Blog Profile / Somewhere in NJ

Ternabout

For the longest time, I just didn't "get" terns. Nowadays I can't seem to get enough of them! For the beginner, I think they're hard to separate, but the more time I get to spend with them, the clearer the contrasts become. Distinguishing...Show More Summary

Remembering warmer days

Waiting for the ferry to Sapelo

A spectacle in black and white, brown and blue

The promise of hundreds upon hundreds of Snow Geese drew me to Forsythe NWR this past weekend... Their handsome white or shades of gray in the blue sky, the black wing feathers, pinkish bills and feet... All delightful against the winter...Show More Summary

Here's looking at you

Ducks around town

I'm lucky to live along the coast and in a place where ducks like to be in winter; each town has its' own little pond just a block in from the ocean and each seems to attract a particular variety of waterfowl... Traveling from one pond to the next is half the fun; discovering what has shown up since last weekend is the best part. Show More Summary

Mmm...

All the chatter at work the last few days has been about the upcoming holiday meal and who's going where and cooking what. It's a pretty diverse crowd and I've enjoyed hearing about everyone's plans for Thanksgiving as well as their family traditions. Show More Summary

Bad bird photo of the week

Cross-eyed (and beakless!) ; ) The plumes blowing in the breeze are kinda sweet, tho.

Criers of the winter to come...

Tundra Swans over Cape May - October 2010

Fishing the sky

"What a needy, desperate thing to claim what's wild for oneself..." Can a kept hawk ever be a happy hawk, I wonder? Falconers will say their birds are well-loved and are cared for properly. I don't doubt that. Educators who work with...Show More Summary

Favorites

A couple more from photography boot camp...

A Picturesque view of Olana

This photo is mostly about the clouds for me... (god, I love a wide-angle lens!) But there's the whole Persian mansion thing at Olana and finding a more complete view of it was very difficult. Frederic Church designed it that way; he...Show More Summary

Bad bird photo of the week

Hmm... My only hint is that I've never been to Texas. : )

Invisibird

Brown Creeper, disappearing. Were it not for their predictable habit of hanging out in the trees surrounding the Sandy Hook Bird Observatory and climbing upwards (but only partway!) before swooping down to the base of a nearby tree and...Show More Summary

Petty kings

If only I'd gotten this hairdo... combined with this expression! : ) I wandered around Sandy Hook hoping for my first Brant of the season, but found none, despite they're being "in" already. Instead I spent the afternoon kicking up Golden Crowned Kinglets from the grass at my feet... Show More Summary

Ok, Southern garden ladies...

Anyone recognize it?

Wordless Wednesday - Some fall color

Daybreak

There is truth in a tree, yet it's of a different kind, now. It's not the verity born of strength and affirmation, but the peaceful quiet of fulfillment and endings. The passing of summer is the passing of beauty; first the chicory is gone and now the goldenrod has faded. Show More Summary

5 ways to look at a willet

I spent a couple of happy hours stalking the willets feeding at low tide on St. Simons Island and never could figure out what it was they were eating... : )

A week in photos

So... what have you been up to? : )

The happiness that comes to us

Disgruntled beginning birders were the theme at Sandy Hook Bird Observatory today; my first volunteer day since, oh... June, I guess. Sitting behind the desk in that drafty building on the bay, on any given Sunday, promises a variety of experiences. Show More Summary