With Covid-19 hitting in early 2020, we were not able to get out much and take pictures. When we did we hit a couple of nice Columbus Metro Parks. This year we are geared up and ready to hit the ground running.

Covid-19 is still lingering, so, we have had to make plans to stay off the beaten path and that means some of our favorite parks will have to wait for warmer weather, but, we kick off the year with backyard birding.

I have an Ameristep hunting blind

Before you jump to any conclusion, no, I don’t hunt. I do stalk prey and photograph them. But, the backyard is setup with bird feeders and we have a lot of little feathered friends to entertain us. We found that the blind enables us to take pictures of the birds without interfering with their feeding.

I put out two suet feeders and a mealworm feeder. Certain birds like the suet better than the worms, but, some prefer the worms. It costs me a little to keep the feeders going, but, it is worth it.

My equipment is a Pentax KP digital SLR camera body with a Pentax 300 mm f/4.0 lens and a 1.4x rear teleconverter. I also have a Pentax 70-210 f/4.0 lens to capture that occasional larger guest. I use both for wildlife shooting and I am ordering a new Pentax 150-450 mm superzoom in the near future.

Here are some of my guests…