Out for a Sunday Drive.

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Went for a nice drive on this cold Sunday morning and had some great action. I was very surprised to see a pair of Hooded Mergansers swimming in a small stream where running water was not frozen. Seems like this pair is bit early on the arrival. Maybe the unseasonably warm weather may have thrown them off. Also saw a few deer bedded down with one was actually sleeping with its eyes shut. A first for me. Finally, a very plump Pheasant sitting ona stone wall staring right at me!

Idaho Utah Trip

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Hello and thanks for stopping back. I just got back last night from a Western trip to Park City, Utah, then drove to Sun Valley Idaho. All of this was in the name of snow. Deep dry powder so deep you cant even walk in it. While I didn't get a chance to take as many photos as I would have liked, I did manage to squeeze off a few nice ones while snowboarding. If you ever get the chance to head West I highly suggest visiting these places! The image with the circular clouds is an interesting formation I have never seen back East called a Lenticular Cloud.
Have a great weekend and stop back soon. Headed to Colorado in less than a week!

In the News

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This feature ran today in the Housatonic Living, which is the arts and leisure section of the Brookfield Journal, The Bethel Beacon, The New Milford Times, The Litchfield Enquirer and The Kent Good Times Dispatch. Total circulation 58,400!

Cold Waxwings

Cedar Waxwing
(Bombycilla cedrorum) The Cedar Waxwing is the most specialized fruit-eating bird. This bird's primary foods are fleshy fruits that are high in sugar content. Like tropical birds with this diet, Cedar Waxwings are social all year long, they nest in loose clusters, and at times they wander widely in flocks in search of temporarily abundant sources of fruit. Because of their reliance on summer ripening fruit for feeding their hatchlings, they are among the latest birds to nest in North America.

It seems everytime I spot a Wax Wing it is either very high in the top of a tree or flying around so fast I can not get close enough for a good photo. Today, with very cold temperatures it seems like these were reluctant to go anywhere. I find these to be one of the most visually attractive birds we have around here. I was happy to get these photos mid winter when most of our birds have migrated south.

Blue Jays

Observation sketch from my Bird feeder

Although sometimes disliked because they chase smaller birds away from feeders, Blue Jays are among the handsomest of birds. They often bury seeds and acorns, and since many are never retrieved they are, in effect, tree planters. They regularly mob predators, and their raucous screaming makes it easy to locate a hawk or a roosting owl. Although seen all year, they are migratory and travel in large loose flocks in spring and fall. Birds from farther north replace local populations in winter.

description 12" (30 cm). Bright blue above with much white and black in the wings and tail; dingy white below; black facial markings; prominent crest.