It was a fine morning to get out on fresh fallen snow. As I made it to the top of Crow Hill (where I’ve never been before), the sun came out and offered up this stunning view of Camel’s Hump and the shoulder of Bald Hill.
Sony RX100 M3
The snow is retreating, and a pair of metal cranes emerge to bask in the warm late-March sunshine.
These willow branches have been bent into the snow since the heavy snowfall back in December. As the snowpack melts, the branches will spring free. Whether they ever grow straight again is another question.
Nikon D600, Nikon 24-120mm lens @ 66mm, circular polarizing filter, ISO 400, f/18, 1/200″ exposure.
I was heading out to the car yesterday midday when I caught some movement in the spruce trees by the driveway. Sure enough, this lovely northern goshawk had just swooped down and landed in the spruces. As I approached, it took off again and flew to one of the poplars along the brook. I grabbed my camera and rattle off a few shots. Quite a beautiful raptor. Oh, and yes, the chickadees were keeping an eye on him…
Nikon D600, Sigma 120-400mm lens @ 400mm, ISO 640, f/9, 1/4000″ exposure.
We had a visit from a garrulous gaggle of Bohemian waxwings yesterday morning. They honed in on the berry laden Korean mountain ash in our front yard and chowed down for a good long time. Bohemians are similar to their Cedar cousins, but are easily differentiated by the prominent rufous coloring beneath the tail and chin.
A drop of sap falls from a tap. With the advent of tubing systems, there aren’t many places that still use taps and buckets to collect their maple sap, but the Audubon Nature Center here in Huntington still holds to the tradition. It’s nice to hear the pinging of drops as the sap starts flowing!
Our pal the barred owl was back yesterday afternoon, making himself (herself?) very comfortable on the top of our feeder stand for a good two hours. He seemed to be most interested in the goings on right below the feeder, no doubt waiting for a juicy mouse or other rodent to make its appearance. At times it looked like he was napping. Interestingly, none of the little birds seemed to mind too much that he was there, as the chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, and even cardinals happily munched at our other feeders just a few feet away from the owl.
Nikon D600, Sigma 120-400mm lens @ 330mm, ISO 1250, f/5.6, 1/200″ exposure.
John Hadden Photography 