Ornithophile, that's me

Lesser Yellowlegs

Northern Shoveler - love his bill and his pretty plumage

Mew Gull

Dark-eyed Junco

Greater White-fronted Goose

Downy Woodpecker

same Downy Woodpecker - gorgeous spotted feathers

Green-winged Teal hen and drake

can't get enough of these colorful fellows

one half of a lovely Trumpeter Swan duo

We watched this pair preen and eat while surrounded by Mallards, Green-winged Teals, Northern Pintails, a lone Sandhill Crane and an industrious muskrat.  I could have stayed for hours.

always on the lookout for Sandhill Cranes

nesting Red-necked Grebe

another nesting Red-necked Grebe on a small lake where I saw at least six nesting pairs

another day, another Lesser Yellowlegs which does not lessen my excitement

This sighting made my day, perhaps my week - a pair of Common Loons.  I could only get a somewhat decent photo of a single bird as it surfaced relatively close to me several times, but I sure enjoyed watching this pair for a long while.  

I'll be heading back to this spot soon, hoping to see them again.  If they're resident birds to this lake and have chicks, it would be great to see them riding on their parents' backs.

Looking Up

It was during a camping trip in the Adirondacks back in the late 90s when I started taking photos of trees.  Sometimes it is the type of tree or the shape of a trunk or the color of the bark that pulls me in.  Often it's the view of the sky through the leaves that I want to capture.  Within a forest or a grove I almost always find a sense of peace, of quietude.  In fact, if someone cared to ask me where I feel most calm and still, my reply would be "amongst the trees."