my morning at Carlos

As promised, I headed out to Carlos Avery this morning. I had hoped for some sun, but arriving at sunrise, about 7:30 a.m., all was under a dense cloud cover.

The first sign of life was a group of 5 deer -- this is one.

My bird list included a couple of pheasants, a few crows, and several Rough-legged Hawks. Unfortunately, they were all at quite a distance. The above is a full-frame shot with a 300mm lens.

An eagle nest that has been empty for a number of years -- is it possible a new pair could take it over this year?

more reminders of winter

Just as I was leaving the refuge the sun started to break through the clouds. I'll be posting a few pictures of hawks I was able to get on my way out.

Carlos Avery

I'm going stir crazy -- I have to get out! Tomorrow morning I'm heading for Carlos Avery. Even if I do not find any birds, I'll enjoy thinking about what is to come in a short while. Can you believe it's February already? Another stop to be made soon is Monticello and the wintering trumpeter swans. I got some new cold-weather gear at Cabela's a few days ago so, hopefully, I'll be able to stand around for a while without freezing.

some new lenses from Sigma

This 150-500mm f/5-6.3 zoom looks interesting for nature photography. More here.

Would you believe a 200-500mm zoom at f/2.8? An included converter changes it to a 400-1000mm zoom at f/5.6. If I did my conversions correctly, it only weighs about 35 lbs.!!
No indication as to the price, but you can read more here.

Nikon D60

More on the new Nikon D60, including pricing.

a new Nikon body & several new lenses

click here

Red-headed Woodpeckers

I'm sure that you too have noticed the declining population of this beautiful bird. Want to do something to help? Consider joining the Red-headed Woodpecker Recovery Program for as little as $5. For more information, click here.

TOO COLD!!

With temperature this afternoon at -5 & dropping, and windchill of -20, I was happy to just take some shots from my front yard window capturing the usual suspects.

backups

Are you satisfied with your process of backing up the pictures on your computer? What do you mean you don't back up? The question is not whether your hard drive will fail; the question is, when? The ClickFree HD 700 may be our answer. Plugged in via USB port, the ClickFree HD 700 automatically launches, searches and backs up all pictures and photographs. Weighing no more than a Blackberry, it costs $169. The ClickFree DVD Photo Backup disc disc holds up to 2,000 pictures in over 70 different file formats. Read more.

Canon's spring launch

More details available here.

winter cold

I like winter because I can stay indoors without feeling guilty.
Teressa Skelton

Several mornings ago I was glad I stayed home to see this rare visitor to my yard --
a female Pileated Woodpecker.

more from Blue Cloud Abbey

Crows, along with some chickadees, sparrows, and a shrike, were among the few birds I was able to find. When I come back in a few months (I hope), I'm sure the bird population will have increased.

It's not a good birding day when one gets excited about a crow flying overhead.

waiting for Spring

bird condos at half-mast ready for Purple Martins to return

Blue Cloud Abbey

The bell tower.

Can't you just feel the cold?
Actually, the snow in this shot is misleading; there was very little of it once we crossed into South Dakota -- large patches of ground were bare.

The Abbey is directly below the usual flight route from the northwest to the Twin Cities. Sometimes the planes are the only noise you will hear. This shot was with a 400mm lens moderately cropped.

There were more squirrels than birds. This one was substantially larger than the red squirrels I have in my yard -- Fox Squirrel?

One of the few birds I saw at a great distance was this Northern (?) Shrike. The shot on the right is an EXTREME crop with a 300mm lens.

we're back

We're back from Blue Cloud Abbey. For some pictures inside the Abbey, take a look at today's post on my other blog.
The birding wasn't great in the cold and wind (most days). However, I will be posting a few pictures in the next day or so.
In the meanwhile: As most of you know from reading this blog, I'm also interested in astronomy. One of the email groups to which I belong is made up of individuals interested in Stellarvue telescopes. (You can visit the group here.) Recently, I have been reading uniformly great comments and reviews from members who have purchased binoculars from Stellarvue. Apparently, these binos are up to the standards of Stellarvue's telescopes -- excellent, reasonably priced refractors. I may be getting the 8x42 model while they are on sale.

Blue Cloud Abbey

Tomorrow morning I will be leaving for a brief retreat at Blue Cloud Abbey, near Marvin, South Dakota. The Red-tail picture is from last year. For pictures of the Abbey, take a look at today's post on my other blog and the Abbey's web site.
Birds are quite sparse there this time of the year, but, if nothing else, I should get a lot of pictures of snow!
I will resume posting on Friday or Saturday!

settle down

I came across this saying that applies to birds as well:

Chase butterflies and they will never be caught,
watch butterflies and they will come to you.

