So, I had this brilliant idea that for the summer solstice I would sit in my own backyard in one spot with my camera on a tripod aimed at one dead (and therefore leafless- or at least sparsely leafed) tree and photograph every bird which landed on it from dawn to dusk. So, I just went with that. I did consider sitting somewhere where I could get a decent view of more than one tree and figured out a spot where I could potentially gaze upon 4 different of the dead/dead-ish trees (yes, I know I might want to get a tree guy in here to do some limb removal) but then I realized that I couldn't actually see all 3 or four at the same time and that I would surely miss out on some good action of some trees while watching other trees. In the end I chose a single tree to watch.
The truth is that I mostly go outside with sweet pea when I think there will be plenty of birds flying around (early AM and early evening) so I didn't really know which tree was most visited to photograph I couldn't possibly watch all three (or four) at the same time, so I never will know, now, will I? I mean, I suppose I could put 4 separate motion activated cameras outside for multiple days and scientifically get a handle which dead branches are more alluring to the birds, but this is about art not science, so I chose the tree that isn't 100% dead and still has strange Dr. Suess like clumps of leaves dotting it because it's the prettiest. Think about the trees from The Lorax and then imagine the mostly dead tree I photographed looking like a field of scattered truffle trees. Lots of trunks with little lollipop balls of leaves on top.
What I hoped for: not that hot or sunny with occasional puffy clouds floating by for a nice variety of changing backgrounds behind the tree. What I got: Searing 100% sunshine and blustery winds, especially high in the trees and some light filmy clouds moving through, so at least that part happened. I knew I would probably want to sit under an umbrella for part of the day, and I did but what I didn't know was that rain umbrellas don't really block the sun. It's ok because even though I was pretty pink that night, it turned to tan right away. I did have to ask Josh to bring a sheet that I could throw over my lap and feet because the tops of my feet were sizzling. They too were pink that night but quickly got over it.
I knew it would be a long day but I didn't realize how psychologically grueling it would be to stay (I can't claim I sat the whole time, I got restless and marched and danced in place behind the camera with the remote trigger in my hand- eyes glued on the spot) Folks, I did that for 15 hours and it was so traumatic, trying, HARD that I needed a day to recover! I can't even imagine solitary confinement. I knew from the get go how many hours I would have to sit there, so it was really hard when I was only 3 or 4 or 6 hours in. It felt better once I was counting down 4,3,2,1, and then of course minutes.
I felt so profoundly alone out there, even though sweet pea stayed with me nearly the entire time. She pressed herself again or right underneath my chair to be in the shade from the umbrella too. I had to ask the husband or Josh to being her inside to cool down a couple of times when I thought she was panting too hard. I reflexively wanted to pick up my phone about a thousand times, but then I had to remind myself to keep my eyes on the tree. Not everyone understood when I told them I couldn't text for the day. I got a lot of texts which the phone read aloud to me and I answered with dictation that I did not double check. I should probably see what weird texts I actually sent. I did have a nice chat with quite a few friends and that really helped to pass the time and soothe the isolation. I can totally talk and focus my sights on a distant tree top at the same time.
I almost immediately regretted framing the tree as tight as I did because many birds were flying right out of what I could see through the view finder. But once I started the process I couldn't stop and change the view. I had the camera on a tripod because I wanted to look at the same spot all day long. And you know what? In the end I have hundreds (over 400) of photos, so it was probably for the best. I didn't realize how tiny some of the birds are. And even the blue jays, which aren't tiny look pretty tiny on my images, which will need to be LARGE in a gallery show. I managed to get some hawk flying behind the tree, and even a super sexy black vulture slow flying right across the front of the tree. That was a fun one. It came towards the end of the day and totally lifted my spirits to hold on until sunset. Another of my favorite photos happened in the early morning when a little misty filmy cloud was in front of the tree, so there is a 3 shot sequence that has that smokey thing happening. That bird is a speck! I am actually quite impressed with myself that I saw so many tiny birds. I am in awe of my own ability to hyper focus.
I feel like I want to do a limited version of that experiment again, not on the longest day of the year. I want to know if there would have been more birds up there if it had not been so windy that day. I think so, because I notice that there aren't too many birds to see on any windy day and that tree is one of the higher trees, so it was probably worse conditions.
I am happy about the variety of birds that did stop by and have a rest on the tree. The first bird I captured was a woodpecker, a flicker, and I saw that bird a lot on the spring when it was mating and insanely chasing around the female flicker, so I felt like a visit from my pal, Flick, was a great omen with which to start the day.
Anyways, I'm still a bit shocked at how draining the experience was. I can't wait to talk about it with the woman who is helping me out with things. She is a great person to bounce things off of.
Excited about the vulture!!
Posted by: Mitzy Carter | June 23, 2020 at 06:58 PM