Nice Buck
I like to sneak down my little woods’ trail to the end to hide and peek through the thicket to see if the white-tailed deer are grazing on my neighbor’s field. Oh boy, this time there were 15+ does and yearlings spread out everywhere.
Suddenly, there was a grunt that sounded close…..very, very close…..
Without moving…..or breathing…..I watched the Alpha buck walk right past me to head out onto the field. I was scared and excited at the same time! Without thinking, I took one quick photo through the thicket. My shutter click, oh no. He didn’t seem to hear it, whew. Here’s that shot.
I waited until the buck walked some distance onto the field, and then I moved to lean out past the thicket just enough and took several photos of him.
Yep, that 8-point buck heard my shutter clicking that time.
I slowly pulled back behind the thicket and watched him looking for me. He grunted a few times, trying to get a rise out of whatever might be out there; but I didn’t move and waited him out. Seemed like forever, ha! Finally, he went back to grazing. I slowly back-tracked my trail and slipped away.
That’s a nice buck!
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Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving!
Cedar Waxwings
I hear those berries are pretty darn delicious!
So say the Cedar Waxwings!
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Northern Cardinals
The male with his blazing red coloring, and the female with her subtle shades of tan and accents of orangey-reds on her head, beak, and wing bars, Northern Cardinals are a true sight of delight! And then there’s their song, so lovely too.
We hang out together year-round, the cardinals and I, around the edge of the woods and marsh behind my house. I am truly thankful for their beautiful presence!
(Click on an image to enlarge for a slide show)
Northern Cardinal male
Northern Cardinal male
Northern Cardinal female
Northern Cardinal male
Northern Cardinal male
Northern Cardinal female
Northern Cardinal male
Northern Cardinal male
Northern Cardinal female
Northern Cardinal male
Northern Cardinal male
Northern Cardinal female
Northern Cardinal male
Northern Cardinal female
Northern Cardinal male
Northern Cardinal male
Northern Cardinal female
Northern Cardinal male
Northern Cardinal male
Northern Cardinal female
Northern Cardinal male
Northern Cardinal female
Northern Cardinal male
Northern Cardinal male
“Cardinals appear when an angel is near.”
❤️🐦❤️
Ten years ago, someone passed that saying on to me, and I’ve loved the comforting thought ever since. Cardinals bring an instant smile to my face every time!
But I’m still missing you, Mom…..
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1-2-3 Medium Bird Jubilee – #21
We love the little cuties, but those medium-sized birds sure are pretty too! Here’s a few of those keeping me company this autumn.
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Eastern Bluebird
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Gray Catbird
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Eastern Phoebe
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Northern Mockingbird
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Northern Cardinal (male)
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Northern Cardinal (female)
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Brown Thrasher
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Hermit Thrush
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Red-winged Blackbird (male)
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Cedar Waxwings
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Blue Jay
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Mourning Dove
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and finally…..!
Belted Kingfisher
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1-2-3 Cute As Can Be – #33
These little autumn birds cannot help but be cute!
Carolina Chickadee
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Tufted Titmouse
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Ruby-crowned Kinglet
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Common Yellowthroat (female or immature)
(this species just left me two weeks ago, headed south!)
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Palm Warbler
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Pine Warbler
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Yellow-rumped Warbler
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White-breasted Nuthatch
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Dark-eyed Junco
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Field Sparrow
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Savannah Sparrow
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Song Sparrow
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White-throated Sparrow
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Song Sparrow
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Eastern Towhee (female)
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Purple Finch (female)
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Winter Wren
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Carolina Wren
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“Yeah, I see you….”
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Woodpecker Wednesday
Woodpeckers play an important role in maintaining healthy forests and woodlands. We have seven woodpeckers in Maryland. Six of those live here year-round while one, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, migrates to our area and spends fall/winter with us (they just arrived a couple weeks ago).
Woodpeckers can be easy birds to find and photograph; so of course, I love taking shots of them. Here are Maryland’s seven woodpeckers made into small galleries.
