This tufted titmouse is taking a break between trips to a nearby bird feeder. Titmice are quite gregarious and are often found with chickadees. They are always one of the first birds to notice when my feeders have been refilled.
Brown Headed Nuthatch
I encountered this brown headed nuthatch in a grove of pine trees along the south shore of the James River. I later learned the James River is the northern edge of their range, which explained why I had never seen one before; I live on the north side of the river.
White Throated Sparrow
The white throated sparrow is a shy, colorful little bird with a sweet song. They primarily forage for food on the ground. From above or behind they look like a typical brown sparrow but from the front one can see their namesake white throat patch and the bright yellow patches on their face.
Downy Woodpecker on Feeder
This female downy woodpecker, and some of her friends, frequent my backyard feeder.
Female Cardinal in a Tree
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.
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.
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.
Goose Reflected on the River
The slow moving, low, autumn waters of the James River provided a wonderful reflection of a Canada Goose and the nearby river rocks.