These pine siskins sure are photogenic. I’ve taken tons of photos of the small, irruptive finches and have shared many of them here. Well, here’s another one — this one trying to hitch a ride on a small toboggan.
Wintery scene with siskin
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Author Archives: Chris Bosak
Just a cool photo of blue jay catching a peanut
Well, it’s actually adjusting the peanut, but it is snagging the food out of midair, so “catching” is technically correct. The blue jay originally grabbed the peanut horizontally in its bill. Jays prefer to carry peanuts lengthwise, so this jay tossed the nut into the air and caught it in the desired position.
The reasons may differ, but it is similar to how osprey carry their prey. Ospreys typically emerge from a successful dive with a fish horizontally in its talons. While flying away, the “fish hawk” will adjust the fish to a more aerodynamic lengthwise position.
Crow close-up
Crows are surprisingly difficult to photograph, especially considering how common they are. During the winter in many New England cities, we see massive flocks of crows headed to their nighttime roosts. Obviously their numbers are not hurting so why are they so tough to capture on film? (I know that nobody uses film anymore; it’s just an expression.)
First of all, they are fairly wary. Smart, in other words. They typically do not allow for a very close approach. Even crows in a very public place will take off as soon as you point a camera at it. I’ve heard that crows are difficult to hunt as well. They may be all over a certain area, but as soon as a gun comes out, the birds are gone. They must sense that something is amiss.
If you do get a cooperative crow, it is still difficult to get a nice photograph because of the bird’s plumage. Very black and very white birds are tough because of the lighting and contrast challenges. If you do get it right, however, the results can be very satisfying. Crows, similar to other dark birds, display a captivating iridescence in their plumage when the light catches the feathers just right.
For whatever reason, crows are a much-maligned bird. I think it’s time to change that perception and appreciate them for what they are: smart, personable and stylish.
Here’s further reading on the intelligence of crows. This article suggests that crows may be among the most intelligent animals on earth.
For the Birds: Joining the owl party
I’ve written about my barred owl sightings before, but here is the official column version …
A barred owl perches on a Welcome to New York sign on the border of Hoosick Falls, N.Y., and Bennignton, Vermont, in February 2019.
Two weeks ago I wrote a column about the Winter of the Barred Owl. A photo sent in by a reader from Westmoreland showing a barred owl perched on a feeder pole in his backyard accompanied the column.
A day or two after the column was published, I received two more photos of barred owls perched on feeder poles in the Monadnock Region. Yes, these handsome, large owls have been quite prolific throughout New England this winter.
At the time of that writing, however, I hadn’t yet seen any barred owls myself this winter. That all changed with a visit to my brother, who lives in Hoosick Falls, N.Y., a small town just over the border from Bennington, Vt.
My son Andrew and I had a day of skiing planned at Mount Snow, and figured Continue reading
Finally bit the Instagram bullet
The first time I heard “You should create an Instragram page” was about seven years ago. I ignored it just like I ignored the several other times I’ve heard it since. It’s a younger generation thing, I thought. Who wants to see bird photos on Instagram, I thought. People only look at Instagram to see what the Kardashians are having for dinner, I thought. Well …
Yes, you guessed it, I’ve created an Instagram page — @birdsofnewengland (thankfully that name was still available after all these years.) It couldn’t hurt, I now think. Continue reading
Snow photo: Downy woodpecker and the big apple
This apple birdfeeder has been green, yellow and now red. The birds don’t care what color it is as long as I put my home-made suet in it.
The bird version of an old drinking game
This post may be stretching it a bit, but what the heck …
During my college years, one of the drinking games we used to play was “One up, one down.” Those who knew the secret would always get the right answer and not have to drink. Those who guessed wrong had to drink. I’ll give away the secret and spoil the game because I doubt a lot of college students are regularly checking in with BirdsofNewEngland.com. Anyway, one player raises both hands, one hand or neither hand. (It’s actually a bit more complicated, but you get the idea.) Another player has to say “one up,” “two up,” or “zero up.” The game only works, obviously, when new people are at the party; otherwise, everyone would always get the right answer.
Well, the reason for that stroll down Memory Lane was that I was reminded of that game while watching pine siskins at my feeder during yesterday’s snowfall. Check out the photos and you’ll see why.
See, I told you it was a stretch.
More snow photos: Blue jays are still hard to resist
There was a time when blue jays were my favorite bird. It’s not that I don’t like blue jays anymore, but I was a youngster then and only knew a handful of birds. Their size, color and boldness intrigued me. I’ve since discovered 100s of other birds and, while blue jays remain a valued sighting, other birds have replaced them at the top of my list. That doesn’t mean I can resist grabbing a shot of one when it poses for me during a snowfall. So here you go …
Snow photos: Here come the cardinals
More snow photos from the other day. Here’s a female cardinal sharing a platform feeder with a chickadee and a male looking sharp in his red plumage.
Quick facts: Did you know that fewer than 40 percent of cardinal nests actually fledge young? That’s according to the folks at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The Lab’s NestWatch team studied cardinals and came up with some interesting results. For instance, despite that low success rate, cardinals are a successful species overall. A long breeding season and occupying a variety of habitats are part of the reason.
The article on the NestWatch website also looks at why male cardinals are so darn colorful. Hint: Yes, it has to do with impressing female cardinals. Here’s a link to the insightful story.
Birds in snow: Red-bellied woodpecker and mourning dove
A red-bellied woodpecker and mourning dove share a platform feeder in March 2019 in Danbury, Connecticut.
As promised, another snowy bird photo taken during this three-day stretch of overnight snow. “There will be more, lots more.” (An obscure line from my favorite movie, The Jerk.)
Birds of New England.com 