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Thursday, August 24, 2023

Camera unfreezes for the gnatcatchers

Preparing to ship my "frozen" Canon 90D for repairs, I began to remove the battery and it suddenly woke up.  For a week I had charged and exchanged batteries as well as memory cards several times during troubleshooting, as there are sensors in the doors which can malfunction and freeze the camera, but all I did this time was just touch the door to the battery chamber and the screen lit up! 

Luckily, my muscle memory had not been reprogrammed during the week I had to struggle with the weight and differing controls of the older 5D Mark II. Now it felt like putting on the old pair of hiking boots after developing blisters trying to break in the new ones.   

Good numbers of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers have migrated in. They are present in low numbers all summer, but I found the locals tended to be more reclusive than the visitors. I'm afraid that I overdosed on these cute little feathery "Birbs" (See: Birbs, Borbs, Barbs and Floofs):  "...Rule 1: Birbs are often (though not conclusively) small; Rule 2: Birbs are often (though not always) round; Rule 3: Birbs appear cute"




The wild Black Cherry trees are bursting with fruit. Last year they put out very little or none. The gnatcatchers visit the trees to feed on the insects attracted to the cherries:

The mast crop also failed last autumn. A heavy production of seeds and nuts takes a great deal of energy from the trees, so it is common to see alternating years of  paucity and plenty. The gnatcatchers are nearly dwarfed by the acorns of a Chestnut Oak: 


Resident Black-capped Chickadees eat mostly insects during the warm months and appeared not to eat the cherries. They joined the gnatcatchers to look for caterpillars and other bugs:


A small flock of Cedar Waxwings appeared briefly, but did not partake of the cherries:

A highlight was this male Indigo Bunting which attracted my attention by attacking the goldfinches that foraged in the clear-cut acres in the property out back. He is molting into drab winter plumage before migrating south:


Mourning Doves experienced a successful breeding season and have been very common back yard visitors:

An Eastern Cottontail rabbit hid nearby, almost out of sight:

A White-tailed Deer fawn frolicked on our side lawn:

The Hibiscus is now in full bloom:

Our kitchen porthole window framed the sunset:

There was a weird cloud formation over Hartford which suggested the approach of an alien space ship:

Clouds reflected on the surface of the swimming pool:

This week's header: Sunset on August 20:


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Linking to:




Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World
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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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15 comments:

  1. You must be so relieved that your camera works!!! Great photos.

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  2. Such a fabulous selection of petite birds

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  3. Herrliche Fotos, die Piepmätze haben es mir besonders angetan,
    liebe Grüße zu dir von mir, Karin Lissi

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  4. Hallo Ken,
    thanks for the beautiful photos and the link to Nature Thursday. How nice that your camera is working again. "Unverhofft kommt oft" ("Unexpectedly often comes" ) is a saying here in Germany.
    These gnatcatchers are cute. They remind me of our tail tits.
    Best regards
    Elke (Mainzauber/Nature Thursday)

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  5. Visiting from Skywatch Friday! Your bird photos are exquisite, and that porthole window...wow. Glad your camera woke up to catch these photos.

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  6. Your camera came to life at an opportune time. All those Gnatcatchers along with glimpses of Waxwings, Chickadees and even an Indigo Bunting have whetted my anticipation for fall migration. We're beginning to see a few American Redstarts and Prothonotary Warblers, even though the 95+ temps don't provide much hint of "autumn".

    Have a great weekend, Ken!

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  7. Great pictures! I need to troubleshoot my old Nikon. It may be as simple as a loose battery.

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  8. Glad your camera isn't on coffee break anymore. Those fluffy birds are totally adorable. I heard that having morning doves are a sign of good luck. True or false? I like having them around regardless. We had four rabbits regularly in our yard until the apple tree isn't dropping apples on the ground anymore. I happily learn something every time I view your blog. Thanks a whole bunch!

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  9. I'm happy your camera decided to wake from its long sleep.
    I love your birbs. I didn't realize how small they were until I saw them with the acorns.

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  10. Hello,
    Good new, your camera woke up and decided to work. I wondered where all my Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers were, they are at your place. They are so cute, I love the Black-capped Chickadees too. You have a beautiful variety of birds and critters in your yard. The sky images are gorgeous, my favorites are the weird cloud formation and the last sunset capture. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

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  11. The Indigo bunting is a beautiful bird and one I haven't seen in a long time. More Warblers out this week on my hikes. It's nice to see the changes even though it's still very hot here. Enjoy your weekend!

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  12. I am glad that your camera is working...beautiful photos..I won't give up. Not with MS and then breast cancer, but I do get worn down at times...Michelle

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  13. What lovely photos love the reflective pool and the sunset ones those gnatcatchers look so cute heheh! :-)

    Have a sunsettastic week 👍

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