Cars

Classic Cars

June 14, 2015 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

I’m not that interested in cars, but the Middletown Cruise on Main was a great photo-op. The name of the event is a mis-nomer as the cars don’t cruise anywhere except their trip to get there. Main Street is closed to vehicle traffic for about a half mile then the classic cars fill it up–four wide much of the way and in most of the on street parking spots.

Spectators are then free to walk around the cars, oohing and ahhing, the air filled with “I always wanted one of those!” and “I remember when…”.

Full view shots were not possible on most of the cars so I focused on the wonderful car names and logos of days gone by. There was a wide range of colors with the aquamarines and yellows catching my eye and the “MercOMatic” takes my award for best name.

Click on any photo to see larger or open slide show.

Birds, Connecticut, Nature, State Park

A Day At The Shore

June 10, 2015 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

On a trip to the Connecticut shore last week we started at Harkness State Park. We almost skipped it because we hadn’t seen much activity the last time we were there. This day there was plenty of ruckus with six school buses of middle-schoolers on a field trip.

Walking away from that crowd down to the marsh I was rewarded with a glimpse of this colorful fellow, oblivious to the din from the picnic area..

Further along, there was this fleeting view. The underbrush there is dense, with new growth coming up through last year’s left overs. The park service mows a wide path which allows human visitors to avoid the prickers.

The marsh inlet was alive with activity: Geese, Mallards, an active Osprey nest, and an elusive green Heron.

A Snowy Egret gave a good show hunting for lunch, then we moved on to Rocky Neck State Park where the Egrets were even more plentiful and active.

Birds, Nature, Wildlife

Raptors

June 5, 2015 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

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.

Click any photo to enlarge or see slide show.

It was a beautiful spring day and we were able to take advantage of the blossoming trees as backgrounds.

Birds, Connecticut, Wildlife

Woodland Sightings – Fauna

May 26, 2015 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

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.

Birds, Connecticut, Nature

Against The Sky

May 20, 2015 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

I can’t help myself: I keep taking pictures of birds that are high up in the sky. There are no reference points to give the photos balance and the birds are too far away to make great shots, but I still want to capture the majesty of a hawk or eagle in full flight.

Tonight the early evening sun gave me an opportunity as a hawk was flying lazy circles above our house. The sun was highlighting under his wings as he effortlessly glided over our neighborhood.

He came a little closer, but was obscured by a tree in our yard.

It was an enjoyable hour, watching a beautiful bird seemingly enjoy the air currents, probably looking for his dinner.

While waiting for him to circle back around a blue jay having a snack from the bird feeder obligingly provided me a shot on the ground.

Birds, Connecticut, Nature

Walk Along The River

May 8, 2015 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

We are starting to see some color along the Connecticut River as the trees start to bud out. The dullness of early spring was getting tiresome.

From an early morning hike on May 1, 2015.

Birds, Connecticut, Wildlife

The Birds

April 6, 2015 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

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.

Connecticut, Nature

Water On The Move

April 4, 2015 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

The snow has mostly melted and there is water everywhere, from calm ponds to roiling streams. Yesterdays’s road trip started at Westfield Falls in Middletown, where the ascent was a bit dicey, to the view of the Arrigoni Bridge from Harbor Park, ending at a serene pond in the Cromwell Meadows Wildlife Management Area. We saw some wildlife in the Meadows, including a heron, a hawk and some song birds, but none were available for a photo shoot.

Birds, Connecticut, Wildlife

Passing By Me In The Backyard

April 2, 2015 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

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.