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Pileated Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
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Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
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Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-headed Woodpecker
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Northern Flicker Yellow-shafted
Northern Flicker Yellow-shafted
Northern Fllicker Yellow-shafted
Northern Flicker Yellow-shafted
Northern Flicker Yellow-shafted
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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
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Hairy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
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And finally, the smallest and my favorite…..
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Downy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
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~~ Advice from a Woodpecker~~
Find your own rhythm,
Peck away at obstacles,
Be colorful,
Carve out a place for yourself,
Make your voice heard,
It’s okay to be a little flashy,
Use your head!
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Raptors – Perched and Flight
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I’ve photographed a nice variety of raptors over the past few months. I planned to split them into two posts, one of those perched and the other for flights.
With having a photo of both for many of the species, it made more sense to combine into one post to be able to see a species perched and flying for comparisons.
Thirteen raptor species……here you go!
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Osprey (adult male)
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Osprey (juvenile)
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Osprey (adult male)
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Bald Eagle (adult)
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Bald Eagle (adult)
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Bald Eagle (first year immature)
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Bald Eagle (immature 2-3 years old)
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Turkey Vulture
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Turkey Vulture
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Black Vulture
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Black Vulture
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Cooper’s Hawk (immature)
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Cooper’s Hawk
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American Kestrel
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American Kestrel
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Red-shouldered Hawk
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Red-shouldered Hawk
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Red-tailed Hawk
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Red-tailed Hawk
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These next flight shots are those raptors I haven’t found perched lately.
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Merlin
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Sharp-shinned Hawk
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Northern Harrier
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Broad-winged Hawk
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Peregrine Falcon
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And lastly, a neat shot of a Bald Eagle and Osprey that shows their size comparison.
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Lazy Bald Eagle (immature) chasing an Osprey for his fish at sunrise
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And that, my friends, is a raptor wrap!
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More Fall Migrants
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Besides those adorable warblers, here are a few other migrants passing through that caught my lens.
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Summer Tanager
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Indigo Bunting
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Red-eyed Vireo
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House Wren
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And arriving back to spend the fall/winter around me……
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Eastern Phoebe
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Ruby-crowned Kinglet
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Golden-crowned Kinglet
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Red-eyed Towhee
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White-throated Sparrow
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Savannah Sparrow
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Song Sparrow
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Migration
The time of migration has begun.
They are travelers.
For some the distance is short.
For others it may be thousands of miles.
For most it is in the darkness they fly.
For some the journey may be their first; to a place they have never been, they find their way.
For others they have made this journey throughout their life, miles upon miles.
For all, it is a perilous journey.
For some I say hello.
For others I say goodbye.
For all, I wish you well – travelers.
~ Adele Clagett
(fellow Maryland birder)
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More Fall Warblers
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Can I excite you with a few more warbler photos as they continue to pass through my area in my little part of the world? 😉
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Tennessee Warbler (female or immature)
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Pine Warbler
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Black-and-white Warbler
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Black-throated Blue Warbler (male)
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Black-throated Blue Warbler (female)
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Prairie Warbler
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Yellow-rumped Warbler
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Magnolia Warbler
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Common Yellowthroat (male)
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And finally, another one of the Tennessee Warbler, too cute not to share. 🙂
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Tennessee Warbler (female or immature)
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High migration movement is going on tonight through the next few days in the mid-Atlantic so I’m looking forward to birding the next few mornings see what warblers and other migrants pass through, with fingers crossed for some new surprises like that Tennessee Warbler!
Wise Point in Autumn
By Bryan Watts
You can lie on your back and look
Up into the fading stars as dawn rises
Like magic they appear from the half light
Even when the world is in chaos they come
They fall from the sky like rain
Filling the bushes and vines and trees
Rustling leaves full of chips and calls
Then suddenly all that we know takes flight
Shadows of warblers and vireos and thrushes
Stream through the forest like
A shape shifter floating through walls
Here within the rush our thoughts are set free
Where have they come from?
Where are they going?
What will they do when they get there?
Even if just to say I care I come too
Where else would I belong in autumn?
For all they have given
It is impossible to turn away and
Convince myself that there is nothing
I can give in return….
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Bay Photos by Donna 