December Moving In

Suddenly dark days, colder nights. Early on, not much to see. Woodpeckers come around to tap the food I provide on the suet that hangs off a branch of my Japanese maple tree.  I take to the woods, but little is there.

I hop in my car and drive up north. Passing alongside a lake that sits adjacent to the highway, I notice the water rippling suggestively. I pull up onto the shoulder and see a pair of black ducks materialize in the distance.

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Later, southband,  bluebirds on high

                                                

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And (below) what appears to be a ruby-crowned kinglet

 

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Afterwards, I head north again toward the Ashokan Reservoir. There, all I see are seagulls aloft, being whipped along by an abundant breeze. When one flies right above my head, I point and shoot and succeed in getting one great photo.
                           

 

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   Back on my homeground

Carolina Wrens

Downy Woodpecker

    

A pileated woodpecker inching his way up a tree

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 Not a bad day!

         

November Trials

  November is a difficult month. Less to see, more subtlety. 

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Some say colors fade, but those that linger rule the day.

Often enough, splashly exuberance provides cover for a feasting bird.

Suddenly, seeming to simmer in the heat, a woodpecker, 

while just beyond the luminescent shade of incandescent leaves, sits a dove.

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Autumn in Woodstock

October 2010 has brought a panoply of colors surpassing anything I have seen in previous years. The foliage is so rich in color that wading birds, while still a presence in early autumn, seem to be captives of the resplendant hues, at times barely distinguishable from their surroundings. A little bird, like the titmouse,  blends into the leaves and limbs of the tree by which it is embraced.
Every now and then I succumb to the sheer richness of the foliage, and snap another picture.

                          

 
                                     


                                     


                                     

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The Fall unfolds

As October rolls around, I fill the feeders outside my window knowing that as the days grow cooler the variety and abundance of winged visitors will increase. For now, I'll settle for those familiar faces, stopping by  for a quiet and peaceful lunch.



Chickadee



Slate-colored Junco

White-breasted Nuthatch


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Tufted Titmice





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Birds and Backdrops

In evaluating my photos, I sometimes have to draw the proverbial line between the raw depiction of the bird, itself, and the overall aesthetic quality of the photo. I must accept the fact that I do not own one of those expensive cameras with attachments that can produce really good closeups, even at a distance. In this respect, I simply do not have tight control of the outcome.
On the plus side, given a scenic backdrop, the "aesthetic" outcome that is acheived often surpasses the pedestrian result of producing an awesome closeup of a particular bird. In the cases shown below, the virtue of the photo has as much to do with the splendor of the setting as it does with the stylish elegance of the wading bird, itself.

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Voila!
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Adieu !

Ladies Night Out

When it comes to water fowl, I have taken an interest in observing  the stages in the socialization process that evolve over the course of the warm weather months.
Predictably, in springtime, a young male's fancy turns to thoughts of love.

Of course this applies to both the mergansers... 

                                            

...as well as the mallard ducks.

                                         

However, by summer's end, as seen below, it's Ladies Nite Out.

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As it turns out,

this poor guy has to go it alone.

As for the lady megansers, it's time to preen away at the plume bar while quacking it up.

           

Reflections

September can be a difficult month for picture-taking. I would like to see it as an opportunity to capture images of warblers flitting around the trees in my backyard, before heading south again. But they are too small for me to get good, close-enough shots. I need more practice.
For now, there are egrets and herons that linger at my favorite Woodstock haunt just down the road.

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Some distance away, on the Ashokan Reservoir, cormorants linger on a convenient float, while
one man, alone, shuffles along in a tiny boat.

When I turn my head toward the wooded expanse that abuts the Ashokan I immediately
spot a deer looking my way who seems to say, “what is he doing here?”

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I look at all this while reflecting on the fact that I was raised in a much different environment, a considerably more urban one, on  the lower east side of Manhattan. Sitting, immersed in all this, I, too, often wonder:  "What am I doing here?"

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Transitions

The summer will soon transition into fall. My days at the reservoir off Sawkill Road (which I have come to view as a marsh) are numbered. Over the past few months I have watched the population of egrets and great blue herons grow and, in their own way, prosper. They have certainly made hay of the local fish population, as have the hungry kingfishers.
Over the past few days I have been rewarded by the presence of a green heron.  Though sparse in number, their piercing look makes their presence felt and one's skin crawl.

Some of the results of my meanderings along the perimeter of the Sawkill marsh follow.

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American Egret

Great Blue Heron

Blue Heron - small, but still great

Kingfisher and Egret - dynamic duo

Kingfisher

Green Heron

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