Neighborhood Bully

Last Sunday after I came home from a trip out to the Salisbury area I saw a flash go by my feeders and then a riot of noise across the street as this guy was teriorizing a group of house sparows seeking refuge from the big guy on the block

White Wing Scooter

I was out in Gloucester for a Model shoot and when the model did not show up( should be a rule against) I was glad to have my big lens with me as I found this Scooter close to shore

Pays to have the gear with you when you go to locations like this even if it was not the plan plans change and sometimes you get lucky

Snow Buntings and Horned Larks

Not much in the way of Photography lately

The Charles has slowed down with just the usual Ring Necks and some mergs

there have been some fly overs of Bald eagles but I have not been able to photograph them as of yet Hopefully with this cold snap things will pick up

I went out to Salisbury and The Merrimack river and the river is wide open so the eagles are disbursed all over all I saw were a couple of distant Immatures

Salisbury beach does have a continueing Snow Bunting and Horned Lark show by the pump area on the gravel pile

good photo ops as these guys come in the get some grit and also feed on the grasses

Going out to Magic Wings in Deerfield to do some winter Butterflies and have a mid winter escape into the warmth

Will post those after the trip

John

Charles River Walk

After spending the week taking care of my youngest Daughter ,who had her tonsils and adnoids taken out on Monday, I made a short jaunt down to the river and went from Elm Street to the Mary Early Bridge in Waltham.

No Goldeneyes were seen by me today and the rest of the birds were way down from a couple of days ago.

Saw only a couple of Common Mergs and a few Hooded Mergs.

Ring Necks were the dominant bird of the day along with 8 Mute Swans

The regular Great Blue Heron was present but I saw no raptors today and even no crows

Not many Mallards either and there are usually many in this strech Oh well

Thats why we keep going out there

John

Charles River Again

Well since it snowed pretty good last night and into today I never made it out to the Merrimack River area So I made my way back down to the Charles River inWaltham again

And the sun actually came out for a minute or two

Same characters as yesterday but a few better photos of the possible Barrows

Goldeneye's on the Charles

Went down to the Charles River in Waltham from the Elm St end down a little past the Newton St area

Lots of Ring Neck's , Common Goldeneyes, Hooded Merganzers and Common Merganzers.

Also saw two Coopers Hawks and a Juvenille Red Tail Hawk

Snow was falling most of the time but the temps were not bad and the wind was light early

May go up to the Merrimack on Sunday to try for the Snowy Owl that has been seen on and off

The top picture may be a female Barrows Goldeneye and the second is a female common goldeneye

A New Year

The new year has started with some light snow and cloudy conditions

There are birds about and the winter ducks are in the rivers and any open water that you can find.

The Charles river in Waltham and Watertown have some and the Merrimack will be picking up as long as the cold weather is here.

The ocean fronts will have plenty of activity also so now is a good time to head out even if it is only to observe and learn behavior to use to your advantage for another time when the weather is better for photography

Happy New Year

As 2009 comes to a close and we look forward to a beter 2010

Lets reflect back on the previous year and also look forward to what we hope to accomplish in the future year and years ahead

Not only are we closing out a year but we are also passing another decade

The last time we passed a decade we also passed a century it is true that time really flies

Myself I have been photographing with digital for over a decade now and as I look back it is unreal the advances we have seen this decade.

And to think that really digital is still in its infancy what the future holds I can not tell but if it expands as fast as the last decade the future is looking quite good for photographers.

As I part I would like to leave with a photo of the great grey from last April in New hampshire

Last year was the year of Owls so it would seam also for some rare visitors from the north such as the3 Ivory Gulls

What will we see this year can only be determined by getting out there and seeing for yourself

May you have a very good New year and Healthy one to boot

See you in 2010

Happy Holidays

May the joy of the Season last throughout the year to all of you and your families

John

White Throat Sparrows

There seams to be an over abundance of White Throated Sparrows around after the recent snowfall.

