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I will be mostly off for awhile but will try to stop in and say hello as often as possible....enjoy your spring/summer and I look forward to catching up when I return....all my best to my dear friends on flickr....risa
many thanks for stopping by to visit and share....
someone found the mulberry tree
I'm mostly off flickr this summer and hope you all are well....as always, your visits and inspiration are greatly appreciated!
Apparently, more than 60 varieties of birds eat mulberries and this mulberry tree is providing an endless supply for the species in the area. The local Cedar Waxwings seemed to have found it early on and in their sleek attire have taken the tree by storm.
Hope you don't get tired of berry shots too soon!
I appreciate all visits, comments and inspiration you bring to my stream!
male common grackle with his nictitating membrane exposed, a pearly film that moves over the front of a healthy bird’s eye in order to protect it.
With snow down on the ground underneath this Ash tree, the underside lights up a little creating an interesting light illuminating their inside tail feathers.
Thank you so much for your visits and conversations!
I can't express how exciting it was to actually get a shot of this fox. She has been eluding me for weeks. Way down on the meadow below the house made for very distant shots. On this particular morning, right next to the house, the fox was in the haying field pouncing around for voles as the sun made a break through the clouds cutting a swath of light over her presence.
Thank you for stopping by for visits and conversation!
It seems all that a bear needs is one good tree to shimmy up if he feels the need. I think this is a youngish black bear who I found up in a tree this morning midway down the hill from my house, probably 20 feet up. I had the advantage of being uphill and not too far away, but please know that I was in a completely safe position with a little barn a few feet away. I would never stick around and try to photograph a bear without complete access to safety!
If anyone has feelings about the age, I am very interested to know what they think. I did see a small cub and mother back in the beginning of June. This bear does not seem to have any adult around him.
I hope all are well and enjoying the summer's end. Thank you for any comments and taking the time to stop by!
a Cedar Waxwing pausing for only a moment above the hillside
All About Birds neatly wraps up the coloring of the Cedar Waxwing: "the Cedar Waxwing is a silky, shiny collection of brown, gray, and lemon-yellow, accented with a subdued crest, rakish black mask, and brilliant-red wax droplets on the wing feathers." ...and a fact I did not know was that "The Cedar Waxwing is one of the few North American birds that specializes in eating fruit. It can survive on fruit alone for several months."
Hoping all are well and I thank you for taking the time to visit!
sweet light and a gentle expression belies the true intention of this red shouldered hawk
thank you for your visits!!
A fine misty rain attached itself to the coat of this red squirrel
Thank you for your visits and inspiration!
I'd say the timing of this capture was pretty spot-on in that regard!!!
I haven't seen one up close for several months so this moment was very special on an unseasonably warm fall day
thank you for visiting!!
I believe this is the male of a bonded pair of red shouldered hawks that hunt together in this area during the winter. He has darker coloring, is smaller and will lodge himself in tight surroundings and wait patiently for ground critters. They are here on the hillside so much this year that I've made the fatal mistake of naming them...
Thank you for visiting and taking the time to connect!
There is a harshness right now to the sunlight that sort of etches away at the landscape here at the end of winter. Still, the amazing assortment of colors that the grackles possess seem to handle just about any light at all as their iridescence comes through and gives them a certain uncommon stature!
Thank you for the visits!
Strange sounds that I had not heard before broke through the quiet. Look up, down and scan through the trees. Nothing...more odd sounds over a few minutes and then this dark bird appeared on this overcast day.
Never having seen a Common Grackle up close and only seeing one Grackle before, I was pretty amazed to see the cohesion of colors that holds the secret to their vivid iridescence.
...and not knowing anything about this species, I would say from the coloring, that this is in the "bronzed grackle" variety of the Commons, but if I have my id wrong, please let me know.
Since they are "common," I'm assuming no one is too excited about a Grackle, but for me, I was blown away by his highly attitudinal pose and intensity mixed with that paint box pattern.
Don't tell me too many things about his unsavory character!! He looks like a real problem bird...the kind you wouldn't want your daughter to bring home...lol
Thank you so much for your visits and inspiration!
with a name like that, you come with a lot of personality!
Thank you so much for your visits and inspiration!
the first year starlings seem to enjoy any new features to the landscape. Here, the farmer's rolls of hay entice the youngsters and produced a very enjoyable bird watching moment
You just would never know how lovely these feathers are in the split seconds that you see the cowbirds flying around. I've been so surprised at the nuanced color patterns that comes out in the muted light of New England's overcast days
Thank you for your visits and inspiration!
another shot of this red-shouldered hawk on a very cold morning
Thank you for your visits and inspiration!
