:: snow birds

I've spent this snowy morning drinking coffee, journaling & bird watching.

I'm so glad that I was able to fill up all of my bird feeders before the winter storm hit.

The little birds seem to be very happy & content, I've seen so much action today.

There is nothing more beautiful than birds in the snow.

I sat watching this little Purple Finch { Haemorhous purpureus  }

for the longest time as he took a long rest. 

He finally flew away & was replaced by this handsome fellow below :).

I had a landscape designer recently question why anyone would plant a tree in front of a window, well that "anyone" was me & this is exactly why I plant a tree near or in front of a window...Birds.

I love watching birds, especially in the winter when branches are bare & you can see all of their little movements. I will always have a place for a feeder near a window wherever I go.

Below the feeder on the ground the white striped 

White Throated Sparrow { Zonotrichia albicollis } .

The every beautiful & graceful Mourning Dove { Zinaida macruoura },

I so love their soft gray coloring & the way they fly in.

Off in the distance away from the feeders sitting in pristine white snow,

I captured this dapper fellow... the Dark-eyed Junco { Junco hyemalis } .

I waited and waited for this striking fellow to show up & land for a perfect capture. 

Our beautiful State Bird the Northern Cardinal {Cardinalis cardinalis }.  

Shortly after I got that shot another guy showed up, 

his coloring was a bit more vibrant & on the orange side. 

This photo harkens spring with the evergreens in the background.

I love how the snow is shining through creating a great bokeh effect.

I'm not the only one in my house who enjoys watching the birds :).

This is my favorite Field Guide, you can find it here.

How are you spending your Saturday?

{ peace, love & hugs }

Carrie

:: All Photos are mine, taken using my Nikon D5300, with a Sigma Macro Telephoto Lens ::

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:: feathering a nest

Someone's feathering a nest, but it isn't me this time. As I was sitting on my patio this afternoon taking a break from planting I heard a rustle coming from underneath my hammock. Then all of a sudden I saw this cute little wren jump up onto my candle holder, and then over to my fountain where it appears to be building it's nest.

I sat watching for the longest time as it made the same trip over and over bringing bits of leaves & twigs and diving into it's nest. It was so precious. Once it was inside you could see the little mound of bits moving around while she fluffed and tucked all of her little finds in.

After watching a few trips I ran inside to grab my camera hoping she would still be there when I returned. This is one brave little bird, she didn't seem to mind me one bit. At one point I couldn't have been more than four to five feet away. It was a bit tricky catching her in action though. I simply trained my camera on the lip of the candleholder and guessed which side she would land on so I could try to set my focus correctly without having to depend on autofocus which would have taken too long.

The real key to catching these shots was patience, and a good prop for my arm : ). I truly enjoyed every second of it, and I think she knew it too, look at her looking around over her wing so coy. She was quite cautious, she would pause to look around before leaving the lip of the candle holder to flit up to the fountain. I did get a little overzealous and moved over just a bit closer which sent her off into the trees to spy on me instead. So from now on I'll be sure to keep a proper distance for her comfort of course.

T H E   E N D


{peace, love & hugs}
Carrie

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