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A Very Quiet Afternoon
Outside on a very quiet afternoon. No sounds at all except for a call that is not familiar at all to me. Sort of a quick nasally mewy sound. I’m hearing this sound maybe once every couple minutes. Finally I see the source of the calls. It’s a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) further up in…
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Incredible Sunset
Looking through the trees at the horizon. An incredible display of color reveals itself this evening as the sun is setting. The clouds reflecting the color of the sunset to the ground, and me. A matter of just a few minutes later it is gone. Poof! _______________________ If you would like to receive my daily…
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Ever Present
A friendly little critter that sings to me and scolds me without fail. I have read that this is a shy bird. Hmmm. That doesn’t sound like this bird. This is a Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus), a bird that is always around chattering away. One that doesn’t hold back. It is said that the male…
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A Dusting Of Snow
This morning. First morning light and I was elated to see an exquisite dusting of snow over everything. Perhaps a promise of more to come over the next few months. Above, delicate snowflakes clinging to a crystalline spiderweb. Captured December 9, 2017. _______________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email,…
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A Raven
A Common Raven (Corvus corax), looking rather disheveled. A flock of Ravens is called an unkindness. Oh dear, that would be hard to take. The length of the Common Raven is between 22 and 27 inches inches and a wing span of 4 feet. They have a distinctive low gutturall croak call, quite different from…
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A BIG Bird Day
Yesterday was a big day for birds, with a list of birds I saw, much longer than usual. There was one though that was a BIG bird. Considerably larger than I usually see. A Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). The second largest hawk found here in Virginia. A species of bird with so many subspecies, that…
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Meteorological Winter!
Mighty cold out there today. But of course it is. It’s the first day of meteorological winter. The temperature here today reached a high of 42º. Some of Skyline Drive, in Shenandoah National Park, has been closed due to icy conditions. Winter, I’m mighty pleased to see you. This picture, ice on Blue Spruce (Picea…
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Eating Berries During The Cold Of Winter
The Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe), a small bird that is here all year. During the warm months I love to see the little Phoebe as it consumes lots and lots of insects. As the seasons change and there are fewer insects, the Phoebe will eat berries and small fruits. I’d love to see more of…
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One Handsome Creature
Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus), a handsome creature that arrives in autumn to spend the winter in central Virginia, and in much of southern North America. They enjoy berries during their stay here and during the summer they eat insects. As I look at the maps of their range I see that my location is marked…
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Hands Can Say So Much
One of many favorite photographs. This, from a visit to see my parents in Florida long ago. It was their first meeting of their great-granddaughter. My Dad’s hand reaching out to her hand, as my Mom is holding her. Ah, the memories. _______________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email,…