Thanks again to all the recent posters & everyone welcoming me to the site! I am slowly poking around & finding where to go & not go! LOL...staying out of the Attic for now...I like it here tons of info & friendly folks.

A couple years ago I was hot for the Golf TDI diesel Wagon. I loved the specs, I loved the fuel savings... then we test drove one. Neither my wife nor I could hear ourselves think much less hold a conversation in one!! Not even in town at lower speeds forget above 50mph on the freeway!! Noisiest car I test drove in years! Better go drive one & see if they have improved any because we ended the drive after 5 minutes & laughed at the poor sales guy trying to sell it to us. Even the gas engine was not acceptable.

We finally bought a 2014 Mazda 3 Grand Touring sedan & are extremely happy! we are averaging 34mpg long term mostly city driving & regularly get 43-45 on the freeway. our High tank is 52.8 mpg!! The quality of the luxury interior & accessories is outstanding..first year no warranty issues. Go test drive one!

Well you could POKE the nest & if any wasps come out they are still alive! If no wasps come out, carefully cut the branch off & trim as needed. Put nest in a plastic bag & seal bag...freeze in freezer all through next Summer. Then spray varnish it & hang in your den or man cave. Wife will love it!

WooHoo! Thanks AP! I really appreciate EVERYTHING! The pic really does have snap now!! I never expected that, thank you so much. I like the pose my Robin has even if part is hidden... Bright bright bright now!

I have a PC so am not familiar with those programs, but maybe I should start checking editing programs & learning something new again...love it! Nice meeting you also. Folks are very friendly in here, glad I found it.

Forget any $5,000 plus lenses LOL, I'm retired & supporting too many doctors now...& obama is not helping me!

Thankyou Irvingate I really appreciate that!

Thank you Leicaflex. I know the color could be better...I had less than a minute to snap this before he was gone, it was a foggy morning so that may have washed things out. The leaves are a fiery red that did intrigue me though. I also wish I could have had a sharper focus.

I like this pic I took today...but fire away & tell me how it could be better please...SX700HS Canon F6.9, 1/160 SEC, ISO 125, 135MM ZOOM, METERING pATTERN Handheld.

Well I tried...thought this was going to be a responsible discussion area..I see it is not so good bye I will not be back.

LOL...now who is jumping to conclusions? My statement was strictly in reference to obama & the libtard democrats that try to do just this after every new shooting we have in the USA. I merely opened the door for a civil discussion!!! It is not a knee jerk reaction as it is a REAL & immediate threat with our Rogue president & his "Executive Actions". I happen to thrive on disagreements in a discussion because I LEARN from your opinions & I hope you might find some small kernel of t***h or enlightenment in mine!!

Ahh I see, so many equate SEMI-Auto with assault weapons as being one & the same. I use a SEMI auto shotgun when I used to hunt birds it is 50 years old now & was in existence way before the "Assault Weapons" came into being. For hunting it is restricted to a max of 3 shells. (It can hold 6 shells but is plugged by law to only 3 shells) It can be seized if I take it into the field without the plug in it.

It is in danger of being outlawed here in the States because legislators think it is an Automatic Weapon & want to pass blanket laws against them & /or seize them. So I try & make the distinction between the two.

If my type of shotgun has been legal & safe to own & use for 50 + years why should it be taken away now? Same for my SEMI-auto pistols.

I don't like Trophy hunting...never did. I used to hunt & love to eat wild game! Much healthier IMO. But now I'd rather take their pics & frame them on my wall. Still the thrill of stalking & getting closer & capturing the shot.

Question: Why did you mention Automatic weapons? Nobody uses Automatic weapons to hunt with...those are Military weapons & are illegal to hunt with. It takes up to 6 months or even a year to get a Federal stamp/license to even possess an Automatic weapon! They do an exhaustive background check for each Stamp/license. The Federal Gov. has the right to enter your house anytime to check on your Automatic Weapon & Stamp. I believe you used the term in error did you not? My wife's family was very poor & if not for wild fish & game they would have gone hungry. She especially loved Bear meat. Nothing was ever wasted.

OK!! I am going with YOUR ID on my bird! It looks more like a Band Tail by far! Mine has no or a very faint white neck band is all but it's demeanor was not at all Hawk like...the description of the pigeon seems right on in it's actions too. The size had thrown me off a lot & it seemed HUGE for a pigeon! After closer look at the Yellow Feet they don't seem like talons either....Sigh My mystery solved , but I am highly embarrassed for such a mistake! Oh well, a good day! I learned something!

Thank you very much!



One more pic to clinch it...never saw a Hawk eat berries!

Here is another shot with a Robin in the background barely visible for size comparison...

Thank you for answering me! Mourning Dove? ! Look at those Talons! This bird was at least 18" to 24" in height & really is bending the branch with it's weight...It was identical to the Adult Coopers Hawks I could positively identify...

Hello everyone, My name is Walt Sonner, I live in Southern Oregon, Grants Pass to be exact. I am 72, retired Instrument/Electrician, have always loved photography & in the last several years have started bird watching as a hobby.

Once you start a home feeder & the birds come you want to know what they are & all about their habits. Then of course you want to take a picture! Now that leads to many other issues like cameras, techniques, lighting, composition, lenses....& so on. Ever been there? chuckle.

Well in poking around I have found this place & am liking it very much! I hope to learn a lot here & develop my skills considerably. I am strictly an amateur hobbyist and usually my "good" pictures are purely accidental. I love Macro pics a lot, flowers, bugs, mostly outdoor Nature pics. And now Bird pics!

I have a simple home feeder station & most of my pics are through the window while they are feeding. I have a Canon Rebel First Gen with the kit lenses. Then I have a Canon SX700HS semi pocket camera with 30X Zoom. This one is my favorite & the one I carry everywhere. I love the Zoom Range & the ability to go all manual or any variation of that.

So I am not a Professional by any means, just an enthusiastic amateur that wants to learn more & take better pictures with what I have. A day where I do not learn something new is a day wasted I believe. Thank you all in advance.

I get Hawks hanging around because of my feeders & the extra birds...but this pic has always puzzled me...one the beak is not curved/hooked like normal & this Hawk was eating the berries. I have tentatively identified it as a young Coopers Hawk? Comments on the identification & the quality of everything in the pic. (Through a window at these settings
f 6.3 1/40 sec ISO 800 105mm focal length Pattern mode of metering

Young Coopers Hawk Straight Beak?