Although this can depend on where you live, it’s very easy for many of us to forget just how much life we’re surrounded by. Even a quiet suburb can usually play host to a surprising array of busy little creatures and that can become especially apparent when you set up a bird feeder.
Of course, we’re not always around to see who dropped by that day, but one bird enthusiast in Michigan has found a solution to that issue.
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These are the places you can keep up with her: ostdrossel.tumblr.com | Facebook | Instagram | twitter.com | Etsy
The photographer, who goes by Ostdrossel, was born in Germany, but moved to Michigan a few years ago.
As she told Diply, she soon noticed how many colorful birds can be found in the U.S..
Since she arrived during winter, her fascination for roving goldfinches, cardinals, and Blue Jays would later include hummingbirds and others that returned once spring started again.
She then moved to a less urban area and set up a feeding station.
As she said, “My Dad is a photographer and I have studied media, so it felt like a natural thing to eventually begin experimenting with photography. The subjects were so beautiful and foreign. I wanted to share with my family and friends in Germany too.”
She made her first photos with a pocket-sized camera, but soon stepped up to using a DSLR.
She wouldn’t have much success with that camera either, but her experiments with it made her even more interested in photographing any feathered friends who stopped by.
Of course, to do that, she had to make her yard more attractive to the birds.
After some research, she came across something called a bird photo booth, which suit her needs almost perfectly.
She described it as, “Like a trail camera box with a macro lens in which you can set your phone or any small and fitting camera to take photos or videos. The box has a feeder bowl attached that brings the birds within distance of the camera.”
To get her shots, she uses several different cameras.
Some are operated by motion detection, while others allow for time lapse photos and others still can be controlled with a mobile app.
The booth stands on a tripod, which she modified to keep squirrels like this little party crasher out of the booth.
Once she had collected a nice photo set, she shared her work with a local bird-watching group.
Considering how intimidate and dynamic the scenes she captures are, it’s no surprise that these viewers from over two years ago told her to make her album public.
This album was initially shared over 40,000 times, but some of the people who came across it made it clear that she needed to add watermarks.
As she told Diply, this was because some people were reposting her photos as their own and making up fake stories to make these captured scenes seem authentically theirs.
A shot with this much action, for instance, could likely inspire all sorts of tall tales if somebody tried hard enough.
The initial success of this album eventually led her to create a Tumblr blog, a Facebook page dedicated to her photos, and later an Instagram and Twitter account.
Yet, Ostdrossel said that initial album remains as popular as ever. As she put it, “Now it feels like every year around the end of winter, the album goes semi-viral again because the articles or photos pop up on people’s timelines.”
Indeed, as this year’s winter dies down, this cycle of attention has returned as strongly as ever.
In fact, she said that her photos experienced more engagement this year than they ever had before. Her experiences after making these shots public have given her many opportunities to see social media at work.
Not only that, but she’s amassed a lot of knowledge about the birds themselves.
For instance, in her conversations with Instagram followers about this photo, she said that this cardinal’s feathers were likely destroyed by mites because it was the wrong time of year for its molting season, which also doesn’t last as long as he’s looked like this.
Her photos are also a great way to learn about the different types of birds that might stop by your area.
This, for instance, is a red-winged blackbird and when they appear, it’s often a sign that spring is on its way.
Although Ostdrossel plans to continue experimenting with what she already has set up, she’s also seeking to improve her rig.
This will include building her own camera housing to better fit her needs and getting a better camera for the next round of visitors.
She also intends to remain active on all of her social media platforms.
This activity may also include future projects done in collaboration with others, although the details for these are hardly set in stone at this time.
In the meantime, we’ll all have plenty of adorable bird photos to enjoy.
Although some may wish that woodpeckers wouldn’t go about their noisy business so early in the morning, this one definitely looks cute peering into the feeder.
She also has a knack for capturing birds at their most expressive.
It’s hard to tell what this eastern bluebird is so excited about, but since another one comes into the next shot in this set, it likely has something to do with its buddy.
Ostdrossel can be found at: ostdrossel.tumblr.com | Facebook | Instagram | twitter.com | Etsy
