Friday, February 08, 2013

A Stirring

I settled into work and enjoyed the sunrise when, suddenly, a stranger appeared. Could be the same bird I got photos of last year. I tried to sneak out the first time but it flew off. On the second approach it let me get close in some better light.

Loggerhead Shrike

I took this new visit from the Shrike as a sign. For my lunch break, I headed back near the lasting wooded area and had a look around. A small puddle was being used by a Catbird and few warblers as a bath but they took off before shots were fired. I did get one of the Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warblers after it retreated to a nearby tree, though.

Myrtle Warbler

Today, the warblers and local birds outnumbered the migrating Robins. I was able to get a shot of this pretty bird before I moved on. Again, I love those scales.

American Robin

A lazy shadow glides across the edge of the woods and every creature looks up to confirm it is a Turkey Vulture and not some raptor.

Turkey Vulture

Then I noticed streaks in the sky. Tree Swallows are flocking to the Tangelo Park edge in large numbers. Having a zoom lens does nothing to capture the spectacle. All I can manage is a few birds in view at once. They were, however, all over the place.

Tree Swallow

I tried to get some bigger numbers in my frame as they bolted over the woods and then back again.

Tree Swallow

I even got a shot from directly overhead at one point. Good enough with a sense of scale as this bird glided over the power lines.

Tree Swallow

I had a bunch of shots from over the next 30 minutes. I was fond of getting the green-ish tints on some of our Winter birds.

Tree Swallow

No extra Waxwings yet, but I will be looking for them...

The Great Backyard Bird Count for 2013 is February 15-18th.
Click the icon to learn more!

Great Backyard Bird Count

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