Ivory Gull in Duluth

Click here for some pictures & description by Sparky Stensaas.

Carlos Avery today

As the temperature hit the 40s this afternoon, I decided it was time for my first visit of the year to Carlos Avery Wildlife Refuge.

Not having a 4-wheel drive vehicle, I was a little worried about the roads; I need not have been -- they were fine.

What was not fine was the lack of wildlife. In addition to the tree mushrooms, all I saw & heard was some chickadees, a few crows, and some woodpeckers -- no hawks or owls or anything else.

I had more action at my feeders this morning.

Secretly, I was hoping the Short-ear owls of last winter had returned (see above) -- but I didn't see any.

I stayed until sunset, since that is when the Short-ears come out.

But, as empty and quiet as Carlos is in January, it will only be a few months before it starts to come alive.

another birder blog

This one I appreciate because of her writing -- honest & interesting -- just like her photography. Take a look at Lynne Schoenborn's Hasty Brook blog. Keep writing & taking photos, Lynne!

encouragement

It is always encouraging to see young birders out there taking pictures. Sometimes their new perspective on our passion is refreshing. For an example, check out this blog by 17-year old Chris West of Richland Center, Wisconsin -- The SW WI Birder. His 2008 year list already has 27 birds! I didn't even step outside today.

really "up North"

If cold weather deters you from going out to take bird photos, this Minnesota blog will make you appreciate how good we have it. The Visit Crane Lake blog shows and tells us about the beauty "up North" as well as what real winters are really like.

an hour in the life of a Brown Creeper

"Bugs -- bugs -- gotta find some bugs!"

"Nope -- not here!"

"How am I supposed to find anything under the snow?"

"I just knew it was going to be one of those days!"

Leica's new binoculars

Here are the details on Leica's new Ultravid HD line.
P.S. You may be able to still find some of the previous models at a discount.

cheap shots

Digital 4x6 prints for 8 or 9 cents? Click here.

Where was I?

Can't remember where you took that bird shot? ATP may have the answer for you -- available in a few months. The ATP GPS Photo Finder is a a portable device that geotags photos taken by any digital camera. It’s universally compatible with any digital camera using jpeg image files. Put a memory card into the Photo Finder’s built-in card reader or USB port and it automatically finds and tags your images without any additional software or hardware required. For more info, click here.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

I've had more of them this winter than the last three combined!
They're a fun bird -- quite tame & friendly.

late afternoon

This female Downy was looking for food as the day was drawing to a close.

Christmas Day

This is a graphic created by my nephew, Lauris Sarma, in Latvia.
It is also pretty much how the day looks outside my window this afternoon.
May you enjoy this Christmas Day with your family & friends!

Santa's not the only one to wear red

Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

snow & more snow

"When will it stop?"

just in case

Christmas

Although this has nothing to do with birding, if you are interested, take a look at my other blog to see what gets me in the Christmas mood.

new Canons?

Photography Blog reports that replacements for the XTi and the 5D may be on their way.

ecobirder

I enjoy following blogs by other birders/photographers. Recently I came across Jeff Fischer's Ecobirder. He does a great job of covering seasonal changes and reminding us to be aware of our effect on ecology. Take a look!

color

Take a look at the Herring Gull photos by the Weekend Shooter in his Dec. 13 post. Who knew that they could be so colorful?

Congratulations Laura!

I was thrilled to read that Laura Erickson will be working as science editor and writer at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Her casual, yet informative, writing style made her one of my favorite birding bloggers.
When her blog was hijacked by a former employer, we missed her and hoped for her return.
Now, about 8 months later, her talents as a writer have been recognized by a worthy institution. We wish her the best!
Laura has promised to continue her blog, where you can read in her own words about this exciting new venture. Also, check out her web site.

zbirding update

If you are into digiscoping and Zeiss equipment, Zbirding has finally updated its web site after a 6-month hiatus.

digiscoping

Mike's excellent digiscoping blog describes a new scope & camera unit by Nikon that will enable you to get into digiscoping on the cheap (well, relatively cheap). You can see details on Eagle Optics' site. I have some concerns about the small aperture of the scope (50mm rather than 70, 80mm or more). On the other hand, the total unit is very compact and should be easy to lug around, depending upon the tripod you pick.

Nikon D300

Nikon's challenge to Canon
tested here.

No wonder we lose our battles with squirrels!

Yes, it did snow today!