One Of The Gang

February 8, 2026

So many birds out there where I’m tossing hulled sunflower seeds, on top of the two week old snowcrete.

Along with the plethora of White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis), there is also the occasional White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis), Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), and a few Chickadees (Poecile) along with their cousins Tufted Titmice (Baeolophus bicolor). They are both members of the Paridae family. Many others too, several Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis), and many noisy Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata). And others that are not popping into my brain at the moment.

That’s a Tufted Titmouse in the picture above, in a bush, looking over the many areas of seed. Much action today in the bitter cold.

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Red-bellied Woodpecker In The Morning Sun

February 7, 2026

This is a male Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), enjoying the early morning sun. The male of this species has a bright red cap going from just above his beak, up and over the crown, and all the way down the nape of his neck. The female only has bright red on the nape of her neck.

Like most woodpeckers, the Red-bellied Woodpecker lives year round in the same area, and does not migrate. Its native range, eastern United States.

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A Rock-Shield Lichen

February 6, 2026

Rock-shield Lichen (Xanthoparmelia), found growing on rocks in sunny, open areas. Slowly breaking down the bare rocks they are growing on with acids they secrete, turning the rock surface to soil.

If a good number of these lichens are found, it is an indication of good air quality. They get their nutrients directly through the air and many can’t live in high levels of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen, dying off if that air pollution is too high.

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The Solitary Towhee

February 5, 2026

Many many birds have been coming for the hulled sunflower seeds I’ve been putting out for them. Mostly White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) along with a few other species including this single elusive Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus), showing up just every now and then. Not even every day.

This one, the one that comes by, is a male. He has a black head, upper body, and tail. I see a female, as well as a male, during the summer. Unlike the male, her head, upper body, and tail are brown instead of black; otherwise they are alike.

The Eastern Towhee, quite the solitary bird.

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Tree With Unique Bark

February 4, 2026

I enjoy trees that I can identify by just looking at the bark. One of those trees, a White Oak (Quercus alba). Its bark on lower surfaces is a blocky pattern. On the upper surfaces there are overlapping thin plates of very pale gray, in an assortment of thin, flakey scales, arranged in a pattern that looks like vertical shingles.

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A Tree Known For Its Twisted Trunk

February 3, 2026

Sassafras (Sassafras albidum). A tree I often see up here and usually recognize right away, even in winter. Easy to spot because of the contorted or twisted nature of its trunk. Another simple clue for identification is the bark.

If only figuring out the identity of all trees were this dependable.

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Pine Siskin

February 2, 2026

An irruptive species, Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus), which I seldom see here. It is winter if they do show up, depending on the food supply in the area where they are. They have been here in two years that I know of, 2015 and 2019. I’m hoping as I do every winter, that sometime this winter I’ll see some on my mountain.

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A Blue Jay

February 1, 2026

They come around in an aggressive manner. Noisy. With quick actions that appear confrontational. Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), a bird in the Corvidae, or Crow family, native to eastern North America.

In its scientific name, Cyanocitta cristata, the genus name Cyanocitta comes from two Greek words kyaneos, or blue, and kitta as well as kissa, or chattering bird, jay. The specific name cristata comes from the Latin word, meaning crested or tufted, relating to the crest of this jay.

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Barns

January 31, 2026

I enjoy capturing barns in pixels. There’s a charm about them. A story waiting to be told. I have more pictures of this one than any other, in all seasons of the year. It’s one that I pass several times a week on my way to yoga. If there were no fog blocking the view, you’d be able to see the mountain that I live on, in the background.

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A Normal Snow

January 30, 2026

From February 12, 2021, this is the kind of snow that makes my heart sing. A normal snow that covers and clings to everything. Soft and silent as it comes down. A snow that gradually disappears over the course of a few days. This is the kind of snow that brings out TEN Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) sitting together. The snow storm that we are just now beginning to approach some sort of recovery from was not *this* kind of snow.

Cardinals are territorial in breeding season. But in autumn and winter they become more social, hanging out in groups while searching for food and roosting in the same vicinity. In this picture I was fortunate to capture ten Cardinals sitting together, along with two White Throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis).

Autumn and winter, the friendly season.

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