Birds
Read MoreRed-Shouldered Hawk
Buteo Lineatus "Some things happen only once, twice in a lifetime. The world is full of signs and wonders that come, and go, and if you are lucky you might be alive to see them. I thought the world was ending, but my hawk had saved me again, and the terror was gone." Helen MacDonald, H is for Hawk
Great Egret
Ardea Alba From Mary Oliver's poem, "Egrets," these closing lines echo my own sentiments about great egrets: Even half-asleep they had such faith in the world that made them --- tilting through the water, unruffled, sure by the laws of their faith, not logic, they opened their wings softly and stepped over every dark thing.
The Simple Life
Savannah Sparrow Passerculus Sandwichensis This image is full of symbols for me: The barriers of barbed wire, the single, hanging hair of a confined cow, the life-giving water drop on the hair, a small, glistening spider web on the wire, and a beautiful, young sparrow which is confined by nothing but its imagination. And for some reason, all of this reminds me of something one writer said about the simple life: "To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter . . . to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring — these are some of the rewards of the simple life." ~~~ John Burroughs, Leaf and Tendril
European Starling
Sturnus Vulgaris European Starlings were first brought to North America by Shakespeare enthusiasts in the nineteenth century. While they're often resented for their abundance and aggressiveness, the highly respected Cornell Lab of Ornithology reminds us that "they're still dazzling birds when you get a good look." With this image, I hope to offer a good look at the bird in its winter plumage.