American Pipit

Anthus Rubescens

Red-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

Red-Shouldered Hawk

Buteo Lineatus

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.

Guarding the Nest

Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo Lineatus

This red-shouldered hawk and its mate have built a nest fairly close to the front of my home. This is an image of the hawk sending the alarm signal as I walked closer to the tree in which holds the nest.

Red-Headed Woodpecker

Melanerpes Chrythrocephalus This species has significantly declined in North America because of habitat loss and changing food sources. The red-headed woodpecker has sometimes been described as the "flying checkerboard" or the "flag bird."

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

Preparing for Take-off

Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo Lineatus

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.

The Golden Hour

Great Blue Heron
Ardea Herodias

Northern Cardinal (female)

Cardinalis Cardinalis

Savannah Sparrow

Passerculus Sandwichensis

Dark-eyed Junco

Junco Hyemailis

House Finch

Haemorhous Mexicanus

Uncommon Beauty of a Common Bird

Northern Cardinal

Pine Warbler

Setophaga Pinus

Cowbird Negotiations

Brown-headed Cowbirds
Molothrus Aten

Chipping Sparrow

Spizella Passerina

Return of an Old Friend

Common Yellowthroat
Geothylpis Trichas

It's always a bit sad to say goodbye to so many beautiful warblers at the end of summer, but lovely to welcome them back like old friends at the beginning of the following spring.

Sweet Moment of Solitude

Savannah Sparrow
Passerculus Sandwichensis

Morning Song

Common Yellowthroat
Geothylpis Trichas
Beaverdam Wildlife Management Area
Townville, South Carolina

"Hope is the thing with feathers." ~ Emily Dickinson

Song Sparrow
Melospiza Melodia

Pileated Woodpecker

Hylatomus Pileatus

Anhinga Portrait