New Hampshire Coyote

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This photo marks my most succesful photo of a Eastern Coyote to date. Amazing how much larger they are than their Western counterparts. I have read more than once that this has to do with the migration of the coyote eastward. As they moved east coyotes would mate with wolves produceing a lager mix breed animal that has a bigger skull and body size much like a wolf. I love the light and expression in the photo above. Once again he has began feeding on a deer that had been killed by him and his friends a few weeks ago. The feeding stopped once the temperatures froze it solid. With the weather in the mid 40's this week he has returned almost every day, and this one time during day light for over an hour and a half.

 

  

 

After the snow

I got a nice look at this big Red-Tail this morning as he hunted a small field. I was able to set up and take this photo as a HDR or ( High Dynamic Range) photo that is the combination of 3 differently exposed shots fused together. It creates depth and tonal range that almost becomes surreal. I have also been experimenting with super tight sharp focus like on this Chickadee and  Nuthatch below. Click images to see at full size and best sharpness.
-Bill

Snowy Owl

After threes attempts to locate and photograph a Snowy Owl, I finally got it. This bright white  owl was located on Plum Island about 100 yards away napping on the salt mash ice. Im very excited to have seen this for the first time, was also able to add a Cooper Hawk to my lifetime bird list!

Coyote Attacked deer *UPDATED*

***Look below as I update this post.***

New image updated Feb 8th

This fox has been a nightly visitor to the carcass, where are the coyotes?

Feb 5th ( scroll down to see updates)

Its hard to say if this is the same deer I photographed last week with the injured leg,  but I'm willing to bet it is. It was found dead at the teeth of coyotes Monday morning.

The deer is a one and a half year old buck that has shed its antlers. Its amazing to think how fast the coyotes ate basically half this deer in one night, the same night they brought it down.  Since the deer was found its carcass was reported to the DNR and moved to the back of the property. Here, I fastened my motion activated camera pointed right on it and plan to leave it for a week to see just how many coyotes are traveling in the local pack that is responsible for this. It is said that 1/3rd of a coyotes diet in the Northeast consist of deer meat. This is the third deer in as many years that has been found dead from coyote attacks in the same orchard. The previous two had fought so hard for life that in the battle they actually shed their antlers, and they were found next to the carcass. Wow. Check back int he next few days to see more as this story unfolds .

***UPDATE Feb  8th**
The deer has been dragged about 100 yards by the coyotes. You can see in the background of the second image , a trail of hair from the drag. Its amazing to think how the coyotes were able to drag the deer this far, it must weight about 100 lbs. It must have been a team effort? I cant imagine one coyote can drag an entire deer, or can it? I have had the motion sensor camera on the carcass about a week now, so far the only visitor has been this beautiful healthy fox. To keep the deer in one place we have driven some steel rebar into the frozen ground and fastened its legs with wire. Since then, the coyotes have vanished. I can only think that the human sent at the site has kept them back. I will be checking the cameras tomorrow.

stay tuned!!

Northern Harrier

I took a trip to Plum Island this weekend off the coast of Newbury, Mass in seach of a recently reported Snowy Owl. No luck with the snowy owl (yet)  but I was able to not only see, but photograph a Northern Harrier. A first for me!

This image below captured just before sunset, shows a doe with some sort of leg injury. The land owner has told me he he has seen her around a few times, and also that he has seen a several coyotes in the past few days.

5 miles from my house!!

For now I will keep it the location secret, more to follow. Stay Tuned!

 

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Winter Wonderland

Checking the weather forecast last night I had a very strong feeling we were info an amazing sunrise. I preset the coffee maker and got all my camera gear ready for and early departure. With fluffy snow still falling I headed to bed anxious to see what the new day would bring. I was not let down by the sun gods this day. All these photos were taken within a mile of my front door in Hollis, NH.

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Hollis Red-Tail with rabbit

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Spotted this hawk Sunday evening in Hollis, NH. This red-tail is one of the largest I have ever seen. I have seen it about 5 times in the same small area, he is very timid and flys off very quick once he spots me. I watched him nail this rabbit as I was driving by, then watched for about 8 minutes before he had split and taken half of it up into a tree. Hope to see more of this guy closer with better light!

Eastern Screech Owl

Hello again,
I am very happy to share some photos taken yesterday along the New Hampshire seacoast of a Eastern Screech owl. With sightings of this guy becoming pretty regular in a very specific location, my friend and fellow photographer Kevin Klasman and myself headed to see if we would be lucky enough to get a few photos. The screech owl is a bird that I have been wanting to see for years, I jumped at the chance to not only see but to be able to photograph this little guy. The 20 or so minutes we watched him he never opened his eyes, although he would move around a bit here and there. We left him undisturbed very happy with the shots!
Enjoy
Bill

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Kevin, very happy with his first screech owl photo!

