Karen: I saw a wonderful post somewhere on the internet (I don't recall
where) where a fellow was shooting birds with a long lens attached to a
tripod. When he saw a hawk fly by, he popped his camera off the tripod to
chase after the hawk. Later when he returned to his black tripod he found a
group of chickadees were dive bombing and attacking the tripod. He posted
photos to prove it. I have give some thought about why birds disappear when
I get out my huge black long lens and black camera attached to my black
tripod. I have reached a conclusion that it's the blackness that upsets the
birds. I think it reminds them of black crows, which love to raid small
bird nests from their eggs. I have seen small birds chasing crows away.
When I shoot birds through my kitchen window I found that if I am close
enough to the window so the birds can see me with the camera and tripod
they will not approach the birdfeeder. I have to move back about 10 feet
into the kitchen and turn off the interior lights. However, if I don't have
my black tripod and black camera, I can stand close to the window and watch
the birds visit the birdfeeder. That's my take on things.

Terrence
  

-> All this reminds me of the year the birds planted a sunflower just outside
-> my livingroom window.  In the fall the bluejays kept coming to sit on it
-> and pick off the seeds.  What a wonderful photo opportunity!  Except I
-> never got one picture. :(
-> 
-> I put the camera on the tripod and set it up with great expectations.  The
-> jays decided to sit on a nearby tree....but not near enough to be useful to
-> me.  I figured they could see me so I shut the curtains so only the lens
-> peeked through, and sat on the couch with the cable release in my hand.  I
-> would know if the birds came to the flower as they would cast a shadow on
-> the curtains.  I would not be able to see the shot in advance, but I had
-> the flower in focus and if a bird landed on it, I'd have him too.  I was
-> ready to take a lot of pictures, to get one that would satisfy me.  The
-> bluejays had other ideas.  They kept coming to the yard, but didn't come
-> near the sunflower. I'd go to the kitchen for something and see them
-> suddenly head for the sunflower.  Of course they would leave instantly if I
-> went back to the livingroom.  There is no way they could see me in there,
-> but they still must have known somehow.  I left things set up for days and
-> figured sooner or later, while I was watching tv or reading there on the
-> couch, the birds would come back to the flower.  But no, not once while I
-> sat there, but every single time I left the room they headed straight for
-> the sunflower seeds.  It was most frustrating.  I eventually had to give up
-> this idle life and get back to work.  I never got one shot, good or bad. 
-> It reminded me of some commercial I used to see on tv where a photographer
-> is all set up to take pictures of some bears, but they don't come out of
-> the cave until he turns away to eat a chocolate bar or something.  Then
-> they come out and put on a show doing things normal bears would never do. 
-> These critters are smarter than we seem to think!
-> 
-> Karen
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