Hi Tweeters,

I just returned from three quick days in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas. I
took quite a few photos shooting through my spotting scope. Ten of them are
now on the BirdYak website:

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/birdyak/lst?&.dir=/&.src=gr&.view=t

I have learned more about throu-the-scope photography:
1) it is hard to get a bird in a nice pose unless you use a digital
or SLR camera;
2) don't zoom in too much as it causes the photo to be very grainy
and dark;
3) shooting a bird against a bright, cloudy sky will get you a
nice, dark silhouette with no detail;
4) the bird must be in a good light situation. I took several
photos of a female Blue Bunting feeding under a bush at
Bentsen State Park. All I got were very grainy, very dark
photos. Perhaps my step-son will be able to lighten them up a little to
make the bird identifiable.

Some photos turned out quite well. A Paraque was roosting on the ground in
not terribly good light. Since I was so close I didn't need to zoom in and
it turned out nice. I was so close I couldn't even get the tail in the photo.

Also in the BirdYak website are two photos by Richard Repp - one of a
Mountain Chickadee at the feeder in his yard and the other of the
Red-breasted Sapsucker that Richard discovered at Randall Park in Yakima.

I hope you enjoy them.

Denny Granstrand
* * * * * * * * * * *
* Denny Granstrand *
* Yakima, WA *
* osprey at nwinfo.net *
* * * * * * * * * * *