The Last Day of 2018

Now that I am retired and the dog has died, I don't often see sunrises. This morning I woke up early and went upstairs to see the moonlight reflected on the icy pond, and then was treated to brilliant reds and oranges in the east. A great way to start the last day of 2018.

Bohemian Rhapsody

Actually, a flock of Bohemian Waxwings sounds like a lot of twittering in the trees.  But I had never seen one before today, so it was grand to hear them.

Walked along the trail in the Low Plain Area and saw nothing of interest.  The birds were in a flock of about 70 on the Colby-Sawyer college campus.  There were feasting on crab apples while the students were mostly oblivious.

Bohemian Waxwing and Crab Apples.

The trail at Low Plain

Nobody in the swamp

Nothing along the Pine Hill ski trail except for a Minnie Moose trail marker

Bright yellow tail on this guy

Whatever gets the food into the crop.

You don't see only one waxwing.

Counting Birds Without Birds

Today is the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count in the Sunapee area of New Hampshire - without birds. Having expended all their energy last year on a bumper crop of seeds, there are no cones now. And that wet snow storm in November has all of the weed seeds deep under a solid mass of ice. So the birds have all left to find food.  But it was a good day to explore the Low Plain area.

The Lookout

By the bridge

Feeders

I fill my feeders with seeds, which attract small birds, and chipmunks, and squirrels, and turkeys, and deer, which attract foxes, and hawks, and coyotes.

Today a red-shouldered hawk took care of one of the squirrels.

River

I don't always get to spend my time in New Hampshire, but when I am in Connecticut there are plenty of beautiful places to roam.

Here is the Farmington River in Collinsville.  There are hooded mergansers out there.