The bluebirds are back! I was enjoying today’s warmth working in my “front office” (on the front porch) when I heard the distinctive burble of a bluebird. Grabbing my camera and long lens, I didn’t have to wait long before this pair came around to inspect one of the boxes we have in our front field. Hopefully they’ll stick around for the season!
Panasonic GX8, Lumix 100-300mm lens @ 300mm, ISO 800, f/9, 1/400″ exposure.
I was standing at the back door overlooking Fargo Brook when I heard the unmistakeable call of robins. Grabbing my camera and long lens, I headed outside and found them over by the winterberry bush munching on a few remaining berries. They took to the willow over the pond as I approached and were nice enough to pose for a few shots.
Panasonic GX8, Lumix 100-300mm lens @ 300mm, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/500″ exposure.
The recent heavy rains kicked up many big blocks of ice along the Huntington River. I took a walk along the banks at the Audubon Nature Center here in Huntington yesterday. This is a close-up of a broken 6″ thick slab. I like the air bubbles trapped in the ice.
Panasonic GX8, Lumix 14-140mm lens @ 55mm, ISO 200, f/13, 1/320″ exposure.
A little experimentation with motion blur in the Audubon Nature Center woods this morning…
Panasonic GX8, Lumix 14-140mm lens @ various lengths, ISO 100, f/22, 0.2″ exposures.
The season of wacky winter weather continues. Yesterday morning’s icing event coated our backyard magnolia (and everything else) in a good layer of ice before the south winds drove the temperature up to 51 by mid afternoon.
Panasonic GM5, Lumix 14-140mm lens @ 88mm, ISO 800, f/10, 1/60″ exposure.
Now that there’s finally some snow on the ground, the opportunities for a little abstraction are more abundant. We walked up to a nearby beaver pond yesterday afternoon. The shadows of the surrounding forest fell across the flat, snow covered ice creating an abstract field of line and light.
Panasonic GM5, Lumix 14-140mm lens @ 77mm, ISO 400, f/13, 1/500″ exposure.
Our temperature got down to -24f this morning. I knew there would be some lovely ice crystals forming along the fringes of open water in Fargo Brook. I wasn’t disappointed! These delicate “frost feathers” are only about 2mm across. Fine indeed!
Panasonic Lumix GM5, Lumix 30mm macro, ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/160″ exposure.
We started the day with 2 degrees above zero and it’s been dropping since. This male purple finch was all puffed up keeping warm near the feeders.
Panasonic Lumix GM5, Lumix 100-300mm lens @ 300mm, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/320″ exposure.
My breakfast this morning was disturbed by the sound of bluejays screaming outside the windows by the feeders. Looking out, I saw them scatter as a fast moving shape slammed one of them to the ground. A sharp-shinned hawk had found its breakfast!
The hawk flew the still struggling jay over to underneath the apple trees near the brook to finish its prey off. I was able to get a few shots from the living room window before it flew off into the woods to finish its meal.
Panasonic Lumix GM5, Lumix 100-300mm lens @ 300mm, ISO 3200, f/5.6, 1/250″ exposure.
John Hadden Photography 