Find some bare ground near pine trees and you are sure to get the sparrows and juncos as well

I shot this one right from the car as I was driving around trying to relocate the Eagles from the other day

Eagles in Waltham update

I went down to the river this morning near where the Eagles were seen yesterday but I did not relocate them.
The remains of the bird that they were feeding on yeswterday was pretty much gone so I expect that the Eagles may have moved on .
It may be worth exploring surrounding areas and any open water in the area as the river is freezing up
It may also be a good time to see Winter Duucks in the open part of the Charles behind Shaws on River St in Waltham

Be safe and go out and photograph the snow as it is going to be that nice powerdery stuff

John

Eagles in Waltham

There are at least Two adults and one sub-adult Bald Eagles that were on the charles River today and I guess for the past couple of days.

They were feeding on a dead bird either a goose or a commorant out on the ice off of woerd ave opposite purgatory cove and Mt Feake cemetary

I am going to try early in the morning to see if I can get some photos of them

Lets get this blog going this time

I know I have been away but I hope to get this thing going for good this time.
My passion for nature photography has led me to start a Meetup group just for this cause

I hope those of you that like Nature and live near the New England area will join in on the fun

We have had a number of meetings already and a group shoot

Many more to come and much learning and sharing at our meetings

Have a great Holiday season and a happy New Year to all

John

Here is the link to the group
http://www.meetup.com/New-England-Nature-Photographers/

Amazing Winter so far

If you like rare birds this has been one of the best winters in recent memory as there have been two ivory gulls this year Northern Hawk owls in New Hampshire , Maine and Vermont

Lots of Snowy Owl reports lots of Crossbills along with all of the usual birds

Spring is on the way but I sure will Miss all of our winter visitors this year

Winter Crossbills

Happy New Year To All.

I finally got out this week and went to Salisbury Campground for the White wing Cross bills

There has also been good looks at Short Eared Owls lately and a Snowy Owl sometimes

It came be cold but some good winter birds are found there

Makes a nice day ride or trip and the Merrimack river can be good if Salisbury is not doing much

Go on out and enjoy them while you can

Early and lots of snow

Lots of Snowy Owls that is

From reports there seams to be an abundance of our visotors from the north already this year and Winter is not upon us yet.

This could be an indicator of other owls from the north IE great greys and Northern hawk owls

It may turn out to be a bumper year so keep those eyes open and go out for some winter walks

Images from Yellowstone

I Know I Know not New England

If you ever have a chance to venture to Yellowstone in the late fall I highly recommend it

just back from Yellowstone

Hi All,

Sorry I have not posted as I was away in Yellowstone national Park and I hope to get back on track soon.

We had rather warm temps out west for the time of year so I did not get any ice or snow scenes but the elk , Bison and Bighorn Sheep were putting on some decent shows as the rut winds down there.

We were also blessed with a lot of Trumpeter Swans and had some other wildlife.

Yellowstone is a great place to visit in the late fall as it becomes almost your own place as the tourist are almost gone and the quiet and solitude take over

Will post some pics soon and other goodies from the trip

The Newspaper industry

Just wanted to touch on an issue that will effect all of us in the future.

The daily Newspaper as we know it is in danger of becoming extinct.

The population as it grows younger also moves away from the printed news as a source of info.

As a matter I feel that those in High School and younger do not keep up with current events at all unless they are forced to by teachers in their schools.

I take great pride in reading my daily newspapers and also the two most important major papers for my area. I am in the minority here as those under the age of 30 never buy a paper

Statistics released recently reveal that those in high school and younger about 90 percent never even look at a paper never mind buying one.

When asked about current events they either reveal what is being said on MTV or simular sites or what is accepted in their peer groups.

A newspaper affords an opportunity to hear many sides of an issue as there are many different views in the editorials and on the pages of different scribes.

My hope would be for parents and those in the influential community to impart on ther younger genreration a want to explore their world through the daily news that is revealed in the newspapers and not fall into the electronic trap of the future

thanks for letting me vent

Enjoy

John C