Ice on Branches

This morning we woke to ice. Well, more specifically, we woke to the sound of our electronics beeping, because the power had gone out. Thankfully, it was restored before long, and we have been warm and snug all day.

Northern Flicker

I went out on Monday hoping to get a cardinal shot, but sometimes the surprises are better than what you have planned. I had spotted two Northern flickers in a tall, leafless tree, too far away to shoot. I assumed that was the end of it, but at the end of my hike I circled back and scared one up out of the brush. It landed right above me, very close.

Cardinals in the Snow

I had better luck shooting cardinals at a nearby nature reserve than I did in my own backyard. They seemed less spooked when I walked the trail next to them. Maybe they are more used to people. They like to sit deep in the branches, though, which can be hard to shoot through. They were eating berries and darting in and out of cover. It was fun to watch and eventually I did get a decent shot.

Winter Berries

It snowed all day here, again. Today it was very fine, so fine you could hardly make out individual snowflakes. These red berries that had grown near my fence were the only spot of color I could find in my back yard, except the elusive cardinals. Everything else was shades of grey.

Dark-eyed Juncos

We got a heavy snow this weekend here in Pittsburgh - about 7-8 inches when all was said and done. I have been waiting for the snow because I wanted to photograph my backyard birds in it - they stand out beautifully against the white. Most of the birds were wary of me, but the juncos were the most forgiving of my presence.

Just The Two of Us

The last two hangers-on.

Backyardigans

There is so much wildlife strutting around my backyard. I finally began shooting with a 500mm lens so now I can get a lot closer to the action than I used to. I am still getting used to the weight and there are other challenges, for sure, but I am feeling encouraged by my improvement in the past month.