Waves of Snow Geese

Tags

canada geese, merrill creek reservoir, photography, postaday, snow geese, swan

Yesterday, as I stood on the bank of Merrill Creek Reservoir, three waves of snow geese flew in. Here are some closer in photos of them.

First wave of snow geese

Second wave of snow geese

Third wave of snow geese

And here’s another shot of the geese taking off all together. They do not actually fly away, and usually come down in almost the same spot after a few minutes. It was as if they were playing a game of musical chairs. Eventually they will fly away, but it could be several days or weeks before that happens.

Snow geese: all together now.

The snow geese were not the only occupants of the reservoir. There were also many Canada geese and several swans enjoying themselves near a pool of water.

Canada geese and swans

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Thousand Snow Geese

Tags

merrill creek reservoir, photography, postaday, snow geese

Today I drove an hour to reach Merrill Creek Reservoir, a 650-acre lake built by electric companies in New Jersey a few miles north of I-78 near the Pennsylvania border. At this time of the year, the ice covered lake is a resting point for snow geese on their northern migration. Thousands of them converge on the ice presenting a unique sight as they fly in and out, or just stand on the ice resting.

I had barely gotten out of my car when a wave of hundreds of snow geese came in. I grabbed my camera and aimed it skyward. There were all kinds of formations, from the traditional V to some very convoluted shapes. During the time I was there, about an hour, two more waves came in and a birder told me that they flew in from the nearby Delaware River.

Snow geese flying toward Merrill Creek Reservoir. 

Snow geese V formation

On the ice there were thousands of snow geese gathered in a thick line maybe a quarter mile in length.

Snow Geese on Merrill Creek Reservoir

There was also a bald eagle patrolling nearby.

Bald eagle in front of snow geese

Once in a while the geese all fly up at once. It is a sight not to be missed, and my camera and lens cannot truly capture the wonder of this spectacle of nature.

Snow geese flying up

Snow geese flying up

Blue Jays

Tags

blue jay, photography, postaday

This morning I put out some sunflower seeds on our deck still covered with snow. The birds must have been hungry because there was a constant avian stream landing on or around the seed pan, and partaking lustily.

Among the juncos, sparrows, and warblers, I noticed several blue jays and took the following shots of them. These were taken through our patio glass door, and they are they closest I have ever been to blue jays.

Blue Jay: what is there to eat?

Blue Jay: sunflower seed, good!

Blue Jay: good, yummy!

Blue Jay: anything left?

Frangipani Therapy

Tags

frangipani, photography, plumeria, postaday

While I write this, it is still snowing outside, as it has been for the past seven hours. That definitely calls for some color therapy, and I dug up the following shots of some plumeria, or frangipani, flowers that I saw during an afternoon drive in Melbourne, FL two years ago.

Frangipani

Frangipani

Snow, again.

Tags

photography, postaday, snow

We got about a foot of snow today, with more coming tonight. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here’s one looking out on our deck and backyard.

Frozen Magnolia Winter

Tags

chicadee, deer, junco, magnolia, photography, postaday, titmouse, winter

This winter has really been the coldest we have experienced. On some days, when I left the house to go to work, the temperature has been as low as -5 F (-24 C). I have had to replace my car battery one night, and the AAA man who came to replace it said they never ever had to replace so many batteries in one month.

Here’s a photo of a branch of our yellow magnolia tree encased in ice. I hope the flower buds will survive and bloom again this spring.

Magnolia in ice

The animals of course have to find food any way they can. I saw the deer below nib at one of our neighbor’s tree. If you look closely you’ll see that it has lost one of its antlers. This is normal, and the remaining one should fall off eventually. Around this time of the year, deer shed their antlers, which will regrow in the spring.

Deer with one antler.

I put out sunflower seeds and managed to take pictures of some cute birds.

Chicadee

Junco

Our backyard cardinals were not to be seen. Maybe they got offended by the post I wrote the other day.

Birds of Prey

Tags

eagle, falcon, hawk, kestrel, owl, photography, postaday

Most people come to Orlando, FL to visit Disneyworld, and very few ever go to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey nearby in Maitland.  Yet it is a very interesting site for those who want to have a real close look at birds such as eagles, hawks, falcons, and so on.

This is where sick or wounded raptors are taken care of and rehabilitated. Some are returned to the wild, but most can’t because of their disabilities. They have to remain at the center for the rest of their lives.

I was ambivalent during my visit there. I did not like seeing those beautiful birds chained, but was told that it was for their good because they would not be able to survive in the wild. I thought the birds looked sad, but the staff at the center assured me that they were well taken care of and were in the best possible environment for them, given their physical and mental conditions.

Bald eagle

Hawk

Falcon

Owl

Kestrel

Weekly Photo Challenge: Object

Tags

dam, gear, lock, object, photography, postaday

The object below is the gear for a lock of the dam at Carnegie Lake in Princeton, NJ. The dam was completed in 1906, so the gear must be 107 years old.

I took the photo with a Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens which is one of my favorites. I had to use a tripod in the waning light of an autumn day with the following camera settings: ISO 100, aperture f/11, shutter speed 0.5 sec.