At the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, if you have an itch…
…scratch it.
Archive for January, 2009
American goldfinch (with an itch)
Friday, January 30th, 2009Paperwhites
Thursday, January 29th, 2009Paperwhites blossom in our kitchen.
Ring-billed gull
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009A Ring-billed gull balances on the bank of the Merrimack River in Newburyport.
Eastern cottontail
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009An Eastern cottontail rabbit hides among the bramble at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir.
There is not much to eat around here but bark.
Brant
Monday, January 26th, 2009Several Brant vacation at Point of Pines beach in Revere to get away from the cold Arctic weather.
Tufted titmouse
Friday, January 23rd, 2009At the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, one of the handsomest birds is the Tufted titmouse.
He is quite the photogenic fellow.
Even when hanging upside down.
Ice
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009I realize that all of the posts so far have focused on animals. But, I keep finding myself drawn to the many forms that ice takes. So, here are some examples.
On Mount Monadnock, ice grows from the ground like grass.
At the Blue Hills Reservation, thin sheets of ice form elevated above the ground.
On a frozen swamp in Amherst, ice needles radiate off a stick.
On Plum Island, thick sheets of ice pile up on shore.
Bufflehead
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009A male Bufflehead puts on a show at the Coolidge Reservation in Manchester by the Sea.
American red squirrel
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009An American red squirrel relaxes on a tree in Amherst.
Common eider
Monday, January 19th, 2009A female Common eider mingles among the Bufflehead at the Coolidge Reservation in Manchester by the Sea.
This male eider has clearly suffered some damage to his wing. I wonder how the poor fellow could possibly fly in that condition.
Golden-crowned kinglet (in focus)
Friday, January 16th, 2009“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.”
Great blue heron
Thursday, January 15th, 2009A Great blue heron sails across the Merrimack River in Newburyport.
Red-tailed hawk (scares me, twice)
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009I took a walk to the Chestnut Hill Post Office yesterday afternoon. It is a beautiful walk through some tree-lined streets bordered by palatial estates. As I went, I kept my eyes peeled for any hawks, who are particularly easy to spot in the leafless trees. Having seen none on my way to the post office, and given the fact that it was getting dark, I had given up hope of seeing much of anything.
As I exited the post office, a squirrel on the path ahead of me was digging out stored food from the crevice between the cement slabs. I stopped, both to watch him and to avoid disturbing him. He looked up at me apprehensively, but decided I was no big threat and continued digging. And that is when a Red-tailed hawk swooped down over my shoulder to make a play for the squirrel. Needless to say, it scared us both. The squirrel jumped to the nearby tree, and I watched the hawk sail out of view.
The walk back from the post office was uneventful, save for a snowman at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir.
As I approached the entrance to our building on Englewood Ave… A loud rustle! And a Red-tailed hawk jumps out of the hedges (yes, the hedges) and flies up to a lamppost. That really gave me a fright. Can someone explain to me why a hawk would be in a hedge? Or, for that matter, how does a hawk fit in a hedge?
Great black-backed gull
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009A Great black-backed gull passes the time on the bank of the Merrimack River in Newburyport.
Bald eagle
Monday, January 12th, 2009I apologize in advance, for these are very small and grainy pictures produced by the liberal use of cropping. I was on an island in the Merrimack River in Newburyport and, unfortunately, the two Bald eagles were on the far side of another island. On the bright side, there is plenty of room for improvement in my eagle shots in the coming years.
Brown creeper
Friday, January 9th, 2009The 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?
Red-bellied woodpecker
Thursday, January 8th, 2009A Red-bellied woodpecker explores the trees at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir.
Red-breasted nuthatch
Wednesday, January 7th, 2009A Red-breasted nuthatch guards the suet outside Chris and Karena’s kitchen window in Amherst.
Ever so vigilant.
What out, chickadees!
Northern cardinal
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009In Amherst, a cardinal nibbles on some berries.
Eastern bluebird
Monday, January 5th, 2009In Amherst, a bluebird rests atop a dead tree in a frozen swamp.
American robin
Friday, January 2nd, 2009First, get the worm.
Adjust your grip.
And down the hatch.
Black-capped chickadee
Thursday, January 1st, 2009Although 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.
