This Cardinal was perched in the red bud tree right outside my kitchen window. There are two feeders in the tree so there are always a few birds in it. During the winter months, when the leaves are down, the birds are easier to watch and photograph.
Downy Woodpecker
This female downy woodpecker likes to carry sunflower seeds from a nearby feeder into a tree where she opens and eats them.
Stella in the Sun
Stella enjoying a raw hide bone on a sunny patch of carpet.
American Robin 2
This American Robin was searching for breakfast in my backyard when I took this photograph. My mother always used to tell me robins were the first sign of spring. This photo was taken in early February. Granted I live 100 miles south of my childhood home but I am still always surprised when I see robins in the winter months.
Dark-Eyed Junco 2
This dark-eyed junco was busy searching for food among the leaves when I took this picture of it.
Frozen Blue Jay Feather
I was up early one winter morning and discovered this blue jay feather laying on a frosty bed of moss. Click on the image to see the larger, more detailed photo.
Rooster
This proud rooster briefly paused to see what I was doing.
Dark-Eyed Junco 1
The dark-eyed junco is a common bird in Richmond during the colder months. When the weather warms they will migrate to the Appalachians and Canada, not to return again until autumn. They make for tricky photography subjects as they are small, quick, and almost never still. I waited until this junco hopped into a patch of direct sunlight to get a shutter speed fast enough to catch it.
I would like to give some credit for this photo to Cornel Apostol. If you’re not familiar with Cornel’s blog, check it out at http://apostolcornel.wordpress.com. On several of his posts he’s mentioned throwing a sheet over his head to get closer to birds. That inspired me to rig up a simple blind which I used to capture this image.
Fawn In The Vineyard
I followed a small group of whitetail deer from quite a distance when they entered a vineyard. This one seemed almost as curious about me as I was about it. It allowed me to take a few photographs before disappearing deeper into the vineyard.
Carolina Wren
This Carolina Wren was singing in a tree near the south bank of the James River. It remained perched on the same branch long enough for me to get several shots of it. This was my favorite.