Silent Sunday

Tags

colonial lake, photography, postaday, robin, sparrow, squirrel

Squirrel at Colonial Lake.

Robin at Colonial Lake.

Sparrow at Colonial Lake.

Great Blue Heron at Colonial Lake.

Wordless Wednesday: Look at their Eyes

Tags

downy woodpecker, photography, postaday, sparrow, tufted titmouse, yellow-croned night heron

Sparrow.

Downy Woodpecker.

Seagull.

Sparrow.

Tufted Titmouse.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron.

Blizzard of 2016: Other Birds and Aftermath

Tags

blizzard, bluejay, cardinal, dark-eyed junco, jones, photography, postaday, red-bellied woodpecker, sparrow, tufted titmouse

The blizzard of 2016, Jonas, turned out to be one for the records. The amount of snow dumped on our region approached or even exceeded all-time records dating back to the 19th century. I did not measure it at our house, but it took us three and a half hours to clear our driveway, even with a snowblower and three of us working.

Here are a few photos of some of the birds that came to our backyard during the blizzard, with all photos taken through the patio glass door, not an optimal setting.

Blue Jay. One of its feathers was torn loose.

Cardinal. He was brilliant red!

Dark-eyed Junco.

Sparrow.

Tufted Titmouse.

Red-bellied Woodpecker, with Dark-eyed Juncos around it.

Our deck this morning, after Jonas passed through.

Finally, another shot of that cute Blue Jay.

Blue Jay.

Chipping Sparrow

Tags

chipping sparrow, photography, postaday, sparrow

Chipping Sparrows are one of the most common birds in North America. They are named after their trilling songs or calls, which consist of fast chipping sounds produced at high notes.

Yesterday was a cold and windy day, with a somber mood coincidentally reflecting the tragic events in Paris the day before. A Chipping Sparrow perched on our yellow magnolia tree, giving me ample time to take the following photos.

Chipping Sparrow on magnolia branch.

Chipping Sparrow.

Birds in the Snow

Tags

cardinal, photography, postaday, sparrow

It snowed last night. When I got up this morning, six inches were on the ground and the snow was still coming down, light and fluffy.

This is a shot of our backyard. If you look carefully, you’ll see four Cardinals on the magnolia tree, and one at the feeder. On the upper right hand corner you will also see the Red-bellied Woodpecker on an oak tree branch.

Magnolia tree, left, and bird feeder

A couple of Cardinals posed in a rare family portrait.

Cardinals family portrait

Many song sparrows weathered the snowfall, perched on the magnolia branches.

Sparrows

One even got into the Cardinal family photo.

Cardinals and Sparrow

I couldn’t resist taking a photo of this brilliant Cardinal who posed for me.

Cardinal

Yawn and Other Birds

Tags

cardinal, house finch, junco, magnolia, photography, postaday, sparrow

If you are getting bored of my BIF photos, this following picture, taken at Holgate two weeks ago, is for you.

Gull yawning

All right, so no more BIF today.

The other day, while trying to capture the Red-bellied Woodpecker in flight, I noticed our magnolia tree was getting loaded with birds.

Three Cardinals and one Sparrow

That was not the end of it. One more bird hopped on.

Three Cardinals, one Sparrow, one Junco

Then there was our House Finch next to a Junco.

House Finch and Junco

Sparrow vs. Woodpecker

Tags

downy woodpecker, photography, postaday, sparrow

I never thought a sparrow would bully a woodpecker and get away with it. But the following photos taken today show that did in fact happen.

Sparrow yelling at Downy Woodpecker

Sparrow chasing Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker in tatters

Sparrows

Tags

photography, postaday, sparrow

Sparrows are one of the most common birds seen throughout the world. Because of that, and because sometimes they can be actual pests when they eat seed crops, they are not usually held in high regard.

Since I’ve been photographing birds, I have noticed subtle differences between various species of sparrows, especially when I look at the captured images blown-up on a big screen monitor. Following are some of them, taken over the past three years.

Sparrow on magnolia branch

Chipping Sparrow

White-Throated Sparrow

White-Throated Sparrow

Note that juncos and some finches may also belong to species related to sparrows.

 

Snow Sparrow

Tags

photography, postaday, snow, sparrow

As I am writing this, a snow storm is raging outside, and most companies and schools have sent everyone home since noon. Six inches of the white powdery stuff have fallen so far, with more coming well into the night. By tomorrow it could add up to a foot of snow.

Looking through my files, I found an image of a sparrow from two years ago, right after a similar snowfall. It was perched on a branch of a magnolia tree near our bird feeder.

Sparrow on magnolia branch