Today WordPress is forcing me to use their new editor instead of their “classic” editor. Let’s hope this post turns out all right.
Signs of Spring
31 Wednesday Mar 2021
Posted in Photography
Monthly Archives: March 2021
Nailing It and More Crocuses
28 Sunday Mar 2021
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
With the prospect of watching gymnasts at the forthcoming Summer Olympics, I thought that this Ring-billed Gull nailed it.
Nailing It!
Here are some more photos of Crocuses I took yesterday.
Crocuses in the afternoon.
White crocuses.
Heat Wave Crocuses
27 Saturday Mar 2021
Posted in Photography
Tags
Yesterday our local temperature climbed to 80°F (26.67°C), the highest ever recorded for March 26th. Any snow still on the ground has already melted a few days earlier, and the crocus flowers wasted no time in coming up and bearing vibrant flowers. Here are some shots of those at the front of our driveway.
Crocuses.
Crocus.
Crocus.
Crocuses.
Crocuses.
Wordless Wednesday
24 Wednesday Mar 2021
Posted in Photography
Tags
american black duck, carolina wren, northern mockingbird, northern pintail, photography, postaday
Northern Pintail.
Carolina Wren.
American Black Duck.
American Black Duck.
Northern Mockingbird.
Red-winged Blackbird
21 Sunday Mar 2021
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
Last week the refuge conducted controlled burning of areas around the marshes to get rid of some invasive plants. That cleared quite a few of the bushes while leaving blackened spots where green shoots have already managed to come up. Hopefully they are not those pesky weeds that were supposed to burn.
There was a male Red-winged Blackbird singing gleefully in a reedy area. I tried to follow it for a few minutes as it switched spots before finally finding a suitable perch and belted its song, spreading and puffing its feathers to impress potential mates.
Male Red-winged Blackbird singing.
Male Red-winged Blackbird looking around.
Male Red-winged Blackbird started singing again.
Fortissimo! It also looked twice as large.
Winding down after song.
Back to normal, almost.
Cape May Lighthouse
11 Thursday Mar 2021
Posted in Photography
Tuesday I went to the Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge to find it closed because they were conducting controlled burns of invasive plants along the marsh edges. Rather than going home, I drove one more hour to get to the Cape May Lighthouse at the southern tip of New Jersey.
Cape May Lighthouse.
I walked down to the beach and saw a strange bunker, a World War II relic slowly being reclaimed by the ocean.
World War II bunker.
The bunker was used to defend against a possible German invasion! It had four 155 mm artillery pieces which had never been fired and were removed many years ago.
World War II bunker as seen from lighthouse.
Wood pilings in ruin.
Nearby there were several small ponds where swans and various ducks were swimming and feeding.
Mute Swan.
Sparrows and one Northern Mockingbird kept flying around me as if wanting their pictures taken.
Northern Mockingbird.
Northern Mockingbird.
Northern Mockingbird eating a berry.
There were several bushes of holly laden with gloriously red berries.
Holly berries.
Holly berries.
Northern Shovelers
08 Monday Mar 2021
Posted in EBF Refuge, Photography
The colorful Northern Shovelers are one of the more common ducks throughout the world. During the winter at the refuge, there are at least several hundreds of them foraging for food in the marshes with their typically long bills (2.5 inches or 6.35 cm).
In the US, during duck hunting season, an average of 700,000 Northern Shovelers are brought down each year! Yet, they are not on the endangered species list. Here are some recent photos of them at the refuge.
Northern Shovelers.
Northern Shovelers.
Northern Shovelers.
Male Northern Shoveler.
Male Northern Shoveler in flight.
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