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These were way, way down in the piles of photos (figuratively). They were taken 9 years ago when I was first moving from snapshots to taking up more serious bird photography. It was a lucky happenstance that this female Belted Kingfisher didn’t notice me and perched relatively close by. Three generations of camera body haveContinue reading “Found in the Clutter: Belted Kingfisher”

Wooly Bears are a sure sign of autumn in New England. These fuzzy black and rust colored caterpillars start appearing this time of year as they eat their fill and then find a spot to hide for the winter. They are the larva of the Isabella Tiger Moth. Folklore says that you can tell theContinue reading “Non-Avian Guest: Woolly Bear”

My last post featured a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Here is the other North American kinglet. Golden-crowned Kinglets don’t hide their crest like the Ruby-crowned Kinglets do.

Ask anyone who observes or photographs Kinglets and they will tell that they almost never stop moving. I managed to catch this Ruby-crowned Kinglet as he dove deeper into the bushes to look for insects. They keep their “crown” concealed until they use it display to rivals, potential mates and intruders. Look carefully and youContinue reading “Feathered Action: Ruby-crowned Kinglet”

This is a juvenile Yellow-rumped Warbler posing for the camera. But another Warbler chased it away from my photoshoot. Jealous?

It’s been a hot and very dry autumn in New England. But winter will come eventually. That will bring alcid visitors like this Razorbill to the New England coast. Notice how far back the legs are on the body. This combined with wings just barely big enough for flight make it nearly impossible for theseContinue reading “Found in the Clutter: Razorbill”

Flocks that include multiple shorebird species stop to rest and feed along the Massachusetts coast as the birds migrate from their northern breeding grounds to their warmer winter homes. This photograph of a group of birds flying across a salt panne has four different shorebirds together. On the left are a Semipalmated Sandpiper (the smallerContinue reading “Snapshot: Mixed Flock”

This long distance migrant stops in our area as it moves from breeding grounds along Hudson Bay and the Arctic Ocean in Canada and Alaska to its winter home along the east and west coasts of the southern US, Mexico and Central America.

These are the two most common egrets that visit our area each summer. It’s easy to tell them apart when they are standing next to each other as the Great Egret towers over the smaller Snowy Egret. When they aren’t standing together, the beaks and feet are used to identify them. Heavy yellow beak andContinue reading “Snapshot: Egrets”

This is a much longer post than usual but I like the action sequence. Hopefully it will be worth your scrolling. A Double-crested Cormorant caught an eel and had a quite a time getting it subdued. It struggled for a few minutes to get its catch in the proper position to swallow it. The eelContinue reading “Feathered Action: Cormorant vs Eel”