The Rowan Tree is generally known as the Mountain Ash in North America. Yet, I must admit that I am partial to the earlier name. Rowan comes from an Old Norse name that means “getting red”, a reference to the berries. These berries appeal to a number of birds, but particularly appealing to me photographically are those birds which are, themselves, reddish. I give a couple of examples from this New-Year’s Day. To these, I add a couple of nice extras seen today.
The Pine Grosbeak is not seen every winter. In some years it irrupts from its northern habitat. It does seem partial to rowan berries. This reddish one enjoying the rowan berries is a male.
The female Pine Grosbeak is not nearly as colourful, but that does not stop her from enjoying the rowan berries.
Our most common woodpecker is the Red-shafted Northern Flicker. This male is inching its way down a branch to reach the rowan berries,
and it succeeded in eating some.
Also seen today (but not feasting on rowan berries) was a Golden-crowned Kinglet,
and a rather young-looking Great Blue Heron.
Alistair, those are enrapturing. Such art you wield with such seeming casualness. And the art of the maker of these birds. The Pine Grosbeak’s breast appears composed of curls or knitter’s purls. I have never seen detail as in this flicker. And the muted yet rich tones of the Blue Heron and Kinglet . There is such a beckoning texture in these photos: the fingers of the eyes riffle through the soft featherlets and trace the bows of the beaks.