Warm Harbor

Warm water in the Dunkirk Harbor creates a refuge for gulls and waterfowl in the frigid weather.  The warm water is created by thermal pollution from a coal generated steam station.

Luna and Venus

The nearly new Moon and Venus put on a lovely show in the sky before sunrise this morning.

Female Northern Cardinal

Common Goldeneye

Female above and male below.

Frosted Geese

Canada Geese sleeping on ice covered Lake Erie.  The temperature was 5° F when I shot this photo.

Winter Sun

Bufflehead Duck

Ready...

Get set...

DIVE!

3° F

Rough-legged Hawk

White-winged Scoters

January's Full Wolf Moon

It's not completely full until tomorrow but if the weather forecast is correct, I don't think we'll see it then.  Below is a photo of the close pairing of Jupiter and the Moon after dark this evening.

Two Types of Swans

Tundra Swans (above) and a Mute Swan (below)

Snowy Owl

American Kestrel

Snowy Owl in Flight

I caught this shot just before it got dark this evening. 

Northern Mockingbirds

Northern Mockingbirds in a frozen field.

Frozen Falls

Red-tailed Hawk

Calm before the Storm

We had a brief period of sun late this afternoon.  A blizzard warning is in place for tomorrow.

Golden Sunrise

Woke up to a beautiful sunrise on the ridge this morning.

Sun Pillar

There was a bit of a light pillar at sunset this afternoon.

Winter's Point of View

"We cling to our own point of view, as though everything depended on it.  Yet our opinions have no permanence; like autumn and winter, they gradually pass away."  ~  Zhuangzi

Rough-legged Hawk

The Rough-legged Hawk is a another winter visitor from the Arctic Tundra.

Bald Eagles

Bald Eagles catching gulls during heavy snow and eating them on the ice cover of Lake Erie this afternoon.

Northern Shrike

The Northern Shrike is a little smaller than a Blue Jay.  It is another winter visitor from the Arctic tundra.  The Shrike is a fierce predator and often kills its prey by impaling the victim on a sharp stick or barbed wire fence.

Owl Eyes

"When I look into the eyes of an animal, I do not see an animal.  I see a living being.  I see a friend.  I feel a soul."

~ Anthony Douglas Williams, author of Inside the Divine Pattern

Snowy Owl

The continuing Snowy Owl irruption in the northeast is incredible.  I spotted this young guy perched on a fence post right next to the road late this afternoon.

Blue Jay

The boistrous Blue Jays keep things colorful and lively in the yard all winter long.

Snowy Owl Invasion Continues

As the great Snowy Owl irruption continues in the northeast, I was able to get a few more photos just before sunset yesterday.  This is the same bird from different angles as it was getting dark.

The photo below was taken today and is a different owl from the one pictured above.

Indomitable Spirit

The temperature early this morning was a frigid -1° Fahrenheit, yet the Chickadees in the yard seemed oblivious to the cold.

"We learned to be patient observers like the Owl.  We learned cleverness from the Crow, and courage from the Jay who will attack an owl ten times its size to drive it off its territory.  But above all of them ranked the Chickadee because of its indomitable spirit." 

~ Tom Brown Jr. (American Naturalist and Author)

Wintery Sky

The colors of winter over Lake Erie this evening.

Trumpeter Swans

An immature Trumpeter Swan sounding off!

On this day of the Winter Solstice...

Tundra And Trumpeter Swans on Lake Erie

May all beings be peaceful.

May all beings be happy.

May all beings be well.

May all beings be safe.

May all beings be free from suffering.

Winter Solstice Greetings!

Welcome to the most wonderful day of the year that brings the return of the light!  Happy Yule!

Axial tilt is the reason for the season!