The duck seemed oblivious to what was going on around him. At first it looked like a piece of trash when his head was tucked under his wing, but then his head popped up.
The Heron kept busy going back and forth, with graceful take-offs and landings. 
The turtles seemed to be looking up at him, but the didn’t seem to care either. 
Nice, easy touch down. 
An extra shake for good measure.
Before taking off again.
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In early May I had the opportunity to photograph a group of raptors that are cared for by Horizon Wings Raptor Rehabilitation and Education. These particular birds are not candidates for release due to the nature of their injuries.
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It was a beautiful spring day and we were able to take advantage of the blossoming trees as backgrounds.
We spent Sunday exploring one of Joshua’s Trust properties in Windham, the Allanach-Wolf Woodlands. There was a lot going on from the surface of Marie Lake to the tree tops. A few nest boxes have been placed in a meadow area that attracted Blue Birds and at the opposite end of the lake in a clearing that was home to a few swallows.
A glance out the window this afternoon found our chestnut tree full of birds. There was a lot of noisy activity around them, but a core group just sat there. I fetched the camera from upstairs, changed the lens , and still they sat.
After watching awhile I realized they were mostly Cedar Waxwings, which we rarely see, with a variety of our regulars mixed in. An hour later most of them were still there.
After a disappointing trek on Sunday that left me with a multitude of out of focus Osprey shots I decided to stay in the back yard with the camera yesterday.
I chased the squirrels away from our feeders and I waited. And waited. I was about to go back in when the parade started; a few flits at first, then a steady stream of small birds.
I captured Finch, Sparrow, Cardinal, Downy Woodpecker, and Robin who all graciously took turns around the yard. I missed a few. A blue jay didn’t stay long enough, the beautiful female Woodpecker hid behind the maple branches, and the Mocking Bird who has policed our yard for several months didn’t join in.
I hope to try the Osprey again another day.
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Any instance of color seems bright as winter white gives way to the drabness of early spring.
An artsy looking milkweed pod that managed to survive the winter somewhat intact at the edge of an open field.
Photos taken February 16, 2015 at the Connecticut River.
The CT River was mostly frozen over as far south as Essex through February and the growing winter Eagle population expanded their territories in search of food.
The size of these birds is amazing and watching them in flight a treat. They are graceful and slow compared to the birds we commonly see in this area.
Exploring local sites has been a fun part of going out with the camera. I’ve lived within three miles of Dividend Pond for about 25 years and went there the first time last fall. The Town of Rocky Hill maintains a series of recently created trails around the pond and there are some archaeological ruins of the mills once powered by the water scattered around the property.
I checked in there a few days ago to see if the pond was still frozen over and if the trails were navigable. The pond and the upper end of the falls were easy to get to and offered a variety of photo ops. The lower pond is accessed down a steep slope; going down would have been easy if not pretty. I didn’t try to find out how I would get back up.
Bird visitors have visited our back yard steadily this winter, when all of Connecticut has experienced a heavy snow cover. We have several feeders spread around the yard, with one that is expressly meant to foil the neighborhood squirrels.
Most of the birds are familiar species from other years but this is the first winter we have had a mocking bird live in our yard. He pops out of the holly bush every morning and chases the junkos and other small birds that come to the closest feeder.
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Photographing individual birds has been a fun way to learn the camera’s options.
