Sunday, September 27, 2015

They Didn't Make the Cut


Since I am taking a couple of weeks off from actively shooting, but I still wanted to keep up with the blog, I decided to sort back through some of the photos I shot earlier this year and post some that never made it into the blog for one reason or another.

I am a sucker for geese and I particularly like this spot for shooting them. I can shoot from the side of the road, there is a vernal pool that attracts the geese and their habitual flight path takes them right past me. What's not to like?


I don't always have to leave home to find birds. We are so fortunate to live in a house surrounded by woods. By offering water and seeds, we benefit from a constant show of a variety of birds. We always have a dove or two hoping to find some corn under the feeder. I can't fathom how someone can shoot these sweet birds. I'm not knocking hunting. I just personally could not shoot doves.


Here is another occasional visitor to our yard, appearing mostly in winter. I would not have been surprised if it was called the Harlequin Woodpecker and you can see why. But, no, it is called a Northern or (in the East) a Yellow-shafted Flicker. The mustache marks this one as a male. The beautiful golden yellow is also found under it's wings. I finally figured out the reason for him hanging out in space like that was because he was trying to eat the wild grapes that can be seen in front of his tail area.


I know, call me "sucker." I love the way waterfowl use their feet as rudders and brakes when they are coming in to land. Additionally, wing and tail feathers are all working together to bring them to a "softish" landing. (Why is spell checker flagging "softish?" If it is not a word, it ought to be...)


Can you believe this one didn't make the cut? What's not to like? This is a Hermit Thrush who picks our neighborhood as it's winter destination. It would make a festive Christmas card, don't you think? Well, some people are into those kinds of cards.

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