I love taking pictures of birds when they are visiting my feeders, but I really love getting their photographs when they are in natural habitats – like perched on tree branches.  Sometimes these shots can be hard to come by, so I “borrowed” an idea from Andrew McLachlan (check out his amazing work at www.andrewmclachlan.wordpress.com).  I took a branch with a bit of lichen on it that I found on the ground in my backyard and then I clamped the branch to my deck rail. Voila – instant natural scenery!

To entice the birds to hang around and pose, I spread a bit of Bark Butter (see previous post) on the backside of the branch.  Here are a few pictures I took of perch number one…I have a feeling there will be many more perches to come!