Common Goldeneye
The drake Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) on the right was swimming with several others of the species in this extremely cropped shot. They were a little too far for my taste, but I was fortunately able to snap a photo at the right second as he was about to devour what looks like a delicious mussel. I think it would feel a little better going down for him than me. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreDowny Woodpecker
As I speculated a few days ago, this is now the time when you will be finding more birds at your feeders – like this Downy Woodpecker. It goes beyond the ground being frozen, ice covering some food sources, or snow blanketing everything. While it is harder to literally feed, it is also much colder now, and the birds need many more calories in order to survive. A lot of people were inquiring about why their feeders were so quiet towards the end of 2015, and I think it was certainly related to the fact that we had some days with temperatures in the 60s and 70s across the region and...
Read MoreSnowy Owl
Welcome to winter! It took a while, but we are really feeling it now, with more to come this January as we look at long-range weather models. Here are a few more upland photos of the Snowy Owl that I enjoyed last Friday on a much warmer day without any snow. As we get deeper into the season we will inevitably see a few more winter birds…additional Rough-legged Hawks? Perhaps finally some of those record-setting Common Redpolls that were pouring south in Canada during autumn? It seems to be a down season for irruptive passerines, but I have to think we will at least have more backyard...
Read MoreSnowy Owl Eyes
The Snowy Owl currently delighting the Connecticut shoreline stopped by Stratford Point again today, and I took a few minutes to take some shots of our friend. This bird first visited us 11 days ago, and it has made the lighthouse its home at times. Today it was sitting on the tip of the bluff as it was during its initial visit, and I was able to get some closer photos. These were taken at 500mm and are extremely cropped. I have plenty of photos with its eyes mostly shut, and my point is that the bird was not alarmed by our presence – I just chose to share the shots showing its...
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