Hawk in my yard

I woke up to a thunk against my window and say that this (Cooper's) Hawk must have hit the window after grabbing a mourning dove (aka pigeon) from our bird feeder. It was still early and my alarm was not due to go off for another hour so I went back to bed.

When I awoke the bird was still there, sitting on the ground, obviously stunned from hitting the window, dead bird (aka breakfast) at his feet. I got the camera and snapped a few photographs out the window, the hawk did not notice me.

I went to the downstairs bathroom and stuck my head out the window and took a few more photographs, again, the hawk did not move. I went out the back door and stood on the deck, taking a few more photos. The hawk started eating. I moved slowly, crouched down to the cold ground in my PJs and kept clicking and moving closer a little at a time.



I got to the dog run and still the hawk did not even notice me, you can tell because when I moved or made a sound the hawk did not respond so I kept getting closer and closer, to the point that when the hawk lifted its head up to pull on the meat I clipped the head. I zoomed my 100-400mm lens to 300 and then 250. I could not believe it!

He got up on the stump and ate some more, got back down and ate some more, the concussion (?) must have really affected him and just when I was wondering if I was going to have to call a bird rescue place it finished the last morsels and flew up on a branch, cleaned its beak on the tree limb for a few minutes and flew away.

I have posted just a few photographs here, just enough to tell the story, but I have LOTS  more -- no lie, I took over 500 photographs (continuous burst mode). I will edit a couple later, but the first four are SOOC (last one was cropped and sharpened). What a treat! What a great way to start project 52 (posting a photo a week for 2013)!

Backyard winter photography

This was taken this winter after a snowfall at the end of December. I was looking for leaves in frozen water, which I did not find, but I found various leaves and flowers in the snow.

Just a simple leave on top of the snow. 

I walked around it until I had the composition the way I like it with the handle turned. 

Pretty much SOOC, just Levels and sharpening

Played with solarization in Nik Color Efex, completely different effect. 

One of my perennials dried up and sticking up out of the snow

with a texture on it

Our Ivy, one leaf popping up thru the snow.

I used a bunch of Nik filters in this one to make it "pop"

First Snow

We had our first SNOW on Sunday. Luckily I got the outside lights all out and up on Friday and Tom got the snowglobes out Saturday. I woke up Sunday am and took a slow walk around the yard with my camera. Here are a few photographs from my backyard journey...



Home tweet home...


I love the snow on all of my yard knick-knacks...my reflection appears in this caterpillar, good thing I put my coat on and not my bathrobe like I was tempted to


Butterfly antennae in the snow.


I saved this tree three times when Tom and Adam went out "yard trimming"

I love my GBH's even in the snow.

These grasses look soooo different today from yesterday (fluffy and billowy)

The last of Fall, even though it's not officially winter yet.

The snow on this stone looked like a smilie face to me.

cold birdie

You can see my reflection in this dragonfly's eye.

And last but not least my cat planter that did not yet get put away, looks like he has a milk mustache...

Hawk in our backyard

We have lots of squirrels in our backyard (about 15 too many!) and sometimes the hawks try to get one (we root for the hawk). This squirrel outsmarted the hawk though and hide underneath the bird feeder. Tom used the 70-200 mm lens shooting right from our bedroom window.

Backyard Birds

Tom sat outside in the backyard and took photos of birds coming in to our feeders. We have lots of catbirds, adults and babies. They are so pretty with their shades of gray and then the rust color underneath.





This catbird was displaying -- how cool is that!



Goldfinch in non-breeding colors.






Red bellied woodpecker on a log that Tom set up with some suet.





We have lots of black capped chickadees...






The nuthatches are adorable! They were one of the first small birds that I learned to identify as a child, I can still remember reading in the bird book "one of the few birds that walks headfirst DOWN the tree trunk" and sure enough there it was...







I was just elling Jim Zipp that we very rarely get grosbeaks (or orioles) and the next day two appeared (one female and one immature male). Now our friend Gary just a mile away got a beautfil male grosbeak. I have placed the link here -- definitely check it out -- it is spectacular!!
http://newhavencameraclub.org/results_2007-08/ClassA_5-08/content/A2_12_Prestash__Gary_Male_Rose_Breasted_Grosbeak_2008_05_large.html

White throated sparrows in the snow

We have lots of white-throated sparrows that visit our backyard. As you read earlier, I had a lot of fun photographing the birds this morning in the snowstorm.

Enjoy these five white-throated sparrow photographs.

The background on this bird was very bright and almost looked "hi-key" so I made this one into a Black and White photograph.

Snowy Friday Backyard Birds

If you remember I was very envious that Tom got to photograph our birds in the backyard on each of days for the President's birthdays. Well today...Hehe...while Tom was using the snow blower this morning I was using his 300mm f2.8 lens on the deck. I just love these photos with the snowflakes coming down! Here are photos that I took today in the snow...



This little downey woodpecker landed so close to me I almost was too close to focus (I had to lean back a little)

I was playing around with this image in photoshop and came up with the Black and White and Red.
I apply this affect a lot for our brides and I am always silently ecstatic when I get to a Bride's house and see color in her bouqet. I know that white flowers with her white dress is always classic but I miss the opportunity to be able to apply this selected color technique.


This Tufted Titmouse just posed for me.

Tom put our Christmas tree out back when we took it down so that we could use it for our photos. The entrie time that I was outside only this one bird landed on it (it was very close to me and there was no food near it) but I just love the little gal (female Junco) on the evergreen with the snow.


4 photos of male Juncos

Another female junco

More birds in our backyard

Tom was off from work today for the President's holiday. He spent the afternoon outside in the backyard photographing the birds that come to our feeders. Here are a few photos that he took. I had to work today so I was very envious that he had this opportunity!

The Carolina Wren is one of my favorite little birds. I just love the way that Tom captured her with her wings flapping. These little guys made their nest on our front door last Spring and we got to watch them feed and fledge 4 babies.

We have both white-breasted (above) and red-breasted nuthatches in our yard. As a child the nutchatch was one of the first birds that I looked up in the bird book. My mother taught me the obvious like the robin and the cardinal, but what was this strange bird walking DOWN the tree trunk. The bird book said "you can usually identify this bird as a nuthatch because of its atypical behavior of walking DOWN the tree". I can remember being was so excited that I identified my first bird.

It has been so cold lately and the weather so strange and erratic that the birds have been very hungry, needing a lot of energy just to stay warm. The cardinal usually comes to our feeder very early in the morning and then again very late in the evening when the light is less than optimal. I put out the food in the mid-morning and they both came right away. Tom was lucky to be able to photograph the cardinal in the nice winter afternoon light.

We are blessed with 5 different types of woodpeckers that visit our backyard! A little bit of suet on the log and these little guys were very happy.

The last two photos from today -- two photographs of a female Junco.