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

Passerculus Sandwicheysis

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Melanerpes Carolinus

The Heron in November

Great Blue Heron
Ardea Herodias

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

Anthus Rubescens

Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo Lineatus

Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo Lineatus

Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo Lineatus

Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo Lineatus

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

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

Savannah Sparrow
Passerculus Sandwichensis

Sparrow on a Wire III

Savannah Sparrow
Passerculus Sandwichensis

Sparrow on a Wire I

Savannah Sparrow
Passerculus Sandwichensis

Shaking Off the Fog of Morning

American Pipit
Anthus Rubescens

Brown-headed Cowbird

Molothrus Ater

Balance and Scratch

Female Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius Phoeniceus

Me and My Shadow

American Pipit
Anthus Rubescens

Brown-headed Cowbirds — The Troika

Molothrus Ater

Brown-headed Cowbird — The Loner

Molothrus Ater

Brown-headed Cowbirds — The Gallery

Molothrus Ater

Savannah Sparrow

Passerculus Sandwichensis

Glide Away

Great Blue Heron
Ardea Herodias

Early Morning Flight

Great Blue Heron
Ardea Herodias

Eastern Meadowlark II

Sturnella Magna

Eastern Meadowlark I

Sturnella Magna

Something of the Marvelous

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

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

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 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

Anas Platyrhynchos

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

Female Mallard

Anas Platyrhynchos

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

Mallards in Flight

Anas Platyrhynchos

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

Great Blue Heron

Ardea Herodias

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 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
Passerculus Sandwichensis

Female Downy Woodpecker in Winter

Downy Woodpecker
Picoides Pubescens

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

Ardea Herodias

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

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."