One of the smaller jays loves the suet.

he looks a very pretty little bird

Beautiful shot. Another, right place, right time.

Thanks Sticki and TOG... this is a small jay...seems to be a ways down the pecking order. I think he sneaks away from the flock and comes to enjoy the suet on my tree in private. I have a weakness for loners! Had to remove the screen from one of the laundry windows so I could get a clear shot of the bird feeder, TOG. Turned off the sound effects on the camera and turned on the "shake reducer" lol... and finally got a reasonably good shot on this new camera. I gave my old one to one of my sons..now I wish I'd given him the new one and kept my old one!

shake reducer sounds a very good idea ~ i dont think mine has one.

lovely photo Lori

They are beautiful creatures, aye San?
Lol...Sticki...I'm just not happy with this camera...It doesn't take as good pics as my old one did. ;-)

sure are Lori, is that snow melting yet, or is it not time yet.

do you think you will be happier with the camera when you get used to it?

Oh San! How I wish it would melt! We lost a lot of it when we had rain (of all things) in February. (Feb. is usually extremely cold) then we got another foot of the stuff...and this pic was taken on a cold March morning when we had received 3 cm. overnight! OH I WISH SPRING WOULD FINALLY GET HERE!
Sticki...yes, you are probably right. If I can resist the urge to pitch it out the car window!! LOL... (Patience is a virtue...so they say. grrrr....)

i nearly threw a camera in the lake once ~ it had a design fault and the back wouldnt shut properly ~ so i couldnt get photos but i was on holiday and wouldnt be able to get the picture again ~ grrrrr!
i bought a different make after that!!

I had a little Canon A420..and it was a very serviceable little camera...I even lost it in the snow once...it was getting a little old and the white balance was not good...I decided that I needed a new one so I bought another Canon...But this camera and I just do not see eye to eye.... It does not have a focus window...it has a larger view screen..but that doesn't make a difference to the quality of the shots...and yes I'm probably at fault...expecting to master it without reading the manual...BUT...even now that I"ve read the manual front to back it still doesn't produce pictures of the same quality as the little 420!! live and learn.

can you take it back? canon are a very good make ~ perhaps the camera shop could help??

I might have tried to do that, Sticki, but I'm not entirely sure that the fault is all the camera's and not the fact that I get frustrated with it and haven't taken sufficient time to get to know it...alas... if it's still a problem in a month or so, when I do my greenhouse chronicle I'll start talking to the people at Canon!

perhaps im lucky in that the camera shop near here has one man that is very good on cameras ~ if it was mine i would take it in and im sure they would help if you talk it through with them ~ you never know there could be some little trick that they know about that would help??
here's hoping anyway.

Being a senior person, I am frequently embarrassed by technology that is supposed to make things easier...once you're "onto" the knack...it's a different story. But I find myself asking my sons to explain features that I would have just figured out for myself a few years ago! lol... I guess I've just forgotten how much time it took to fully understand and use my old camera...You are perfectly right though...a trip to a camera store would probably set things right between me and the camera! Thanks Sticki!

hope that sorts it for you ~ i know how much it would drive me mad if my camera wasnt working ~ i also know the feeling of asking sons to sort it out ~ one of mine has a degree in something to do with computing but both of them fix things for me ~ if only they lived nearer!!

Sounds familiar! ; - )

Looks a pretty good shot to me, Lori!

Yes, really hope Spring arrives for you soon . . . it snowed in Toronto a week ago after my son had enjoyed 8 days of blue skies and sunshine there - but his plane took off OK. I guess they're used to it!

very nice Lori :):)

i like that new avatar PG ~ is it the anemone blanda?

snow in april sheila?! perhaps it wouldnt quite be canada without the snow??

Ah yes Sheila, we had the lovely clear skies but it was accompanied by strong cold winds...and the wind chill factor made it feel like below zero when the actual air temperature was marginally above zero. they are de-iced before taking off...as I understand it that's only a problem at takeoff and landing..
Yes, Sticki...it is very typical Canadian early spring weather.
Thanks Paul! they're cheeky birds and move quickly. It's a challenge to get a proper picture for me these days...learning a new camera...

is your little stream frozen or have you got plants coming up now?

the stream is running like billy-o! the spring run-off is in full swing and our snow is melting. We've had really changeable weather...nights still well below zero. tomorrow and the next two days are supposed to be in the 50's and 60's! No plants yet tho!

bit like here!! i go to work early ~ have to leave at 5.30 in the morning; when i come back at midday it can be up to 12 degrees warmer!

That's an early start! We work our best years and then are able to enjoy our patch when we retire...so take care of yourself so that retirement is fun and you have the health to enjoy it. I'm working harder (physically) than ever...a morning of raking and I'm bushed! had to have a little nap after lunch today but I'm looking forward to going out tomorrow to work on the first pond!