N.S. man captures close-up candids of his feathered friends

A Nova Scotia man has combined his two hobbies, bird feeding and photography, and the result is beautiful close up candids of his feathered friends.

Walter Agnew rarely leaves his Westville, N.S. home without a camera and a handful of birdseed.

“I enjoy two hobbies,” says Agnew. “Feeding and watching the birds, and now I enjoy photographing the birds on a regular basis.”

A few years ago, he noticed something special while filling his bird feeders.

“I looked down and I noticed a flock of pine siskins at my feet and I bent down and started stroking them on the back of their neck and they didn't move and I thought ‘wow, this is awesome. Maybe I could start feeding the birds out of my hand,’” says recalls Agnew.

That's when Agnew began to capture close up moments, like holding two birds in one hand.

Agnew says his secret is to stand perfectly still with seed in his left hand and a camera in his right. After a few minutes, a bird like a black capped chickadee will land, and while he feeds, Agnew gets the closest of close ups.

“I feel blessed that the birds trust me so much that they will come and land on my hand and feed,” says Agnew. “I've had different birds over the years feed on my hand and I just feel so close to nature and so close to God when I'm feeding God's creatures, the birds.”

Agnew has captured birds like hawks, eagles, crows, pigeons, mourning doves, humming birds, and owls, but there's one species he is still trying to find with his camera lens.

“The bird that I have on my bucket list is a cardinal. Now, I've seen photos of them as near as Truro, but I have never experienced seeing a cardinal in this area,” says Agnew.

Resource: http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca