Flickers Feast on Sumac

Its snowing here today. Back to white outside. There goes the gym for today. We'll leave it as a New Year's Resolution. Looking out my side window at the sumac trees on the side of the house I saw at least 4 Yellow Shafted Flickers eating berries this morning. One sat very close to the window so I could get a good shot of it through the window. At one point the Flickers were joined by a Robin and I could see a few other birds flying by in the background. This summer I was cursing the sumacs since they seem to be invading the yard from the forest next door and I have to pay to get one large one removed. But now I am saving on birdseed and get a much better view of the feathered visitors as they come into my yard to feed.

Fall Foilage for the Birds

Walking along the beach after the leaves have dropped off the trees and the vegetation has turned brown challenges me to find interesting things to photograph. One of my favorite things is finding a plant with berries on it. Red, yellow or purple berries stand out against the drab brush as the treasure that catches your eye. Here's an example.


Hopefully these berries will be food for some over wintering birds.
I've seen quite a few birds lately including a flock of Robins outside my window at home eating sumac berries in a tree the morning after the shoreline was blanketed in a foot of snow. Along with at least 6 blue jays across the street on my neighbor's lawn yesterday a cardinal and a few black pheobes flew into my yard to search for food in the lawn. The foot of snow was melted overnight in a rain storm that turned the yard from white to green.

The other harbinger of Fall is the appearance of the feathery tops of the phragmites on the tops of their tall stalks. I'd imagine the seeds in these fronds feed the bird species that stay along the shore as well.

Sunsets and swans

I haven't posted for a few months, but I have been taking pictures. This swan caught my eye in a pond to the right of the road as I pulled into the park. There were two of them gracefully gliding over the water.




It gets harder and harder to get to the beach before sunset as the days get shorter. Leaving the beach as the sun is starting to go down does present the opportunity to take some lovely sunsets and pictures with interesting lighting.

Kites

CT kite clubs use the wide-open fields in the state park I frequent to fly their kites. Some kites are fanciful shapes, others spout unique attachments that allow for multiple kites strung together or shapes that go far beyond the typical diamond-shaped kite. The kites can be seen from the boardwalk; something to catch your eye as you take your daily walk (besides the people and their dogs). This one looks like a puffy para-sail.