Some Cardinals and Blue Jays

 So I finally made it down to Belle Isle.  As I was getting out of the bathroom, I saw these guys.

I like to get pictures of cardinals because they are so rare for me.  They usually don't stick around in one place long enough for me to get a picture of them.

This one stuck around for a bit because there was some food around.

And then he decided to hop on a snow bank.  He was sitting next to a sparrow.  Made for a cool picture.

They stuck around for a while.

I think he was posing for me.

I like this one.

And then I saw a blue jay.

One more shot of him.

Back to the cardinal.

And one more shot before going to catch the ships.

A Stop at Island Park

So last Monday I decided to take my mom over to Embury Road.  I figured that since it was on the way, I would take her over to Island Park in order to see the owls.  Unfortunately, the owls were out and about.

 I was able to get a picture of this mallard.

 He was joined by another mallard. I thought this was kind of unusual because they usually chase other male ducks away.

 I kind of like this picture.

 And a mallard washing himself off.

 As I was coming back to the car, I saw this guy.  He was flitting between the different trees.

 I'm always happy to catch a cardinal because they can be a pain to catch.

 I kind of like this shot.

 He kind of looks like he's saying, "What are you looking at?".

Magnificent bird.

A Bird on a Wire

Last Friday night, I decided to head over to the airport to get some plane pictures.  As I was leaving, I looked up and saw this guy.

 I thought he was perfectly lighted by the sun.  He was singing.

One more shot of him.

Catching Some Other Birds

So I couldn't get decent pictures of the owls, so I tried to get some pictures of some of the other birds.

 First up being a Canada Goose.  He was not too happy about some ducks in

 And he just floated by the ducks.

 One more picture of him.

 I was hearing this guy singing all night, as I was heading back home, I saw him on the ground, so I stopped to get some pictures.  As I saw him, I saw another bird.

This guy was sitting on the ground next to the cardinal.  I tried to get a couple pictures of him there but they didn't work.  As I was looking around, I saw him on this branch across the river.  I was surprised to get a decent picture because I had to blow it up so much but the resolution on this camera is so much better.

On a personal note, I found out on Friday I got furloughed.  So it looks like I might have some time for the time being.  Not sure what I can do in a lockdown but I'll figure it out.

Seeing a Pair Cardinals

While I was taking pictures of the young owl, I heard the distinctive sound of a cardinal singing.  So I looked around to see if I could find it.

 After some looking around, I saw a splotch of red high up in the tree.  Fortunately my new camera has enough resolution that I could blow the picture up enough.  After that, I kind of like this picture.

 I'm not sue if I like this one as much though.

 As I was chasing the male, I noticed this female on the branch.  I had to adjust the film speed a little bit but I like this picture.

And then I got another one of her.

There wasn't much stirring in the owl nest, so I decided to head over to Gallup Park.

The Cardinal Rule

As I was looking at the owls, I heard a distinctive sound, so I decided to look for it.  After some searching, I found the cardinal.

 He seemed to be hiding in this shot.

 After I moved around , I found a spot where i could get some decent pictures of him.

 I think he was kind of posing for me.  This are proud looking birds but after observing them for a bit, they are jerks.

 He looked around.

 I do like the looks of them.

 But they are hard to get pictures of.

 So it was kind of nice that this one stuck around for me.

 Another profile shot.

 A forward look.

He was moving a little bit.

Three Days in a Row

So I decided to head to Gallup again today.  It was pretty nice earlier in the day but it looked like it was threatening to rain.  It looked like I had a enough time to go for a walk.  There were a few more people but they seemed cognizant of social distancing.  I still just took a walk around the little pond, that seemed to be my best chance of avoiding people.

 I think with fewer people coming to the park, there is more wildlife.  This goose was swimming close to the shore.

 A grackle.  I really like the looks of these birds.  I really like this picture.

 A red winged blackbird.  I think this birds are really cool looking.

 I heard this guy singing.  I didn't realize what it was at first but I knew it was something I wanted to catch.  I followed the direction of the singing and found him.  Unfortunately, he was across the tracks but with my zoom and cropping, I was able to get a decent picture.

 I took a few pictures of him.  I think I like this one a little better.

 However, I like this one the best.

 A robin.

 Another angle of the robin.

 A trio of geese.

 I kind of like this picture.

 A mallard drake.

 A red winged blackbird.

 I think this is a young one.

 When you see this, they make a really neat song.

A female mallard.