jan., 1920 IMPORTANCE OF THE BLIND IN BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY " 13 
In anticipation of a beginning in bird photography, the question arose as to 
the correct exposure for average light conditions, and although | purchased two 
exposure meters of different makes, and searched through all available material] 
on the subject, I failed to obtain the desired information. I learned by experi- 
ment. however, that between the hours of ten and three o’clock, in bright sun- 
light, with a lens working at an aperture of f. 6.3, 1/350th of a second exposure 
will give satisfactory results and afford a good working basis which may be modi- 
fied to suit individual preference. 
Such birds as the flicker, wood 
thrush, cedar waxwing, brown thrasher, 
robin, mourning dove, cuckoo, king rail, 
clapper rail, mockingbird and many 
other well known, common species, us- 
ually construct their nests at low eleva- 
tions, and during the nesting period are 
easily approached. They present desir- 
able subjects and will be found practi- 
eally fearless when the young are yet 
but a few days old, permitting work 
from the blind at close range with little 
evidence of concern. . 
One spring morning I walked 
through a pasture in search of anything 
feathered suitable to photograph and 
had the good fortune to locate a family 
of Flickers (Colaptes auratus), situated 
in a hollow six feet from the ground. 
This hollow, or cavity, was excavated 
in an old willow. Returning the follow- 
ing day with the paraphernalia I 
pitched the blind five feet distant, set 
up the camera on the tripod, adjusted 
the focus and shutter, care being taken 
to ‘‘sky’’ the entire area covered by the 
eround glass, and, everything ready, 
awaited the return of the parent birds. 
A few moments later, while congrat- 
ulating myself upon having selected a 
beautiful day, with a bright sun direct- 
ly at right angles to the cavity, which TIMIDITY, READY TO SPRING OFF AT A 
faced the north, thereby permitting a MOMENT’S NOTICE. 
well lighted ‘‘broadside’’ view of the 
subject, one of the adults returned and perched on top of the tree, some thirty 
feet up. This proved to be the female and I could hear the scratching of her 
claws on the bark as she began a gradual descent. The young were on the alert 
and upon the first intimation of the parent’s return, set up a peculiar hissing 
sound, characteristic of the family Picidae. A few moments passed and the 
parent settled into a feeding position with head opposite the entrance; I glaneed 
at my watch to find that it was 11:08 and pressed the release, making the first 
4 
Fig. 3. MALE FLICKER SHOWING EXTREME 
