Cleveland Circle and Beyond

This picture of a Song sparrow at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir inadvertently captured what appears to be fishing line tied to a plant.

A group of Cedar waxwings alights on a tree in the Chestnut Hill Reservoir.

After a few seconds, they are off again. In case you are counting, there are 13 waxwings in this photo.

The male Downey woodpecker at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir…

…with his partner.

A Mourning dove explores the Chestnut Hill Reservoir.

At the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, if you have an itch…

…scratch it.

An Eastern cottontail rabbit hides among the bramble at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir.

There is not much to eat around here but bark.

At the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, one of the handsomest birds is the Tufted titmouse.

He is quite the photogenic fellow.

Even when hanging upside down.

“I, the female kinglet — queenlet, if you will — am a great, big cannonball of fluff.”

“Have you seen my husband?”

“I am over here!”

“I reign over the Chestnut Hill Reservoir with my orange crown.”

The Brown creeper blends in with the trees at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir.

With his long bill, he eats critters from the crevices in the bark.

This guy liked to spiral up the tree from left to right (opposite the order of these photographs). Do all creepers obey this chirality?

A Red-bellied woodpecker explores the trees at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir.

First, get the worm.

Adjust your grip.

And down the hatch.

Although the chickadees are abundant at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, they move so quickly that they can be difficult to photograph. This one sat still long enough for me to take his portrait.

Near the ice rink at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, a Downy woodpecker busily explores a tree.

At the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, this Golden-crowned kinglet confuses the camera with his quick movements and the fact that he is in the brush, which causes the camera’s autofocus to go wild.

A bevy of American goldfinches live year round at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir.

I am not sure how anyone or anything manages to eat upside down, but these guys seem to have no problem with it.

At the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, a Red-tailed hawk is looking for a meal.

From his perch, he keeps an eye out for rabbits, which have left trails all over the snow, including several places a bit too far in the open for comfort.

While walking along, I scared one of the rabbits, who scampered off the trail. That rabbit better watch out, because here he comes.

A female Yellow-bellied sapsucker drills for sap at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir.

Yesterday, the Chestnut Hill Reservoir was only frozen around the edges, with a few ice peninsulas jutting out into the water.

Today, the Reservoir is almost entirely frozen over.

With only a few islands of open water, the resident pair of Mute swans is forced to share the water with the geese.

A song sparrow catches a little breakfast at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir.

Handsome devil.

Boy, is it ever cold.

Ice has begun to form (again) on the Chestnut Hill Reservoir.

And all of the Ruddy ducks are fast asleep.

Except this guy, who just popped up from a dive.

Farther out, there is a pair of what looks like Red-breasted mergansers, but confirmation of this will have to wait for a much better photo. In the first two pictures, the wind is puffing up their crests.

A walk around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir revealed that most of our feathered friends have split. I don’t blame them. It is getting cold and a big storm is on its way. But, some folks, like a group of Herring and Ring-billed gulls, don’t seem to mind.

And this guy seemed to be enjoying the small amount of snow.

Seconds after I took those pictures, he bounded over to me and jumped up on my new coat.

A pair of Mute swans remains.

One of my favorites is the Pied-billed grebe. When he dives, he stays down there for tens of seconds. Simultaneously eating and holding your breath while in nearly freezing water strikes me as a pretty good feat. His bill stripe is discernable in this picture, although he stays a good distance from the edge of the pond, making a good shot difficult.

He’s spotted me.