Audubon Birdcam...and Ultrarunning

Last Christmas, the bride bought me (upon my specs!) an Audubon Birdcam.  This is an automatic wildlife camera; it is motion-activated and has various settings to tweak.  I opted for no flash since I was not going for nocturnal critters.

I use the BirdCam out at our feeder, specifically focused upon the suet feeder.  It has a choice of 3 focal distances; I am still experimenting with the exact focal length for optimum clarity.  In addition, I am fiddling with the shot angle to try to obtain the best background behind the birds.

So this shot isn’t museum quality but it’s nice anyway!

Image credit Gary

This guy, for some inexplicable reason, is called the Red-Bellied Woodpecker.  NOT the Red-Headed Woodpecker that one might assume would be the name (...and one would be wrong!).  Read more here about this bird at All About Birds.

He or she seems quite happy to visit our feeder daily.  Of the some 180 shots that the Audubon Birdcam took over the past 4 days, I whittled them down to about 25.  The red-bellied woodpecker showed up frequently; this shot really struck me as being a pretty decent image.

The link to Ultrarunning is the fact that birds are omnipresent in our backcountry excursions...only we may not be aware of them.  If I consciously focus on birds, then I see or hear them everywhere; if I just run, then typically I miss these wonderful companions.