so beautiful, and neatly topped by the visiting bird
very obliging!
Thanks for the words of appreciation. I liked to image as well. D
Oh, I forgot to tell you how impressive your cairn is. If that thing stands up, I’m losing a bet with myself. Amazingly, you’ve balanced it perfectly. This stone stacking thing fascinates me. There’s something antediluvian about them. A mystique surrounds them, I think.
Well … the thing is still standing as I respond this morning to your comment George! Take yourself out to lunch! I got the camera out again just a bit ago and the rising sun ducked behind the house and put the cairn into shadow – perhaps later this afternoon. Thanks for all of the positive observations and comments and praise. As I’ve told you before … you’re good for my ego! Keep it up. Also … love the word choice. ‘Antediluvian’ is one of my favorites. One should try and use it in casual conversation daily – kind of like doing pushups and situps! Metal exercise! Thanks again for the observations and taking the time to put them into words. D
Absent the handy shorthand, Right Brain would be flailing about in a paragraphs-long struggle to excavate!
Ha! Got ya! D PS: The cairn finally gave way to gravity this afternoon … darn Blue Jays.
Oh, a bird visited the wonderful cairn! Made me grin from ear to ear! I love the colors, tones and textures here. Just a superb image all around!