Elegant flyers, gulls winged up into the blue sky with a clams and other treasures pulled from the surf at Long Beach in Stratford.
Let go.
Then chase it to the ground hoping to be the one to retrieve the released lunch.
Tag Archives: Connecticut
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Three or four pairs of Yellow-crowned Night-Herons were nesting in this tree. It was hard to tell if the showy display was for the benefit of a mate or to scare off the circling crows. Maybe both.
This fellow paraded back and forth on this limb first showing off.
Then standing sentinel.
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Caught this hawk watching over our backyard bird feeders. The small birds were aware and safely hidden.
North Cove Reflection
Very few birds around North Cove in Essex today even though the water was calm.
A weeping willow is showing a hint of spring across the cove.
Click photo for a larger view.
End of Day
The sun was going down and the tide going out. This Great Blue Heron was looking for a spot to settle.
Looking out Shem Creek, Mount Pleasant, SC.
Click on photos for larger view.
In or Out
Are you inside looking outside or outside looking in?
Mural on the side of a Main Street, Middletown, CT building.
Hartford Icon
If you have driven through Hartford, CT chances are you have seen the “onion dome” atop the Coltsville armory. Zipping by on I-91 you can’t really focus on the detail. These pictures were taken from the Huyshope Avenue side.
The blue sky on this February, 2015 day was a great backdrop to the gold, blue and white of the dome structure.
Flood Control
Levees are not that common in Connecticut and it looks like it has been quite awhile since any water has climbed the sides of this one in Windham. Mansfield Hollow Lake is formed, or enlarged, behind the levee and the water empties through a dam into the Willimantic Reservoir.
Walk a little over a mile on the levee to come to the “end of the road” where a gate and sheer walls turn the walkers and joggers back the way they came. It’s hard to imagine the circumstances when water would overflow this structure.
Lovely water reflections made up for not seeing any birds on this December afternoon.
Ponds
Northeastern Connecticut is dotted with small ponds, lakes and reservoirs. Now that we are fully into “brown” season we explored a few last week and were rewarded with smooth water and reflections. The evergreens in the photo above were the most colorful thing around. We didn’t see much for wildlife this December day, either.
Hampton Reservoir and the pond at Brown Hill Marsh were as smooth as a mirror, with puffy cloud reflections. (Click to enlarge photo or view as slide show.)
Black-capped Chickadee
The late December afternoon sun at Hammonasset Beach State Park provided a nice light for photographing these Chickadees. Several of them were flitting in dried reeds near the beach.
Others were hanging out at a fruit tree near the marsh.
Click on any photo for larger view or slide show.