The Prothonotary Warbler didn’t stick around so there may not have been anything to eat in the web woven into this branch, but he poked around for a bit.
He stopped to sing a song and show off his bright yellow head before disappearing into some low trees.
This Yellow-rumped Warbler was showing off how he got his name while enjoying the sun for a few moments.
Two Phoebes were each taking a pause between swoops of fly-catching over the water, one in a blue scene and one in a brown scene.
The blue of the water with the floating duck weed could make you think spring was imminent.
Just a few hundred feet away, the prominence of dull brown in the background clearly says winter is still here.
Another small bird in poor light, but a nice silhouette with the dried berry in his beak. I thought he might stay to eat more but moved into a tree with more cover. Maybe that dried berry wasn’t satisfying.
The Yellow-rumped Warblers are elusive, raise the camera and zip, they are gone. Like most photographers of small birds I have plenty of shots of their “butter butts” disappearing into the underbrush.
On occasion they land in a twig free zone, and may even flip directions in the same spot, providing multiple views.
This one was a little puffed up to meet the cold of the day.
Snow does make a nice frame for a bird image as seen with this Yellow-rumped Warbler and the Bluebird below.
The sun and a little breeze knocked most of the light snow off the branches the day after the storm.
Click on either photo for larger view.
Most of the local birds had never seen snow. The birds have to work extra hard to keep fed now that the ground is covered and this Bluebird was having a tough time of it.
The snow had fallen off the limbs leaving these seeds exposed, which was a good start.
The chosen seed, however, just wouldn’t let go of its branch.
Sproing…and the seed was right back where it started. After a couple more tries the bird won.
Ted and I thought we left the snow and cold in New England. Not so. Yesterday was the third snowiest day on record in Charleston, SC with just over 5 inches measured at the airport. We had closer to 6 inches at our house. Not much melted today and we are still being asked to stay at home by the authorities who are stretched to their limit. The really bad part is the cold, with prolonged temps below 20 F (-6 C) we are at risk for frozen pipes as our houses just weren’t built for this.
I suspect that the Bluebirds don’t like it either, but they are a day brightener!
Click on any photo for larger view.
This is another bird that flew in right over my head while I was watching the Great Blue Herons work on their nests. I’m pretty sure it is a Pine Warbler, but there are a number of similar yellow warblers making my ID iffy.
Pine Warbler
He landed on a strand of hanging Spanish Moss and gave it a couple of pokes.
Not finding anything, he flitted a little further from me,
My view wasn’t as good but he treated me to an acrobatic display.
I’ve seen Eastern Phoebes around several of the marsh and pond areas in the last few weeks. With the leaves off many of the trees they are a little easier to spot.
I also watched some acrobatic flights and hovering over the water that I wasn’t prepared for. Now that I’ve seen it I might be able to photograph it given another opportunity.
They don’t stay in one place long but this one found the perfect stick close to the water with a nice reflection from the nearby trees.
Secretive is a word that Cornell Lab’s AllAboutBirds uses to describe the behavior of many sparrows. The song birds often keep a layer of branches or undergrowth between them and a would be photographer.
Secretive as he was, zipping in and out of the reeds at the edge of the path along the edge of the old rice field, I did get a few good shots.
The yellow around his eye points to a Savannah Sparrow or a Swamp Sparrow. Or it could be one of the 30 other Sparrow variations listed on their website. On the Song Sparrow listing they say:
Don’t let the bewildering variety of regional differences this bird shows across North America deter you…
I am deterred from proper identification but not the photograph.
Click on any photo for larger view.
