Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)
You have to love the beautiful colors on the feathers of this Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula), one of the most encouraging and uplifting signs of spring here in the middle of winter. The bright sunlight lit up this glossy iridescence at just the right angle for me. This February bird was with several others of its species looking for snacks on and pausing in this oak tree. They were all chattering away, as always. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreJanuary Sunset
Another January day, another impressive Stratford Point sunset. These gorgeous shades are from Thursday evening. This time we had a lot more blue and pink in the air on the clouds with the glowing orange and reds really confined to the distant horizon. We were striving for subjects apart from the lighthouse, but…not bad. Can you tell we need something to shoot? Winter does bring some beautiful avian visitors, but these colors are so very welcome – as is the continually rising sun and lengthening days. Our extremely busy upcoming field season is getting closer and...
Read MoreStratford Point Sunset
This was last night’s magnificent sunset at Stratford Point in Stratford, Connecticut looking towards the lighthouse and then our office building. We added some scenery in the form of ~12 inches of windblown snow from the blizzard last weekend. There are open areas and drifts to a few feet deep, and several Horned Larks were flying around taking advantage of the bare ground while these were taken. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreSnow Buntings
It is early enough in the avian wintering season that both the earth and the birds – in this case, Snow Buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) – are brown. We do not have a solid snow cover yet, and it is amazing how well this plumage is designed to help them blend in to the ground. The Snow Bunting camouflage looks like brown grass and, somehow, a rocky, sandy and rough earth, with their wings showing off the darker pattern of what the tundra and short grasslands look like now. Notice how well these birds keep themselves just off the surface even while engaged in feeding, hiding their...
Read MoreBlue-headed Vireo
Who said November can’t offer us lovely shades? This beautiful Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius) looked super today in this cherry tree. Go out and enjoy the relative warmth – perhaps you will be rewarded with late treats like this one!
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