Chipmunk Cleaning Up the Seeds off the Deck

Both the chipmunk and the squirrel(s) seem to have figured out that our deck is a regular feeding spot for the birds, and so now we are thinking about... a different plan for feeding the birds. Not exactly sure what that plan will be, but we're thinking about it. In the meantime, here's a picture of the chipmunk, cheeks puffed up, as it loads up on the bird seed that we left out for... the birds.

Female Junco Close-up (2)

Sometimes, just as important as the picture, is the story the goes along with the picture. "A picture is worth a thousand words," but -- one picture might tell a lot of stories. What exactly do you want your picture to say? Why is that big bird staring at you? Was it really engaged in a staring match with you, or did you catch it in a momentary glance before (what is really a tiny bird) hopped away? What's the story on how you put this picture together in the first place, or how did you put yourself into a position where you were able to take this picture? What did you have to do with your camera in order to be able to take this picture? Sometimes, this kind of information can be as just as important to the viewer as the picture itself.

Blooming Amaryllis

Close-up on a Female Junco

I imagined this as one of those bird identification 'guide book' photos, in which you get the close-up on the whole bird and not much else. I doubt, however, that such photos are usually placed on a deck with birdseed and other leafy-items strewn all about. What I do like about this picture are some of the macro-type details: The banding on the 'toes', the perceptibility of the feathers, etc. My image might not make it into a professional birding guide book (especially since it has been digitally processed), but -- I like it.

Junco Scavenging the Bird Seed

Unless I've missed my guess, this is (once again) one of the female Juncos that has been visiting my deck for the past couple of weeks, looking for the bird seed that I have been scattering out there. I shoot these pictures through my patio door window. (This image was a single exposure tonemapped in Photomatix.) I had been spreading the seed out at the furthest end of the deck, and my son said, "Why don't you sprinkle the bird seed a little closer to the window?" So, I did. And: The bird came much closer to the window... which made for a much closer image of the bird. (Who would have thought? I guess I wasn't sure whether the birds would be brave enough to get that close to the window, with me and my camera on the other side.) Even still, I did crop this image, although the bird was much closer here than in many of my other images.

Another View of the 'Winterized' School Building

Here's another view of the school building from yesterday's post. Simply looking at it from the outside, my favorite parts are the auditorium (a great place to put on plays, musical performances, shows, etc.) and that circular shaped structure. (It looks like the rounded part that you sometimes see in castles. I could see turning that section of the building into a really cool library....) 

Doors to a 'Winterized' School

Yesterday's picture of the stairs led up to this school building. My understanding is that, basically, some kind of merger with a school in a neighboring town left the building... unused for school purposes.

I love these steps and the window made of glass blocks; I didn't have the nerve to check to see if the doors were unlocked (or even if, perhaps, the building is actually open to the public, being used for some sort of administrative purposes, or if, perhaps, they wouldn't mind me walking around taking pictures??? Perhaps another time.)