A Day After Blizzard

Tags

american robin, barnegat lighthouse, european starling, postaday, white-throated sparrow

Last week, a day after this year’s Nor’Easter blizzard, I went to the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge refuge, only to find that it was closed because there was too much snow to be cleared. I turned around and drove to the Barnegat Lighthouse. It was still very windy, cold, and the sea was rough.

Barnegat Lighthouse after blizzard.

There was a small patch of blue sky right above the lighthouse.

Blue sky over Barnegat Light.

A young White-throated Sparrow was braving the wind. It kept jumping around, but I finally managed to get a shot of it.

White-throated Sparrow.

There was a small park next to the lighthouse. It was loaded with snow.

Small park next to Barnegat Light.

Higher in a tree, an American Robin did not seem to be too affected by the weather.

American Robin.

European Starlings were flying around and landing here and there, asking to be photographed.

European Starlings, with one offering a juniper berry to the other.

As I started to go home, I saw a cheery sign for an art gallery.

Wildflowers Too! gallery.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Tags

postaday, Red-breasted Nuthatch, white-breasted nuthatch, white-throated sparrow

For many years White-breasted Nuthatches were a familiar sight in our backyard. Then, two years ago, smaller Red-breasted Nuthatches started showing up and have now supplanted their larger cousins at the bird feeder. This spunky bird is less than half the size of a sparrow but it seems to be afraid of no bird. Over this last blizzard, it put on quite a show as you can see in the images below.

Red-breasted Nuthatch.

Red-breasted Nuthatch.

Red-breasted Nuthatch. They are adept at climbing and grabbing on to any surface thanks to the strong claw seen on their backward pointing toe.

Red-breasted Nuthatch losing grip on bird feeder?

No problem, jumping right back.

There, in a preferred position.

Red-breasted Nuthatch next to a White-throated Sparrow.

Red-breasted Nuthatch.

Red-breasted Nuthatch, maybe making sure the feeder still had some seeds.

Red-breasted Nuthatch: “That’s it, I’m out of here!”

Birds in Fourth Nor’Easter

Tags

dark-eyed junco, downy woodpecker, photography, postaday, tufted titmouse, white-throated sparrow

It’s been snowing since early this morning and will not stop until late tonight. So far, eight hours into our fourth Nor’Easter only about 5 inches of snow fell, but the forecast is calling for at least double that by the time the storm ends.

As usual, I cleaned and stocked the bird feeder with sunflower seeds and all the usual birds came, emptying half of the feeder by the end of the day. I did not miss the opportunity to take some photos as they posed among the magnolia branches.

Downy Woodpecker.

Downy Woodpecker.

Dark-eyed Junco.

White-throated Sparrow.

Tufted Titmouse.

Four Birds from Three Years Ago

Tags

dark-eyed junco, northern cardinal, nuthatch, photography, postaday, white-throated sparrow

I took the following photos in 2015 on the 11th of February. Today, going through my archives and seeing them, I am surprised I had not posted them at that time.

Female Northern Cardinal. In other shots, it was obvious that she was blind in her left eye.

Nuthatch.

White-throated Sparrow.

Dark-eyed Junco.

More Snow

Tags

dark-eyed junco, photography, postaday, white-throated sparrow

It was a balmy 19 °F (-7 °C) this morning, but without the wind it was bearable. I did not have to wear too many layers when I took Jackie out. They do predict more snow tonight, but then temperatures will rise by 20 degrees or so in the next several days, a much welcomed heat wave.

Meanwhile the snow that fell last week has not melted much, as you can see in the following photos of birds that are not red Cardinals.

Dark-eyed Junco.

White-throated Sparrow.

White-throated Sparrow.

The Eyes

Tags

chickadee, photography, postaday, red-breasted merganser, ruddy duck, white-throated sparrow

As bird photographers, we are often told to focus on the bird eyes and make sure they are not only visible but also stand out.

Chickadees are quite common in our area, at any time of the year. Up to now in most of the photos I took of them, their black eyes blend in and are indistinguishable from their black cap. Recently, at sunset, one of them posed long enough with its head turned to the sun, and revealed its bright eyes.

Carolina Chickadee.

The female Ruddy Duck has brown eyes, usually lost in its brown cap, until the sun shines on them.

Female Ruddy Duck.

Sparrows have brown eyes which are more visible, but a ray of sunlight also helped to bring them out.

White-throated Sparrow.

On the other hand Red-breasted Mergansers have devilish red eyes that cannot be missed.

Red-breasted Mergansers.