Grackles.....

I photographed these two guys from my kayak shortly after photographing the battling snappers. Even though it was overcast the irredesent blue feathers show up nicely. There was a whole flock of them and it was interesting watching them hunt in the grass or come to the waters edge for a birdbath.

Battling or Mating...?

I went kayaking on the Sabattus River yesterday and I encountered this pair. They were so involved with each other they let me paddle right up to them. At first I thought it was a pair mating but when I got home and looked at the photos one of them had quite a few wounds on it, including its eye gouged out. In the first picture you can make out the cuts on the neck, I actually have a close up of the gouged out eye but didn't post it. The third photo shows the impressive claws and it's easy to see how an eye would get gouged.

Rain Covered Pussywillow....

After a heavy night of rain I went out and took this photograph. As pussywillows develope they do attain a lot of color.

A Little Distraction...

I took a little break from the yardwork yesterday when this guy showed up.

Watchful Nuthatch...

This is the same nuthatch that was freaked out by the hawk that passed through a few weeks ago. I saw the hawk yesterday going after a chickadee but it wasn't successful, I'm sure it must be nesting somewhere close by. My postings will be sporatic because I've been doing a lot of yard work and haven't really taken any new photos in a while. Once that's done I'll get back into the routine.

Posing Pretty....

I took this photo in my yard right next to the bird feeder. When the chickadees come in groups there is a definite pecking order and they have their favorite perches while they wait their turn. This angled branch about two feet from the feeder is one of the favorite perches. All I had to do is point my lens at the branch and wait for a bird to land.

April Showers....

We've been getting a lot of rain lately, the sun is out right now but more rain is on the way later today. It rained Thursday night but it had stopped by Friday morning so I went out and photographed the droplet covered pussywillows. The yellowish background is actually dead grass that was on the ground. When you enlarged the photo you'll notice a squarish, bright spot on the dark area on the underside of the pussywillow. That's a reflection of my foil fill card adding light.

White Breasted Nuthatch...

Here's the best whitebreasted nuthatch photo I've gotten so far. I have a couple that come to the feeder on a regular basis but they're a lot more cautious than the red breasted.

Checking Me Out....

Another one of my visitors checking me out, I thought he was gonna jump on my lap.

Glad It's Spring....

Here's the chickadee I posted the other day, it decided to break out in song.