February goulash

 

This is a collection of images from this February, none of which has had a posting of its own.

The Rough-legged Hawk is a winter resident that hunts for rodents. 

Our smallest falcon, the kestrel, hunts in open habitats.

I don’t have a bias that favours sighting birds. Yet, notwithstanding the skunk seen earlier, most of the creatures I see are avian. Hiding in the forest is a White-tailed Doe in its winter pelage.

This is one of two Ruffed Grouse that frequent my yard. 

A Bald Eagle added a branch to the pair’s nest. Eagles have a compulsion to add material each year, and sometimes this results in a nest so massive that it topples the tree.

The Song Sparrow is a common bird, but drabness renders it inconspicuous. It deserves to be celebrated now and then.

The robin is also common, yet has a greater cachet and so does not require the same acknowledgment as the Song Sparrow. Here are four robins in a larch.

This has been an really good winter for seeing Trumpeter Swans. Indeed, many pictures I have taken of them have just been discarded. Yet, I rather like this shot taken in the dim light of dawn.

This is a male goldfinch in non-breeding plumage. The black feathers on the finch’s head are a sign of pending spring as it moults into its breeding plumage of a black cap and a yellow body.

And this cutie is a female goldfinch.

 

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4 Responses to February goulash

  1. Della C. Fenkner says:

    Your “cutie” is wearing the original feather boa. Fashion-conscious
    little thing! Charming.

  2. Allan Hobden says:

    ..a shout out for the common sparrow!

  3. Trevor Goward says:

    Many thanks, Alistair, for these exquisite studies in atmosphere, mood, hue and, in the case of the grouse, implied motion. They pick me up.

  4. Christine Boyd says:

    A beautiful assortment, thank you Alistair. I love the closeups of the birds’ feather designs, so artistic.

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