I found this sign in Kingston, NY. It was in front of a donut shop next to a barber shop. It is a play on words using the actor Christopher Walken’s name. I love it when shops have unique signage. Don’t you?
Funny Signs- Walkens Welcome
Category: photography
New Life
There is new life at one of the local eagle nests overlooking the Hudson River. More branches are obscuring the view this year. This was mid morning and although there was sunlight there was also harsh shadows. As a photographer you secretly wish the people who own the land would trim the neighbouring trees when the eagles are not around in the fall, but you know that would not happen.
Other eagle’s and hawk’s nests did not survive the high winds we received with storms this winter and early spring. This nest has stood the test of time. Is this eagle a master builder?
Good Morning Owl
Get out and enjoy the sunny days and occasional warmer weather. There is a lot of action in spring with the local wildlife. Keep a respectable distance.
Barred Owl on Cloudy night
April showers bring May flowers as the saying goes. So far we have experienced a lot of cloudy days and a lot of rain. One day 3-4 inches in one storm. As a result it is hard to get out to walk. There are streams going over the trails in the woods where there have not been streams before. The trails are very muddy in spots. Here’s hoping for some better weather.
These are all taken with a zoom lens and heavily cropped.
Obsessed Bird
This bird has an obsession with my neighbour’s motorcycle mirror. He rotates around the mirror looking at himself and pecking at the bird he thinks he sees. I guess photos do not tell the whole story here. The bird does this everyday.
Moral of the story: things are not always what they seem or appearances can be deceiving.
Good Night Owl
I found this one the usual way. This was before sunset in a pine tree on a cold day. I had a hard time getting a good angle with the branches. They like to hide in pine trees this time of year when the leaves are not on the other trees yet. The owl’s mate was on a neighbouring pine tree.
Straggler
This straggler missed his flight. It appears he will be the last to leave the party. He lingered at his winter abode. There were four snowy owls on the beach. On the day these pictures were taken and the previous day, he was the only owl sighted. Have his three other beach mates started their journey back to the far north Canadian Arctic?
I asked him where his friends were. I told him it might be time to head north soon. I hope his internal clock works well. A fellow female photo buff told me she went later and could not find him. Did he listen to me? I doubt it. They do fly between neighbouring beach areas.
All these photos are taken with a long lens and cropped significantly.
About a minute. That’s all I had with this light. Before and afterwards it was dark and cloudy. It was the best minute of my day. Appreciate even small time blocks of sunshine. Stay safe and stay healthy.
Buffalo in NY
The weather has not been ideal here. A lot of cloudy and very windy days. Get out an enjoy regardless. Don’t let less than ideal conditions hold you back.
Horse on a Country Road
What to do when trying to get over a bad cold? Stay close to home and go out for short trips. Passed by this farm today on a very rural road that I had not been on before. It was raining on and off. It did not stop this horse from enjoying the great outdoors.
Have a happy week! If you are in a country where you are experiencing freedom, count your blessings.
Eastern Screech Owl
What do on your week off when you have a bad cold and don’t want to spread your germs? For me I spent the last two days of my vacation driving up and down rural roads looking at tree holes for owls.
One one rural road I kept hearing a call of a saw whet owl. I felt like it was teasing me. I have heard they usually hang out at our eye level, but I had no luck and was not going to walk on private property to search further. I did know the direction it was coming from.
On another rural road that I drove up and down searching the holes I found one occupied by a screech. Screech owls are very small. Notice they block almost the entire tree hole and blend in with the tree so they are hard to spot.
It was a very windy day and the clouds came in so the lighting conditions also were not optimal. It was hard to keep my camera steady and this was near the top of a high area. I hope to return to this spot in the future hoping the wind level is less.
When you can,
go slow and stop along the way. You never know what you will find on rural roads.
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