After the Storm

A very intense storm blew through last night.  It's remnants provided the opportunity to capture this double rainbow this morning.

 

Dark-eyed Junco and More

Editor's note:  As a reminder, construction of the teardrop is on hold until the weather improves, probably mid-April.  Since the construction is being done not in a building but under a party tent, the cold weather makes it impossible to work, and the snow loads threaten to collapse the tent.  So, the trailer has been put into storage until April.  If you wish to see the trailer portion of the blog, use the post navigator on the right to go back around mid-December (the post "Time to Hibernate") and work from there.

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Today was a nice day at the brush pile at Hammonasset Beach State Park.  The light was diffuse, and some melting snow made for a great environment.

Here are some shots of the dark-eyed junco:

This song sparrow was also feeding on the ground:

And, once again, the mergansers were corralled by the ice, offering the opportunity for some closer shots:

 

Mergansers

The mergansers around here are extremely shy.  Any time I approach water where they are swimming they immediately swim to the far side of the pond or lake.  It can be very frustrating trying to get close enough to get a good shot.

With ice covering ponds and lakes now, and choking even the feeders to marshes, the birds have fewer places to be.  Consequently I've been able to get a bit closer, although I'd like to gain another fifty to one hundred feet.

Today I found a congregation of red-breasted mergansers, hooded mergansers, and the ubiquitous mallards. Here are some shots of the mergansers.

Male red-breasted in front of female hooded

Male red-breasted

Male hooded (left) and male red-breasted

Male red-breasted, two male hooded, one female hooded

We also have common mergansers around, which ironically for us are the least common, but so far I haven't been able to approach them close enough for a good shot.  Even these are softer than I would like because of the distance.  I either need to be closer, or get longer glass.

Cooper's Hawk

The weather here has been quite cold lately, although compared to what other parts of the country are experiencing, 6 degrees isn't so bad.

The birds have been scarce as a result of the cold.  This Cooper's Hawk did make an appearance, and was quite compliant for getting close.  It was probably no more than 30-35 feet from my lens.

 

January is Slow ... for Photography

Still, a couple of recent shots are worthy.

The Song Sparrow:

 

Like the Red-Breasted Nuthatch, the Song Sparrow is happy to feed on pine seeds.

 

This Bufflehead male was cleaning his feathers.

 

This Kingfisher has been roosting on this post for weeks now.  As I drive past and observe her there, I circle back and attempt to get a shot.  The Kingfisher, however, is extremely wary, creating a battle of wits.  

This is my best shot so far.  Upon approach I had the camera out the window, focused to the approximate distance.  As the post and the bird came into view, I raised the camera to the eye and started shooting.  The next two frames were of a vacant post.

The Kingfisher is still way ahead in the game.

It isn't over yet.

 
 

Bald Eagle Pair

A bald eagle pair has been seen frequently in and around a large marsh along the Connecticut shoreline.  Over several months of observing, today was the first time I saw them on this relatively close snag. 

Conditions weren't particularly great for photography, but I couldn't resist trying.

 

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

The Red-Breasted Nuthatches have been putting on a good showing this winter at the local state park.  This was a particularly good morning.