Tree Sparrow and winter barn...Happy New Year!

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 I hope everyone is enjoying the recent snow. It seems like it should be coming down through the weekend, I am very excited about this. I have been reading a lot of bird list recently, a bird list is essentially an on-line list that updates everyday.  Members will keep a on-going log of birds they have seen in their area. Birding is an amazing hobby that can be done very casual, of very intense. What is so interesting is that some rarely seen birds are showing up within my area, including a bird I want to photograph more that any bird at the moment, the Snowy Owl. Click here for a link to the New Hampshire birdlist to see how it works. Hopefully some updates on that to follow. For now I have a nice shot of an American Tree Sparrow and a Black Capped Chikadee. Finally, the light and scene was set up just right to shoot this barn that is just a few houses down from mine.  Every time I drive by I look at this barn, actually I think its more of a woodshed. Enjoy!

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Bill

New Drawing

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I created this pencil sketch of my niece and nephew for my sister as a Christmas present. I was really happy how it turned out!

Merry Christmas

Greetings,
I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy the snow if you got it and savor the time with the family, eat some good food, and drink some good beer! 
   I got out for a great hike today and discovered this very cool pine cone that had been blown across the snow by the wind, it left a amazing pattern. I realized the snow needs to be perfect for this to happen. Crusty layer below with a dry light powder on top.

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Further into the hike I found a dark-eyed junco sitting on the ground . I took a few photos as it sat there. I was able to get unusually close. I looked at this bird for a while and wondered if it was hurt, I creeped closer and discovered indeed he/her was hurt. I picked the bird up in my hands and held it for a few minutes. The bird seemed 'with it' but seems like it may have been injured , perhaps by a hawk or owl. One eye was missing and he seemed hurt. I continued to try to make it warm in my cupped hands for maybe 10 minutes, then placed it on a branch off the ground away from predators and continued on my way.

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A few hours later I returned passed the same spot, sure enough my little buddy was still there, but on the ground again, I tried to pick it up again but it actually flew to a branch. This was a major struggle, but was somewhat encouraged to see it able to even do that. As I turned to walk away i felt really sad, my heart sunk realizing the poor guy would have a slim chance of making it through the night. This reminded me how precious life really is. 

Take time enjoy life everyday, laugh, hike, take pictures and go outside. Try hard not to get to caught up with the hurried pace we live.
Merry Christmas

Winter Hawks

Greetings,

I got these photos this morning in the orchard near my house on a trail cam. these two red-tailed hawks were feeding on the remains of a deer. This time of year wild creatures take what they can get to sustain the energy to stay warm and alive. It appears one of these hawks may be a young'n.

New Website!

Hello old friends and new friends. I am very happy to announce the launch of my new website. The goal of this new site is to allow the user to delve deeper into the images, and really explore the world as i see it through my lens or paintbrush. I have hundreds of images now all sorted by subject. I still have a few minor tweaks to work out but would LOVE to hear your feed back. Im off to explore the woods on this frigid New Hampshire morning. Enjoy the new site and please send me a message through the contact page with any questions or comments!
Thanks
Bill

Let it snow!

Well we finally got out first real snow up here, and it was amazing. Over night we received about 3.5 inches of the sticky whiteness. I spent a lot of time hiking with-out the camera because the snow was falling so often i was afraid to damage my equipment, but managed a few nice shots that captured the moment. More on the way wednesday!

Hello again

It has sure been a while since I posted but I am happy to say a lot of hard work on a totally new website is almost complete. It will be launched in the next 2 weeks! Make sure to check back. I hope every one has been enjoying fall! I can feel snow just around the corner!

I wanted to share a few shots of these American Goldfinches that we see around the office. Normally these bird have a very distinct bright yellow coloring. As winter approaches the color changes to a dirty almost greenish hue. I caught these guys feeding on some berries outside my window today. They are really fun to watch and arrive suddenly in groups, they leave just as fast as they arrive.

 

Barred Owl

Im still amazed how rarely I see these owls. I know there are supposed to be common but I average about 1 sighting a year, and the chance of having my camera, ( and have it ready to take a photo) is not very likely. BUT last week the stars must have been aligned! I was out on a short hike before work and heard this guy call out. Withing a few seconds of trying to determine where he was, I heard some branches moving and he flew right over to see what I was all about. I went back later that day and saw him again, but this time there was no chance of getting a photo! This has been good inspiration to get working on my Barred Owl Painting!

New Lens

 I love my new lens...

Orchard Hawk

Saw this guy sitting on a wire on my way to my house while driving. I got home, grabbed my bike and my camera and rode back to see if he was still there. He was, got some great shots, loving the new camera and lens combo. I THINK its a immature red-tail hawk.