George McHenry Photography

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  • Great Blue Heron Portrait II

    Great Blue Heron Portrait II

    Great Blue Heron
    Ardea Herodias

  • Great Blue Heron Portrait I

    Great Blue Heron Portrait I

    Great Blue Heron Ardea Herodias "It is negligence of the mind not to notice how at dusk heron comes to the pond and stands there in his death robes, perfect servant of the system, hungry, his eyes full of attention, his wings pure light." Mary Oliver, "How Heron Comes"

  • White-throated Sparrow

    White-throated Sparrow

    Zonotrichia Albicollis

  • White-throated Sparrow

    White-throated Sparrow

    Zonotrichia Albicollis

  • Savannah Sparrow

    Savannah Sparrow

    Passerculus Sandwishensis

  • Swamp Sparrow

    Swamp Sparrow

    Melospiza Georgiana

  • Contentment

    Contentment

    Great Blue Heron
    Ardea Herodias

    Watching this great blue heron in a local marsh, I was reminded of a Robert Bly poem about the perennial inability of so many people to find peace and contentment in the present moment — the eternal now. We have much to learn from herons.

    WANTING SUMPTUOUS HEAVENS
    By Robert Bly

    No one grumbles among the oyster clans,
    And lobsters play their bone guitars all summer.
    Only we, with our opposable thumbs, want
    Heaven to be, and God to come, again.
    There is no end to our grumbling; we want
    Comfortable earth and sumptuous Heaven.
    But the heron standing on one leg in the bog
    Drinks his dark rum all day, and is content.

  • Savannah Sparrow

    Savannah Sparrow

    Passerculus Sandwicheysis

  • Red-bellied Woodpecker

    Red-bellied Woodpecker

    Melanerpes Carolinus

  • The Heron in November

    The Heron in November

    Great Blue Heron
    Ardea Herodias

  • Immature Cooper's Hawk

    Immature Cooper's Hawk

    Cooper's Hawk
    Accipiter Cooperii

    This young hawk is still trying to master the art of the hunt. I found him in this state of disappointment after he rapidly flew in to grab a smaller bird from a driveway, only to be outwitted.

  • American Pipit

    American Pipit

    Anthus Rubescens

  • Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk

    Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk

    Red-shouldered Hawk
    Buteo Lineatus

  • Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk

    Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk

    Red-shouldered Hawk
    Buteo Lineatus

  • Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk

    Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk

    Red-shouldered Hawk
    Buteo Lineatus

  • Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk

    Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk

    Red-shouldered Hawk
    Buteo Lineatus

  • Eastern Phoebe

    Eastern Phoebe

    Sayornis Phoebe

    There is hardly a day in which I do not see at least one eastern phoebe. In the spring, they build nests on the ledges above the columns on our veranda, and, soon thereafter, we welcome their new offspring into the world. They're not flashy birds, but always charming and elegant.

  • Brown-headed Cowbird

    Brown-headed Cowbird

    Molothrus Ater

    I was observing a flock of several hundred brown-headed cowbirds when all of the birds, except this one, were startled by something and flew away en masse. This guy stayed on its perch and seemed to acknowledge my presence without fear. Cowbirds are common, of course, and few pay very much attention to them. Isolate one with a cameral or binoculars, however, and you can see that the cowbird possesses its own kind of unique beauty, sustained by a solid structure and subtle coloring.

