View allAll Photos Tagged fall2020
Red-tailed hawks feed on a wide variety of prey, using their powerful claws as weapons. Eighty to eighty-five percent of their diet consists of small rodents. Mammals as large as eastern cottontail rabbits may also taken. Reptiles and other birds make up the rest of the diet.
Red-tailed hawks do most of their hunting from a perch. They are not known to store food.
This one consumed pretty much the whole bunny!
While Eastern Cottonwood have already lost their leaves by mid-October, other decicuous trees are just reaching their peak.
Day 324/366 of Project 365 (Thursday, 2020 November 19 - 193rd consecutive daily photo): Reflections of tonight's sunset on the surface of Crescent Lake make it appear that its waters have been magically turned into red wine.
A red barn near The Farmers House southeast of Weston, on a clear and sunny autumn afternoon.
Platte County, Missouri
Saturday afternoon 7 November 2020
There was a lot going on in October of last year as the new school year had started amidst a lot of Covid anxiety and restrictions. Many people, especially those with young children, discovered the trails around a Lake (read: very big pond) in the west end of Ottawa that was previously the playground of birders and photographers. This influx caused some tension between the groups, but the fact was that being outside on the trails and looking at the natural world was a great way to engage children in a stressful time.
And, well, children didn’t seem to get up super early, so the trails and swampy shorelines were empty at sunrise. And the fall migration had brought a lot of reasons to get out early. One of my favourites was a visit by a small flock of Wigeon in October, a group of birds transitioning out of eclipse plumage and into breeding colours - evident on the male in front but also visible on the female behind him.
Their visit overlapped the celebrity appearance of a pair of Pied-billed Grebes. Once the two species separated to different corners and backwaters to pursue their respective food choices, I was mostly alone with the Wigeons. I find them to be stunning birds, and the transitional plumage was quite lovely. That said, their fondness for having pieces of food hanging out of their mouths may put some people off. Wigeons have shorter bills that enable them to rip out vegetation other birds cannot, and they seem to like to show that off.
This was one of the first times I really fully utilized the lens, as the ducks drifted out across the corner of the Lake, and then suddenly circled back, requiring me to dial down the focal length and the frame.
Day 306/366 of Project 365 (Sunday, 2020 November 1 - the 175th consecutive daily photo): The air temp this morning was 39 degrees F (4 C) but the gusty winds of November made it feel more like 28 degrees F (-2 C). Three hours later, the air temp had dropped to 35 degrees F (2 C) and we experienced our first snow flurry, which lasted all of about 5 minutes.
An aged and dying Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) leaf contemplates its return to the marsh from which it had emerged just six months earlier.
What an experience. Rain, wind, cold, and then this...the mountain was out, then as we stood there, fog moved in and completely shrouded her, only to move along, leaving stunning lenticular clouds all day long that perpetually shape shift. What a day at my background park. Rainier National Park, Washington State.
I hope everyone is doing well. I took a little posting break. Now bring on fall! :D
Nikon d810 | Zeiss 25mm | f/11 | 1/6 sec. | ISO 64
1. Rut is a word for deer breeding season, not just the peak. It actually means all behaviors and activities associated with breeding season and can be broken into different phases.
Pre-rut: Does have not come into estrus --- breeding cycle --- but they begin to move into family groups. Bucks form bachelor groups and co-mingle with does around food. (Sounds like dating, right?)
Early rut: Testosterone levels rise in bucks and does enter estrus. This is a time when buck activity increases and becomes more reckless. Drivers beware as bucks move across roads without caution at this period.
Full rut: The majority of does are in estrus, and bucks will move farther and farther from their home turf to find does.
Post rut: Most breeding is over, and bucks are not as visible to people.
Second rut: About 26-28 days after the first full rut, remaining unbred does come into estrus for a second time. It is a short period but offers one more chance at breeding.
Late season: Rut is over, and bucks seek refuge in areas of cover. Deer activity revolves around feeding instead of breeding.
Day 269/366 of Project 365 (Friday, 2020 September 25 - 138th consecutive daily photo): Definitely a female of the genus Phyciodes (the crescent butterflies) but which one? The most likely species are Northern Crescent (P. selenis), Pearl Crescent (P. tharos), and Tawny Crescent (P. batesii), but the females of these three species are all confusingly similar in appearance.
Sorry New Hampshire & Vermont - New Jersey is winner this year!
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What’s up guys? I visited this location quite a few times in the past 3 years. I tried to plan my visits more times that I can count but never actually had luck with the weather. This is the first time I actually caught some light. Little bit of fall color was a huge plus. The only thing missing was some clouds. I had to pull my creative licence and add some light texture to the sky. What do you think?
LIght from the setting sun reflects off the lower branches of a Sassafras tree in our backyard. Two colors: golden yellow and sepia.
Day 285/366 of Project 365 (Sunday, 2020 October 11 - 154th consecutive daily photo): And do I see Blue, too? A snapshop of intense fall foliage along the north shoreline of Crescent Lake.
Light and shadows interact on the surface of the Galien River as viewed from the footbridge at Warren Woods State Park in Berrien County, Michigan.
Serene view of Lake Michigan from the beach at Warren Dunes State Park in Berrien County, Michigan. The surface of the lake was calm and the sky was overcast. Just over the horizon lies the "Windy City" of Chicago, Illinois.
Day 261/366 of Project 365 (Thursday, 2020 September 17 - 130th consecutive daily photo): Wasp and bee on Swamp Goldenrod (Solidago patula).
The cooler days of autumn aren't so far away again...
George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Delta, BC. November 7, 2020.