American Goldfinch
This American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) is not quite as gold as it could be, but who would ever complain? What an elegant and contemplative expression…
Read MoreEastern Kingbird
Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) take a very long trip to arrive in our fields, grasslands, and farms as they spend their winters in South America. This impressive species is named “Tyrannus tyrannus” for a reason as individuals readily attack nearly any other avian species that is in or around their territory or nest. I found what I presume were two late migrants taking a diurnal break on Friday, and their preoccupation with battling and squawking at one another let me snap a few close photos as these bold birds ignored me. I remember looking at Peterson Field Guides when I...
Read MoreAmerican Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)
The cutest and most cooperative friend that I made today during an afternoon bird survey was this American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). It was chowing down and allowing me to shoot from a comfortable distance for a minute as Gray Squirrels and Eastern Chipmunks excitedly ran around us. I saw an increase in both butterflies and moths on the wing in the woodlands. Most of our birds are staying busy with nesting season upon us, feeding and quieting down to care for eggs or young with territories already well established. The goal now is to minimize disturbances and not attract...
Read MoreYellow Warbler
They may be all over, but it is hard for me to resist targeting my camera to a Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) in May. This guy was another one of the beautiful sights during last weekend’s Noble Proctor BioBlitz Challenge. It seems as if more are still migrating through, actually – this spring started early but ended up late. After all the warmth in the beginning of the season poor migratory conditions in late April and early May pushed a lot of birds back to “traditional” sort of arrival dates…or even later! It certainly feels like we have a lot of birds...
Read MoreRed-tailed Hawk
I recently found this calm, cool and collected Red-tailed Hawk hanging out over a pond and not minding a few gawkers like myself passing by for a look and a photo or two. Some birds are just more habituated to humans than others, and this one was content to sit here peacefully – even the songbirds were not paying it any attention. Occasionally it would look down at the frogs below, perhaps pondering about having them as a snack or looking for a snake. For the most part mammals are the biggest part of the menu for them, and maybe this bird was being inquisitive more than anything else....
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