Monday, September 29, 2014

Sunday, September 28, 2014

The Kinglets are back!




The hyperactive little Kinglets have been in the yard for about a week now but I was finally able to catch up with a few of them today.  The Golden-crowned Kinglet is pictured above and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet is in the photo below.


Friday, September 26, 2014

Pectoral Sandpiper



The Pectoral Sandpiper breeds on the arctic tundra in summer and winters in South America.


Monday, September 22, 2014

Farewell to Summer

Leaves begin to fall.
The days grow cool.
Mother Earth pulls her mantle close.
The great Sun sails toward the West.


Land of eternal enchantment,
wrapped in cool nights.
Fruits ripen and seeds drip.
Hours of daylight and darkness are balanced.



In this seeming extinction of nature's power,
I know that life continues.
For spring is impossible without the harvest,
as surely as life is impossible without death.

~ anonymous

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Gray-cheeked Thrush



This is another migrant passing through Western New York.  The Gray-cheeked Thrush breeds in Alaska and far northern Canada in the summer and spends the winter in a southern range that runs from Panama to Brazil.  I was extremely lucky to get these shots since this shy bird tends to hide in thick brush.


Sunday, September 14, 2014

Fishing Spider




These very large spiders catch fish and aquatic insects.  They actually hunt for their prey and do not spin webs.  This one was basking on a rock in the middle of a creek.


Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Monarch Butterfly on Solidago (Goldenrod)


Ovenbird

These chunky little warblers are quietly migrating out of the area and heading for their winter homes in Florida, the Caribbean Islands and Latin America.  Some will venture as far south as Colombia and Venezuela.


Monday, September 8, 2014

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Monday, September 1, 2014

Dunkirk Lighthouse

Lighthouse in Dunkirk, New York as viewed from Lake Erie.


Bald Eagles in the trees along the shoreline.


Snow Squall over Lake Erie