[M]

I have some more photos of Macaws -- all taken in Amazonian Peru.

The first is a set of macaws at a clay lick.  The macaws visit these licks and eat the clay...it's pretty spectacular to see a large group of colorful macaws and parrots swarming over the clay and chattering.

The second photo is of a Scarlet Macaw who was hand raised by researchers at the Tambopata Research Center and is very friendly; he likes to visit the breakfast buffet and steal food.

The third photo is of two pairs of Blue and Yellow Macaws, and the fourth photo is a Red and Green Macaw.

[M]

This is a Magnificent Hummingbird, quite deserving of the name.  In addition to its colors, it's a bigger-than-your-average hummingbird, which adds to its magnificence.  I took the photo in Southeastern Arizona, at a ranch where bunches of feeders attract bunches of hummingbirds.

[M]

Magnolia Warbler -- a very blurry one, but migrating warblers are not often inclined to be still.  I took this photo on the shores of Lake Erie during spring migration, at a refuge where massive numbers of warblers refuel before confronting the lake.

Mute Swans with cygnets -- beautiful, but unfortunately one of those introduced species that out-competes the native trumpeter swan and other waterfowl in a couple of ways:

• They overgraze submerged aquatic vegetation, sometimes to the point that it can't recover.
• They compete for resources with other waterfowl and are very aggressive during breeding season, so they often prevent other birds from nesting nearby.

Source: Wikipedia

Mexican Spotted Owl -- I took the photo on a military base in Southeastern Arizona; the owl had been very dependable and our birding guides found him/her easily.  The bird seemed unfazed by the attention.

I like numbers 55-58, but they're similar to #33, which was my initial preference.

[L]

OK, perhaps I'm not quite done.  I couldn't resist one more photo of the Lorikeets.  The Louisville Zoo has an exhibit where you pay $1 for a cup of nectar (we always buy two, since we have two hands), and walk in and feed the Lorikeets.  Once they've emptied the nectar, or gotten full, or bored, they proceed to explore shiny metal objects like jewelry, buttons, zippers, etc..  The red lorikeet is trying to remove my earring, and the one on top of my head is playing with the silver hairs on my head!

[L]

And my final entry in the "L" category is the Lark Sparrow.  This photo is not in very good focus; the bird was in deep shade and was too far away, but it's a lovely sparrow.  I took the photo in Southeastern Arizona.

[L]

And one more "Lava" colored bird from the Galapagos: the Lava Heron.  I thought this bird was really pretty, for a mostly gray bird.

L is for Lava Gull -- this is a bird which is endemic to the Galapagos; this one landed on our boat to hitch a ride (and perhaps try to steal some food).

Here are the logos we've received. The list is constantly growing so check back often.
http://www.crowdspring.com/project/2290056_rfalconcam-logo/

I like #33

Mak - Pretty ingenious.  You do with what you have and all of us enjoy seeing them.  Since I am out of state, your tweets are fun to get every morning too! I don't know how you did it, but try to brace everything as much as you can, and hold your breath when you take the pic.

Joyce

I have a couple more tips, if you haven't already figured them out, which may not apply depending on what kind of camera you have.  If you have a camera with a flash, and you can turn the flash off, you should.  Otherwise the camera sets the exposure based on the assumption that the flash will fire, but the flash won't be effective through the scope and the photo will be underexposed (dark).  At least that's been my experience.

Secondly, and this only works if you have a self-timer on your camera and an adapter that secures the camera to the scope.  If you do, you can set the timer to take the picture, and take your hands off the camera entirely.  Since any motion will be multiplied by the scope's high magnification, even the act of depressing the shutter button yourself can cause things to be not as sharp as they will be if you can use a timer or remote shutter control.

Sometimes if it's really windy, and the wind is buffeting the scope, I attach my camera to the scope, set the timer, press the shutter, and then try to lean down on the tripod legs with my hands to try and steady it in the wind while waiting for the camera to take the photo.

I sometimes like the "circle" effect as well, but most digiscope experts recommend zooming your camera until the circle disappears.

I'm not an expert, by any means, but I've been practicing and am gradually learning what works and what doesn't.  With my scope and my camera, I almost need perfect atmospheric conditions to get a good digiscope photo, meaning bright sunlight, a fairly dry day (no humidity in the air, which is a challenge in Kentucky), and a day that's not so hot that I get heat waves (also a challenge in summer in Kentucky).  I just got back from a trip to New Mexico where those conditions were exactly right, and managed to get some nice closeups of Sandhill Cranes, which I'll eventually post once I get them all organized.

[K]

These are a couple of Eastern Kingbird fledglings; I watched them wait for food deliveries by Mom & Dad one early summer day...very fun!

The photo below is another warbler starting with a K, the Kirtland's Warbler, and is also another example of how lucky I am!  The Kirtland's Warbler is an endangered species, largely because of bizarrely limiting nesting habitat needs (needs young Jack Pine forests).  Habitat loss, fire suppression (leading to forests that are too mature for their purposes), and cowbird problems have been their main threats.  However, one passed through last May when I was on Lake Erie (warbler land), and stayed around all day, long enough for several hundred people to get out to the beach on the lakeshore to see it (and take its picture).

[K]

The photo below is of a young Kentucky Warbler.  I attended a bird-banding session at Mammoth Cave National Park a few years back, and this bird was one of the victims.  Kentucky Warblers typically stay in the low levels of the forest or on the ground...which means they are nearly impossible to see, since they're always crawling around in thick understory.  So I was lucky they managed to catch one in the mist net!