For the last three years, usually starting up in December, I've heard the wintertime courtship of the Great Horned Owls as they begin to announce their breeding intentions with their very recognizable hooting patterns. The female has the higher voice and the male, the rich bass. The breeding couple often exchange a pattern of calls, or engage in a duet, for a good period of time. It's actually a very soothing sound and a reminder of how the life cycle continues throughout the year no matter how frigid it is outside!
I had imagined they have taken over a nest nearby but had not seen them until now. I was more than thrilled when I spotted this GHO out on a snag going down towards the meadow as it turned towards nightfall. With no hint of sun left in the sky and only the flat foreboding look of another very very cold night ahead, I took pictures in this lifeless atmosphere!
If you want to hear and see some of these behaviors, I have attached a link for you.
always alert, always vigilant ...a male California Quail watches over the covey below
thank you so much for your visits and inspiration
Not to be outdone by the male Cardinal, the female shows off her two tone coloration that pops against the snow
Thank you for the visits, conversations and inspiration!
A couple of days before taking this shot, I had attempted some geese in flight multiple exposure shots ...but forgot to hit the button for multiple exposure and came up with a wonderful series of single shot geese in flight...oh well.
A few days later and with resounding clarity about flipping the switch in mind, another set of geese flew over the hillside on their way to the farmer's pasture nearby. Needless to say, when I got this second opportunity I attempted the shot. I was pretty happy with the placement outcome so here it is.
Hoping all are well and thank you always for the visits
early light created a soft glow around this female rose breasted grosbeak high up in a mulberry tree
Thank you for stopping by to visit!
I see this amazing raccoon a few times a year on the hillside behind my house and in the lightly wooded areas off the meadows. I've seen her with kits in the spring leading them to watering holes and heard raccoons screaming and bickering in the night....a sound that you don't easily forget. At this time of year, I begin to see raccoon tracks in the snow. So far, her one-eyed blindness has not seemed to hold her back from a very capable life in the wild. I'm sure the fact that raccoons are quite intelligent helps her out as well.
pelicans leaving the lagoon as nightfall approaches
thank you so much for your visits and inspiration!
This Eastern Myrtle Yellow-rumped warbler is one of the earlier to arrive in my area of Connecticut.
If you are interested, here is his song: www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7LgVnI6v9M
...and the Temptations: doyouremember.com/10870/the-temptations-my-girl
Thank you for stopping by for visits and conversation!
with the fox more noticeable recently, I wasn't surprised to find this turkey off the ground
thank you for your visits!
first year starling transitioning to adult plumage
Thank you so much for taking the time to come by and visit!
about a month ago I noticed a doe and her newly born fawn at the edge of the farmer's hay field. Since then, I had been looking out to see them as the fawn grew hoping to get a shot of this young spotted treasure without any danger of scaring and separating them.
This was that day. I saw them from not far off as they made their way from the haying field back to the wood's edge. I was mid hill but far enough away to not be seen, yet in position for them to pass by at some point. I wondered how long it would be until they noticed me because I knew that the mom ultimately would if they continued on this course. Not too far down the path, I watched her nuzzled the young one to turn towards the shadows of the woods and in seconds they were out of sight.
Thank you for your visits and comments!
the snow light adds to the atmosphere that frames the unusual and beautiful color patterns of the grackle...and I'm still not sure if this is a "purple race" or "bronze."
What I do know is that he showed up on the hillside with a few blackbirds which I have not seen in awhile and a large flock of robins - seems like more birds are arriving
at the time of this image, hunting season was right around the corner. I saw a small group of males very early in the morning and that was the last visit.
thank you for your visits!
A European starling in winter plumage adding a spot of color on the empty iced over branches.
Thank you for your visits and conversation!
yesterday morning my part of the world was covered in ice which created a most extraordinary glistening shimmer. I noticed that finding purchase on a branch was no easy feat...
(not me...for the birds!)
Thank you for your visits and inspiration!
I watched a pair of eastern bluebirds searching out pokeberries in the early morning near the meadow where a swath of pokeweed is now fruiting. For an invasive, it is quite lovely and to my eye, tropical looking. I was going to get rid of it but so many birds seem to be undaunted by the challenge of how to secure the berries and are in need of the fall fruit. The bluebirds are light enough to make their way across the big leaves and the waxwings seem to do more perching on the stems.
thank you for your visits!
I spotted a pair of orioles back at the beginning of May high up in the trees and did not see them much until recently when a large mulberry tree developed its fruit which seems to have interested them in coming closer. This inquisitive female stood out on a cloudy day as her egg yolk yellow coloring popped against the green of the meadow below and I got to experience my first close encounter with this beautiful bird!
I'm mostly off flickr this summer and hope you all are well....as always, your visits and inspiration are greatly appreciated!