Author Archives: birdsinmyviewfinder

I had to go completely manual to capture this Woodcock as it foraged in the undergrowth. The thick cluster of branches pretty much foiled the autofocus. It was doing its well known bobbing “dance” by the way.

Snowy Owls often visit Massachusetts in the winter. They are creatures of the tundra and like treeless open spaces so they look for a similar environment while here. This female or young male is resting in an open salt marsh in the Parker River NWR. They also like the open space next to Logan InternationalContinue reading “Snapshot: Snowy Owl”

Pair of Mallards flying together.

This was buried deep in the files. Great Horned Owls are often heard at night near my home but are rarely seen during the day. This photo was taken 10 years ago when some Ravens flushed this Owl. I grabbed my camera for a quick shot before he flew further into the woods to escapeContinue reading “Found in the Clutter: Great Horned Owl”

This in-flight photo of a Black-bellied Whistling Duck shows all the markings for this colorful duck. There are the pink-red bill, long pink legs, gray face, chestnut body, black belly and big white wing patches. The head is held low while flying, giving the duck a kinked look.

Found this while consolidating and moving some old folders. This photo of a Black-throated Sparrow was taken in Las Cruces, New Mexico in 2018. They like open, shrubby deserts and semi-open areas. They are residents of northern Mexico and in the US along its southern border from Baja to the Gulf of Mexico. Some migrateContinue reading “Found in the Clutter: Black-throated Sparrow”

Color is important in bird photographs…normally. But when I photographed a Purple Sandpiper on an overcast winter day, there was almost no color in the scene. This is expected with a mostly gray colored bird on dark rocks in low lighting. I decided to try something that I haven’t tried before and processed the pictureContinue reading “Snapshot: Purple Sandpiper”

A challenge in learning to identify birds is the variability in plumage between sexes and between adults and juveniles. Here are two examples of age differences in plumage. This is an adult Little Blue Heron. It is mostly slate blue with a little purple on the neck. This is a juvenile Little Blue Heron. Where’sContinue reading “Bird ID and Juveniles”

A nice pose by this colorful winter visitor.

More fun in the snow. My previous post showed an American Robin sitting in a snowbank, probably looking for seeds that got mixed in by a plow. This is an American Tree Sparrow that looks like it is combining seed hunting and some sort of avian winter sport. Birds, like we humans, are just tryingContinue reading “Snapshot: American Tree Sparrow”