Birds in Blizzard

Tags

blue jay, carolina chickadee, junco, northern cardinal, postaday, sparrow, suet, sunflower seed

Yesterday a Nor’easter blizzard blew through our region, dumping about 9 in (22 cm) of snow on us, while other parts of the state received 19 in (48 cm) and more. In some areas of New England it was even worse. I had food ready for our backyard birds and they came out in droves, consuming most of the sunflower seeds and suet.

Junco.

Two Juncos and suet.

Sparrow and sunflower seeds.

Chickadee at bird feeder.

Female Northern Cardinal.

Male Northern Cardinal.

Male Northern Cardinal.

Blue Jay.

Blue Jay.

Junco getting off suet feeder.

Lower Antelope Canyon in Monochrome

Tags

antelope canyon, postaday

Fellow blogger Marcus Puschmann recently posted wonderful black and white photos of (Upper) Antelope Canyon at the following link: https://streetsofnuremberg.com/2022/01/27/antelope-canyon-in-black-and-white/ . His post inspired me to look through color photos I took in 2013 of Lower Antelope Canyon, and to convert them to monochrome.

Both canyons are near the town of Page, AZ. Upper Antelope Canyon is the shorter of the two, but it is famous for a shaft of sunlight that falls on the canyon floor around noon time. Close by Lower Antelope Canyon is twice as long and not as famous, but it is easier to book a ticket to go see it. Both canyons have very similar look and feel since they were carved out by water from the same sandstone prevalent in the area. In any case, here are some of the photos I took, rendered in monochrome.

Near the entrance to Lower Antelope Canyon.

Lower Antelope Canyon.

Lower Antelope Canyon.

Lower Antelope Canyon.

Lower Antelope Canyon.

Lower Antelope Canyon.

Lower Antelope Canyon.

Lower Antelope Canyon. Note bird on the right.

Lower Antelope Canyon.

Lower Antelope Canyon.

Lower Antelope Canyon.

Lower Antelope Canyon.

Lower Antelope Canyon.

Lower Antelope Canyon. Stairs to exit.

View after exiting Lower Antelope Canyon.

Sky and Ice

Tags

cirrus clouds, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, ice, mallard, mute swan, postaday, Tundra Swan

More photos of the beautiful blue sky from a few days ago.

High cirrus clouds.

Deep blue against white clouds.

Tundra Swan and Mallards.

Mute Swans.

In the above photo you can see the ice begin to form on the surface of the marsh. Down below is a closer look at the ice.

Ice in monochrome.

Sun and Wind

Tags

american robin, canada geese, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, northern harrier, northern pintail, Northern Shoveler, postaday, snow geese

It was a beautiful and cold three days ago at the refuge. After hiding for most of the week, the sun was out. The wind was blowing fairly strongly and lifted the clouds toward the heavens.

Cirrus clouds and a Canada Goose.

As I drove on Wildlife Drive, a Northern Harrier pair was hunting for food, such as voles and mice, among the low vegetation along the marshes. They cut in front of my car, disappeared in the grasses at times. I tried to follow them and only managed to get an occasional shot.

Female Northern Harrier hunting.

Male Northern Harrier hunting.

Meanwhile, ducks and geese took off in dramatic formations against the blue sky.

Northern Pintails landing.

Canada Geese taking off.

Snow Geese taking off.

Snow Geese taking off.

Snow Goose taking off: “Wait for me!”

American Robin foraging for worms on the ground.

Female Northern Shoveler preening.

Favorite Images Since 2011 – Part 2

Tags

Bixby Bridge, bristlecone pine, Hà Nội, miniature horse, Moss Landing, outer banks, postaday, red fox, Việt Nam

Outer Banks sunrise, 2015.

Bixby bridge in Monterey County, California, 2015.

Ocean view in Moss Landing, CA 2016.

Young red foxes playing in our backyard in 2015.

Miniature horses in South Jersey 2016.

Bristlecone pine, Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, Bishop, CA in 2016.

Night traffic in Hà Nội, Việt Nam, 2016.