Garden Birds

A couple of months ago, for whatever serendipitous reason, I fell into photographing birds in my building's garden. I had started with a squirrel I had befriended, and one day an American Robin approached me while I was photographing the squirrel. Thus, the photographing began. Interestingly enough, that robin is now a parent! I have been trying to photograph the nest, but the mother placed it in a tree in such a way that it is almost completely obscured by its branches. I will keep on trying, but I doubt that I'll be successful. But then, I should never say "never".

The birds in my photos appear small. I'm only using my 100mm macro lens. I would need something much stronger in order for the birds to appear larger and more "visible". That's probably not going to happen for a while. Does that make me sad? Yes and no. Naturally, when I see so many people following suit and taking photos of birds with much stronger lenses, it makes me want to run out and buy one. However, I can't call myself a bird photographer at the moment. I don't know if I ever will be. Maybe! But not RIGHT NOW. I have other things I must focus on that have more of a chance of generating income than photos of birds. Besides, there are so many people doing it that there is little chance of making anything out of it, except perhaps (monetary) awards. But the whole world would be running after those, right?

So then why do I take these photos? Because, one day, I do want to be able to take decent-sized photos of birds, and so I'm making myself get used to photographing them. But there's something more. My approach with the lens I am using makes me try to get as close as possible to them, because I have to! This way, I am learning how to make birds engage with me and trust me, just as I did with the squirrel. I am patient, determined, and I don't give up. This approach is analagous of my "LetsBSocial" mission. I consider this a "long-term" project. I have no idea where it will take me, but I am having a load of fun doing it. I love animals, and they have always loved me. Most important, I find interacting and getting close to nature is great for the psyche and the soul.