winter

Barred Owl and Chickadee

A plucky chickadee keeps an eye on a barred owl by our pond

I posted this on my Weather Blog this morning, but figured I post it here too. As I walked up our walkway yesterday afternoon coming back from a ski, I caught the movement of a larger critter flying out of the hemlock by the feeder. Sure enough, it was this barred owl lurking about looking for a meal. It flew up into the top of one of our now-broken willow trees by the pond. Note the chickadee in the branch just below the owl. Chickadees like to know where the predators are, and will stay close and even harass them as a warning to other birds. Just another reason I love chickadees so much! The owl was nice enough to wait for me as I went inside and grabbed my camera.

Nikon D600, Sigma 120-400mm lens @ 400mm, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/1250″ exposure

February 23, 2015 0

Pretzel

Several alert readers of my East Street Weather Blog have pointed out that this morning’s photo reminded them of a nicely salted pretzel. Here’s another version of the photo with some of the more tell-tale details cropped out. Can you figure out what it is?

February 19, 2015 2

Chick-a-dee-dee-dee!

A chickadee pauses briefly... — A chickadee pauses briefly…

Chickadees are my favorite birds. I think I’ve said that before… I love their gregariousness and seeming tameness (I’ve had one eat out of my hand once) and the way they talk to each other and to me when I’m filling the feeders. When the weather’s bitter cold—as it has been recently—they rely on a consistent food supply to keep their little engines running.

Nikon D600, Sigma 105mm macro lens (I was on a macro shoot…), ISO 1000, f/18, 1/640″ exposure.

February 17, 2015 0