Friday, June 6, 2014

Seeing Red

Hello friends!

I hope everyone has had a great week!

From what I've been seeing on some of your blogs, 
it looks like many of you have been having some delightful weather.
Same here and summer will officially be here in a couple of weeks!

I know just about all of you enjoy watching and photographing birds like I do.
We have such an abundance of cardinals this year!
But this little red beauty has been making himself known quite a lot in my yard lately.


At first I thought it was a scarlet tanager but after doing more checking,
I found out he is actually a summer tanager.
Isn't he just the most gorgeous little guy? 

The pics are not as sharp as I would have hoped, as you loose a bit of quality when you are:
 a) shooting through a not-so-clean window
b) trying to stop a moving object
c) stretching your point & shoot to the max! :) 


We had run low on birdseed in the other feeders throughout the yard
and this suet block is the only thing the squirrels couldn't reach...
...so I think every bird within tweeting distance were fighting over this one!


Here, this molting cardinal who has lost his headpiece, couldn't wait his turn.
He came and joined Mr. Tanager and they started the feeder spinning and spinning,
as if they were on a merry-go-round!

This feeder is hanging about two feet away from my kitchen window
and I have been keeping my tripod set up to snap some shots quickly and steadily.
That close, the slightest sound or movement scares them off. 


I have been playing around with a BeFunky, a free photo editing program.
I don't have the Waterlogue app but I like the look of this program's watercolor effect.
What do you think?



I really like the way the lighting translated on these two (above and below) 
when this effect was applied.
BeFunky is really fun and very user friendly...and is a free download.



I hope you all have a beautiful weekend!



sharing at
Amaze Me Mondays


20 comments:

  1. fabulous bird!!! wow!! the edits you did make them into perfect notecards!

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  2. Debby these photos are fabulous! We don't see red cardinals here. I would be watching them for hours if we did. Love the water colors. I need to check out that watercolor program.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  3. Great photos! I must look into the BeFunky, of course with my husbands help. Lol! Computers and I don't get along very well.
    Enjoyed my visit!
    Have a wonderful week end!

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  4. What a fascinating splash of color. I had to put the feeders away as Mama Bear and her three cubs kept knocking them down.

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  5. Oh, he certainly is a gorgeous bird...and you have captured him well!!

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  6. I love the birds, we don't get any that bright here apart from lorikeets and I don't see much of them where I am. I think they're imports from Australia. All our natives are bush colours and they blend into their surroundings. Your water colour effects are really stunning.

    Diana

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  7. I have never seen a summer tanager before now! Oh the beautiful birds that live beyond my world... Lovely photos. I like the Be Funky effects.

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  8. I can't find the watercolor effect in Befunky.

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  9. Very pretty. Very similar to watercolors. Any red bird was my mama's favorite bird She would sit with her binoculars and watch for hours while looking in her bird books to know just what she had found. It was a game for her.

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  10. He certainly is a beauty! I have always wanted to see one. Your photos are wonderful!

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  11. I'd say that does a nice water color effect. Maybe better than waterlogged as it has more detail visible. Maybe also you can control it a bit better. You have no choices to speak of in WL. You did some beautiful captures of the little summer teenager (tanager). At first I didn't think he was real.

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  12. Beautiful captures. He is so red! I like the app you've used but haven't tried it. It really did a lovely edit to your photos. Have a blessed Sunday and week. Pam

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  13. What a beautiful bird! I would have been begging for a spot to set up my camera gear too, lol. The painterly effect is quite nice, thanks to Befunky. There is an abundance of free programs that do terrific editing.

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  14. Hi Debby,

    What an adventure for both the bird and its watcher! You caught these sassy summer tanagers 'red handed'! Your BeFunky photos are fabulous! Love the light and the bokeh-like effect in the background! Thanks for letting us know about it; will definitely check it out!

    Happy Sunday, to you!

    Poppy

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  15. Your photos are beautiful and that little bird is so pretty. I don't believe we have those here - I've never seen one.

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  16. Beautiful shots! I'll have to give Befunky a try. Looks like fun.

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  17. Isn't that beautiful! I have never heard of a summer tanager...we had what I thought was a scarlet here...maybe it wasn't?

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    Replies
    1. Anita, that's what I thought this was at first until I googled and found that the scarlet tanager has very black wings. They love the suet feedeers and my little red friend has returned several times :)

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  18. Beautiful birds Debby Ray, we don't have those here!? And Befunky, never heard of it...thanks!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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  19. Wow! you got some great photos of the bird! I love the watercolor pics too. My mom has a squirrel that hangs upside down on her feeder, we tried to get pics of him but he runs away every time.

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Thank you for stopping by today! Your sweet comments are such an encouragement to me.

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