bird watching

January Birds

Rae Spencer2 Comments

The yard was full of birds today. Flocks arrived in waves, flashing in and out of patches of sunlight as they foraged. Rather than braving the cold, I sat in the window with my camera and enjoyed a long, quiet afternoon in the warmth of our kitchen.

Starling Jan 4

Robin Jan 4

Dove Jan 4

Cardinal Jan 4

The chickadees, warblers, and woodpeckers were too busy to stop for photos, but a small flock of sparrows spent nearly an hour grazing in the half-frozen grass and weeds. They stayed in a part of the yard that had already fallen into shade, pointedly avoiding sunlit areas.

Sparrow Jan 4

(There were four of these little sparrows, and I’ve had no luck identifying them. Chipping Sparrows? Swamp Sparrows? Am I getting close? Please comment if you can help!)

Sparrow Jan 4

Sparrow Jan 4

Tomorrow is forecast to be a bit warmer with lots of sunshine. I wonder if the birds know?

A New Bird for a New Year

Rae Spencer6 Comments

The yard’s first bird of 2014 was a new bird for me. She showed up on New Year’s Day, but I was on my way out the door and didn’t have time to stop for a photo. Fortunately, she returned today…

Woodpecker Jan 2

(I believe this is a female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. I saw a juvenile sapsucker during my last trip to Alabama, but this is the first adult I’ve ever seen. Please comment if you can confirm or correct my identification!)

Woodpecker Jan 2

Woodpecker Jan 2

I followed her with my lens while she hopped from limb to limb in the pear tree, but I didn’t get a clear photo until something startled her and she paused.

Woodpecker Jan 2

Woodpecker Jan 2

She flew away a few minutes later, when a hungry squirrel climbed onto an adjoining branch.

Squirrel Jan 2

Squirrel Jan 2

Despite gloomy skies and an approaching storm, I can’t think of a better way to start a new year in the yard!

Clouds and Sun at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Rae Spencer12 Comments

As mentioned in a previous post, I recently spent two afternoons in a row at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Both days the refuge was fully in the grip of fall, but the first day felt a few steps closer to winter than the second. (Doesn’t winter always feel closer on cloudy days?)

November 4
November 4
Back Bay Nov 5
November 5
Back Bay Nov 4
November 4
Back Bay Nov 5
November 5
Leaves Nov 4
November 4
Leaf Nov 5
November 5
Seeds Nov 4
November 4
Wasp Nov 5
November 5
Egret Nov 4
November 4
November 5
November 5
November 4
November 4
November 5
November 5
November 4
November 4
November 5
November 5
Back Bay Nov 4
November 4

As I tried to organize my photos into pairs, I found the last set of images impossible to manage. On November 4th I took only one photo of the approaching sunset, but on November 5th I snapped frame after frame, hurrying from one vantage point to the next…

November 5
November 5
November 5
November 5
Back Bay Nov 5
November 5

Why do I see beauty in such sunsets? Why do I stop and stare? Why does my breath slow and the noise of necessity fade to a distant murmur?

It is as if the sky stirs something in my memory, something nameless and ageless. Then the sky’s glimmer dies to darkness, and my lungs grow hungry again as the ancient spark inside me dwindles. It’s all so fleeting that, as soon as it’s over, I begin to doubt. Perhaps it was an illusion, or a delusion. Perhaps it was just another sunset, just the end of another November day…

November 5
November 5

American Bittern

Rae Spencer6 Comments

Bittern Nov 5

This American Bittern was uncharacteristically exposed when I first saw it, and it seemed a bit embarrassed to be caught in the open. It froze for a few minutes, which made my camera very happy, then began to creep toward cover.

Bittern Nov 5

After a few steps, it paused behind a thin screen of vegetation and practically disappeared. If I hadn’t seen it in the open first, I never would have seen it at all.

Bittern Nov 5

The bittern reminded me how hard it is to see the world. Every day I encounter remarkable, beautiful things, and all too often I fail to see them.

Bittern Nov 5

Hungry Warblers

Rae Spencer2 Comments

Warbler October 24

Yellow-rumped Warblers began arriving a few weeks ago. Now they are a constant presence in the wax myrtle as they gorge on the small, unappealing berries that other warblers cannot digest.

Warbler October 23

Warbler October 24

Every year I fall in love with the warblers, all over again, and spend hours trying to photograph them.

Warbler October 24

Cloudy days test my patience with low light and grainy images.

Warbler October 23

Sunny days emphasize the warblers’ camouflage, turning photos into abstract riddles of highlight and shadow.

Warbler October 24

Exposures set for the interior of the wax myrtle flare distractingly bright whenever a bird strays into a patch of sunlight.

Warbler October 26

Exposures set for sunlight fail when a bird retreats into shadow.

Warbler October 24

Every so often, sunlight, shadow, and bird merge into a split-second of breathtaking beauty. At those moments I freeze, too captivated to remember my camera. Then the moment passes, and I’m left snapping a photo of perfection’s echo.

Warbler October 24

These photos are the most frustrating of all, teasing reminders of what might have been. They are also my favorites. They are cause and effect. A reason to keep taking photos. Photos worth keeping.

Warbler October 26

I’m finding that photography, like poetry, is a hunger that returns season after season.