Bring on the Blue Jays - Part 2



Last week I shared some beautiful photos that Michael took of blue jays checking out his new bird feeder/tree invention. Today is Part 2 of the blue jay series! 

The blue jays literally go "nuts" for their new feeder!  And...they have an expensive palate and prefer to dine on peanuts and sunflower seeds.

As for the less desirable seeds...these blue jays think they are "for the other birds" and just spit them out over the side of the bird feeder!

As promised, here are a few more photos of the blue jays enjoying Michael's new bird feeder/tree invention...



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A pretty profile shot.

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A nice view of the blue jay's pointy crest.

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A gorgeous photo...definitely magazine-worthy!

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Hey, what are you lookin' at?!

If you missed Part 1 of the blue jay series, click here.

If you missed the post describing Michael's tree invention, click here.

I have a few more blue jay pictures to share, so check back soon for Part 3!

Underwater Wednesday: Spotted Cleaner Shrimp

Today’s Underwater Wednesday post features this delicate little spotted cleaner shrimp. Michael snapped this shrimp in the tropical waters of Cozumel, Mexico.

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Spotted cleaner shrimp photographed in Cozumel.

Photo Fun Facts:

• The shrimp is identified by its transparent body with distinct markings; 2 pairs of long antennae; and legs with red, purple, and white spots.

• The shrimp was hangin’ out on a sea anemone.

• The shrimp was about ½-inch in length.

• Michael took this photo at a depth of about 80 feet with a macro lens.

To see last week's Underwater Wednesday post of a coral crab, click here. And don't forget to tune in next Wednesday for another underwater wonder!

Bring on the Blue Jays - Part 1

Yesterday’s blog post featured Michael’s creative “tree” invention – a bird feeder designed for him to take natural-looking photos right from his office desk!

Over the past couple of days Michael has taken several stunning pictures of the blue jays testing out the new tree...and I have the difficult task of paring down those pictures for the blog. (I just love them all!)

To make it a little easier on my indecisive self, I’ll do a series of posts showcasing the best of these blue jay beauties!

You'll notice that even though all these photos were taken from Michael's handmade "tree," all the scenes look different...and so natural! I think his tree invention was a success! 

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This one is Michael's all-time favorite blue jay photo. What's not to love?

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I love the blue jays expression...and the detail of the bright blue, black, and white feathers!

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Sweet songbird sitting pretty.

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This blue jay is enjoying a scrumptious sunflower seed.

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This blue jay wants to enjoy the bird seed buffet all to himself....
so he told the other bird to buzz off! 

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The same angry bird scowling as his competition flies away.

There will be more blue jay photos posted over the next week or two, so stop back soon!



Mikey…The Tree Inventor

As I’ve mentioned before, we live on 8-1/2 acres of wooded land. We have thousands of trees right in our own back yard. So, as you can imagine, we have lots of feathered friends…giving a nature photographer many fantastic photo opps!

However, even with all these trees that God meticulously placed on our land…Michael needed just one more tree. Being the resourceful renaissance man that he is, Michael took matters into his own hands…and built himself a tree! (I bet God got a good chuckle out of that one!)

Mikey's tree invention for taking picture-perfect close-ups of birds!

You might be scratching your head, saying “Why in the world does he need another tree?!”

Well, this isn’t just any old tree. This “tree” is a specifically-designed bird feeder created to lure the birds into precise position for the perfect photo. He hand-picked each branch and attached them to the tree trunk. The top platform holds the bird seed and is edged with bark. The old logs placed on top give the birds a pretty place to perch and he can change the logs out to create different scenes. Michael spent a lot of time designing the plan, finding photogenic pieces of wood, and building the “tree.”

Michael built this tree right outside his office window. He propped the tri-pod and camera up on his desk and connected it to a small viewing screen. This way his movement in front of the window won’t scare the birds away. When he sees a bird nibbling on the seed or perching on a branch, he just snaps away!

Mikey's set up with the camera/tri-pod and small screen to see what's in view! 

Amazingly, when zoomed in on the branches and logs, this Mikey-made tree looks completely natural!

Check back tomorrow to see some of his new bird shots on the new tree!

It's National "Take Your Dog to Work Day"

Well, since Michael and I work from home…we celebrate this holiday every day! And we PAWsitively love our funny four-legged coworkers!

 

But just because we don’t work in a physical office with coworkers, doesn’t mean we don’t have to deal with “office drama.” Our office drama consists of:

• Dogs barking at the UPS delivery person, or a bird, or a squirrel…or each other!
• Dogs begging for lunch scraps…and then one by one dozing off for a long afternoon nap!
• Dogs snoring during conference calls (my personal favorite!)

Here’s a typical work day at our house…

 

Abbie always goes to work with Michael. (She has always been a daddy’s girl.) She sits right under Michael’s chair. And, if daddy is in the studio…Abbie is in the studio. Abbie only comes to see me when her tummy starts to grumble!

 

We call Bailey “the floater.” She just can’t make up her mind…Sometimes she goes to work with daddy; sometimes she goes to work with me. 

 

Gracie…my little shadow. She “job shadows” me all day long. However, if she thinks something more exciting is going on in daddy’s office, she’s not afraid to sneak downstairs!

 

Once in a while, all three dogs end up on daddy’s chair! How’s he supposed to get any work done?! Good thing it’s only when he’s doing computer work and not audio voiceovers or art work!

  

Who's the boss? Michael with his three little helpers.

   

Lately, Bailey and Gracie both want to sit up on my chair, which leaves very little room for me. Hey, at least I can honestly say that my job keeps me on the edge of my seat!

 

Umm...where am I supposed to sit?

Michael and I just love to work from home and be around our sweet, silly dogs all day. Sure, they don’t make coffee…they don’t type…and they don’t file. But, if we’re having a stressful day, all we gotta do is get down on the floor, rub some bellies or throw a ball across the room…and everything is suddenly…better. 

It’s impossible to keep a straight face in the presence of one or more puppies.
-Unknown