  • The Peace of an Autumn Morning

    The Peace of an Autumn Morning

    Savannah Sparrow
    Passerculus Sandwichensis

  • Sparrow on a Wire III

    Sparrow on a Wire III

    Savannah Sparrow
    Passerculus Sandwichensis

  • Sparrow on a Wire I

    Sparrow on a Wire I

    Savannah Sparrow
    Passerculus Sandwichensis

  • Shaking Off the Fog of Morning

    Shaking Off the Fog of Morning

    American Pipit
    Anthus Rubescens

  • Brown-headed Cowbird

    Brown-headed Cowbird

    Molothrus Ater

  • Balance and Scratch

    Balance and Scratch

    Female Red-winged Blackbird
    Agelaius Phoeniceus

  • Me and My Shadow

    Me and My Shadow

    American Pipit
    Anthus Rubescens

  • Brown-headed Cowbirds — The Troika

    Brown-headed Cowbirds — The Troika

    Molothrus Ater

  • Brown-headed Cowbird — The Loner

    Brown-headed Cowbird — The Loner

    Molothrus Ater

  • Brown-headed Cowbirds — The Gallery

    Brown-headed Cowbirds — The Gallery

    Molothrus Ater

  • Savannah Sparrow

    Savannah Sparrow

    Passerculus Sandwichensis

  • Glide Away

    Glide Away

    Great Blue Heron
    Ardea Herodias

  • Early Morning Flight

    Early Morning Flight

    Great Blue Heron
    Ardea Herodias

  • Eastern Meadowlark II

    Eastern Meadowlark II

    Sturnella Magna

  • Eastern Meadowlark I

    Eastern Meadowlark I

    Sturnella Magna

  • Something of the Marvelous

    Something of the Marvelous

    Savannah Sparrow Passerculus Sandwichensis "In al things of nature there is something of the marvelous." Aristotle

  • Red-shouldered Hawk

    Red-shouldered Hawk

    Buteo Lineatus

    I'm privileged to have several resident red-shouldered hawks on my property. This hawk sat about forty feet from my house today, watching me move the Christmas tree through the front door. One need not travel far to enjoy the bountiful gifts of nature.

  • "Be here now." ~~~ Ram Dass

    "Be here now." ~~~ Ram Dass

    Field Sparrow
    Spizella Pusilla

    I've quoted Ram Dass here because this little field sparrow seems to epitomize what it means to be still, quiet, and fully present in the eternal now.

  • Field Sparrow II

    Field Sparrow II

    Field Sparrow Spizella Pusilla This is the same field sparrow shown in the image a couple of photos back. I've used a different "pose," changed to a vertical format, and added a white border.

  • Male Mallard

    Male Mallard

    Anas Platyrhynchos

    Image made over Swan Lake at Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina.

  • Female Mallard

    Female Mallard

    Anas Platyrhynchos

    Image made over Swan Lake at Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina.

  • Mallards in Flight

    Mallards in Flight

    Anas Platyrhynchos

    Image made over Swan Lake at Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina.

  • Great Blue Heron

    Great Blue Heron

    Ardea Herodias

  • Great Blue Heron

    Great Blue Heron

    Ardea Herodias

    This is the same heron as the one in the previous image. I'm adding this second image because I think it captures some of the most beautiful plumage I've ever seen on great blue herons.

  • Savannah Sparrow on Cold Winter Morning

    Savannah Sparrow on Cold Winter Morning

    Savannah Sparrow Passerculus Sandwichensis It's a very cold winter morning in upstate South Carolina, but this Savannah Sparrow is staying warm by fluffing its feathers (sometimes referred to as "puffing up"). This increases the "dead-air" space between the feathers and skin, and thereby traps warmth and helps the bird retain body heat. It's estimated that this process can increase the bird's body heat by as much as 30%.

  • Savannah Sparrow on Cold Winter Morning (different sparrow from previous image)

    Savannah Sparrow on Cold Winter Morning (different sparrow from previous image)

    Savannah Sparrow
    Passerculus Sandwichensis

  • Female Downy Woodpecker in Winter

    Female Downy Woodpecker in Winter

    Downy Woodpecker
    Picoides Pubescens

  • Savannah Sparrow

    Savannah Sparrow

    Passerculus Sandwicheysis

    Savannah sparrows are among my favorite birds, and I especially enjoy photographing them along the fence lines of local farms. Whenever possible, as in this image, I try to make the fence part of the design. From my perspective, the curvilinear shape of the sparrow is more interesting when seen in the context of the straight horizontals and verticals.

  • Great Blue Heron

    Great Blue Heron

    Ardea Herodias

  • Night Into Day

    Night Into Day

    Savannah Sparrow Passerculus Sandwichensis "One can make a day of any size, and regulate the rising and setting of his own sun and the brightness of its shinning." John Muir

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