Month: January 2023

Tuesday in Sax-Zim Bog was quite a contrast to the cold but sunny day on Monday. The morning was foggy like the day before but instead of starting the day at 4° it was a comparatively balmy 27°. By mid morning the fog burned off revealing a gray and overcast sky. We visited Loretta’s feeders to see what birds were in this small patch of woods where several feeders are kept stocked with seed and suet by the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog and many homeowners in the area. When we arrived late morning, a gregarious flock of brightly colored Evening Grosbeaks was congregating in the surrounding trees eyeing the feeders. Despite the higher temperatures, it was still below freezing in the Bog and I stayed as motionless as possible standing knee deep in snow. In early afternoon, this handsome male landed in one of the few places where I had a clear view, unobstructed by twigs, leaves, and branches. Because my movement would cause them to fly off, I was pretty much stuck there so I found the one branch with an unobstructed view and focused there, hoping the birds would choose that perch. I was lucky he landed exactly where he landed. I guess he had a clear view of the feeder while I had a clear view of him.

Black-capped Chickadees feed on seeds, berries, grubs, and insects. In the winter in Sax-Zim Bog in Minnesota, their food options are limited with a foot of snow on the ground and temperatures hovering below 20° Fahrenheit. Fortunately, the bark of trees conceals a rich food source for these small birds. We watched this Chickadee as it circled this tree extracting the grubs that lurked under the bark. In this shot, the bird seems to be searching for its next bite from Nature’s Grub Hub.

The shore birds on Salisbury Beach in Massachusetts last August were few and far between but we did have some luck with gulls. This is a Herring Gull. Its eye is quite fascinating. I was able to get this perspective because we were laying flat on the beach with our long lenses, in this case, my Nikkor Z800mm lens, and it was the first time I had a chance to use that lens for beach panning.

I went outside late Friday afternoon to check on the status of Snoot’s gorget. Snoot’s head is still covered with pin feathers and only a few colorful feathers have fully emerged that identify him as a male Anna’s Hummingbird. I have to laugh at how raggedy he looks, but there is a little (very little) progress in feather development. A few more pink feathers have emerged under his left eye. I’ll be very interested to see how long it takes for him to emerge from the pinhead look and sport that beautiful gem colored gorget.

A female Bushtit is covered with water drops after bathing in the fountain. I am always amazed at how birds’ feathers seem to repel water. The water drops bead up and lay on top of the feathers. But, it’s the physical structure of the feather, a system of interlocking barbs, that creates the ability to keep water from penetrating. And, only feathers in good condition can repel water. This little Bushtit is apparently in good health. In my own experience with my Red-lored Amazon Parrot, Bobo, I have seen what happens to a bird’s feathers when they are not healthy. Bobo was malnourished when I first got her 20 years ago, having been fed an unhealthy diet for the prior 17 years. After the first spray bath I gave her, I was alarmed to see that the feathers were drenched and her skin was visible through the feathers. I changed her diet to a healthy one and soon the water began to bead up and roll off her back. It still does, 20 years later. I’m glad to see this little bird is finding the right kind of diet to keep her feathers healthy.

The Eastern Fox Squirrel that has been a nemesis in my garden for a few years has finally realized I am no threat. As I sat quietly waiting for Snoot, the new male Anna’s Hummingbird that seems to have claimed the yard, the squirrel paused briefly in its foraging just to take a look at me, out of curiosity I guess. My efforts to deter the squirrels from destroying my garden furniture using a powerful squirt gun proved ineffective so I have given up. Apparently, the squirrel has recognized that fact. It’s probably thinking, “Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah.”

While I was outside between rainstorms yesterday, practicing making adjustments to my camera settings while wearing thick gloves (practice for an upcoming trip to a very cold place) I was expecting to photograph my new male Anna’s Hummingbird, Snoot. Snoot did make an appearance although he’s not yet as used to my presence as was Mr. Anna and he’s still a bit wary. Movement behind the now dry fountain (soon to be replaced) in the photinia shrubs caught my attention. I was hoping it would be the Bushtits who have not made an appearance since the New Year’s Eve storm but the Bushtits always come en masse and this was a single bird. As it hopped from branch to branch, usually completely obscured from view, I realized it was the Hermit Thrush, aptly named as it always comes alone and only in the winter. I usually see this elusive bird once or twice a year on the fountain. Since the fountain’s now dry I was curious what it would do. Well, it didn’t stay long but it did appear briefly in a tiny window in the shrubs. I got three shots before it moved completely behind the leaves and out of view. It was the first time I have ever photographed a Hermit Thrush. After thirty minutes or so, there was no more movement so I presume it had either left or had found a safe place to perch. Snoot was busy chasing away another hummer.

The atmospheric river that engulfed Northern California over New Year’s weekend devastated lots of areas around here and I’m lucky that I live on high ground and not in a flood prone area. The high winds that accompanied the rainfall wreaked havoc on trees, downing some and knocking branches off many, including in my backyard. One of the downed branches was the place from which Mr. Anna tended to survey the yard. I was very worried about what may have happened to all the birds in the storm and I saw no birds until Monday when I noticed a Hummingbird at a feeder. I assumed it was Mr. Anna, but it may not have been. Yesterday, I discovered that there’s a new man in town. When I went out with my camera yesterday afternoon, I expected the hummer to be Mr. Anna but this bird looked entirely different and he is just now getting the feathers that will create his colorful gorget. Currently, he has lots of pin feathers dotting his face and head. I don’t recall seeing an Anna’s Hummingbird with pinfeathers. Now I have to come up with a name for him. While my first thought was to call him “Pinhead,” that doesn’t seem appropriate because he’ll soon emerge with that glorious gorget. He has a distinctive beak, however. It’s lumpy, not smooth and straight like Mr. Anna’s. I think I’ll call him Snoot. Hopefully, Mr. Anna is just away temporarily and will return, but in the meantime, Snoot seems to have claimed the yard.

At this time of year,my brother’s rose garden is full of rose hips as the flowers mature and develop their hips. I suppose this could become a cup of tea.

One of the birds that we seemed to encounter more frequently than some of the others at O’Reilly’s in the rainforest in Lamington National Park in Australia was the Eastern Yellow Robin. It doesn’t look at all like the American Robin that we’re used to seeing pulling up worms from our lawns. In fact, except for the name robin, it is not related. We saw them every day last September as we walked the park’s trails, even seeing a nesting pair. This one was perched on the edge of a mossy tree trunk.

Happy New Year! This year, 2023, marks the start of the thirteenth year of In Focus Daily and in keeping with a tradition I started in 2012, I’m starting the year off with a photograph of a Hummingbird, one that I took just a couple of days ago. I’m so lucky to live where Anna’s and Black-chinned Hummingbirds are year-round residents of my backyard.

Although the majority of my blog posts in 2022 were of birds, not all of my target species have feathers. In 2023 I’m looking forward to at least eighteen photographic adventures around the United States and Canada. While many of them are specifically targeted to various species of birds, quite a few scheduled trips will give me lots of opportunities to photograph furry critters as well as landscapes with glorious sunrises and sunsets and the Aurora Borealis.

Thank you for joining me on my photographic adventures. 2023 is shaping up to be another exciting year.