Sharon's Iconic Travel Photography Blog

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

This bird was tough to snap a picture of. It seemed to be ADHD. It moved quickly from tree to tree and branch to branch. I believe it is a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet. If I am wrong let me know.

Ruby Crowned Kinglets are said to be hyperactive, which definitely fits this bird. This type of kinglet is said to have an uneven eye ring, which this one does. The Ruby-Crowned Kinglet is said to have brighter greenish edges on the wing and tail feathers, which you can see here.

This bird was in a wooded area right next to the Hudson River in an area with different kinds of birds.

According to Merlin, the ruby crown is only on the males and is usually hidden. If it becomes agitated you might see it.

This bird was interesting to observe. The Hudson Valley in Southern NY is actually in its non-breeding range. What birds have you caught during this migration?

Minions Hay Bale Halloween 2024

The family has continued the tradition. This appears to be a repeat Minions display. It was great to see again regardless.

Too many of the decorations this year are the ones on the darker, scarier side of Halloween. I am glad to see some families put up decorations that are more positive.

Bricklayer’s Arms Pub Sign

Did you know some pubs are named for trades that were prominent in the area?There are 37 Bricklayer’s Arms pubs in the U.K. according to pubnames.co.uk. This is one named after that trade.

I came across this pub while walking through London. It was 31 Gresse Street which is north of Oxford Street and west of Tottenham Court Road in the Camden section of the city. It is not far from the Tottenham Court Station.

Back long ago a pub being named for a trade may have shown where people could meet others in a similar trade. It might also help them meet people to procure work if they were new in the trade. Brick laying is still an occupation that is active. It is great to see the long time trades honoured through signs like these.

Owl Fledglings 2024

These are two of the three fledglings from the same tree hole in May. This appears to be the day these two left the nest hole. The third was still in the hole and was quite loud.

The two out of the tree hole looked so small for barred owls it was confusing. It did not help they fledged during a dark day where it was raining hard. This is why they look drenched. The one pictured above is on a tree branch on the ground. I called a friend and she came. To not upset the apple cart with the parents, who had to be nearby, we left the baby on the ground in hopes that it would climb a nearby tree. It looked exhausted.

Owl Fledglings 2024 I manipulated this dark photo a lot to try to get it sharper and with less noise.

This is the second fledged owlet. It was on a tree maybe ten feet off the ground. This is the last time I saw the owlets from this tree. I did see the parents hunting nearby several times, so I am thinking they were there somewhere. This year though the screech of the babies asking for food was absent. I have always heard that in the past. This year I only heard the screeching coming while they were inside the tree hole or at the hole. Hopefully the great horned owls coming on their territory did not result in the barred owlets being killed. I am hoping they moved them safely to another area.

Common Moorhen

Common Moorhens are medium sized water birds. Other names it could be known as are marsh hens, common gallinule (this may be a close relation), or skitty coot. I saw these birds in some of the royal parks in London.

It has long, green-yellowish legs that resemble something more reptilian. It is close in appearance to an American Coot. One of the main differences is the Moorhen has a red and yellow beak while the coot has a white one.

Have a great week!

Duke of York Pub Signs

These signs are from two different pubs of the same name in London, The Duke of York. According to pubnames.co.uk there are 52 Pubs named Duke of York.

The pub pictured above I believe is in Mayfair, London. One of the more famous Duke of York’s was King Charles brother, James. According to history.nycourts.gov, Charles laid claim for New Netherland by granting James a patent to the colony. James sent a fleet of ships to New Netherland and the Dutch surrendered. The English took over New Netherland and the colony was renamed New York. I am guessing that is who is depicted in the sign, but I could be wrong. Paintings I see of him online do not resemble this sign.

Duke of York Pub Signs – Fitzrovia, London

The pub sign pictured above is at The Duke of York pub in Fitzrovia in central London. According to londonletter.substack.com, Prince Andrew gave permission for his likeness to be used in this sign. They say it is the only pub in the world that has a living member of the Royal family on it. Not sure how I feel about that. The reigning monarch’s image is on the pound notes as well as coins. Some may say having Prince Andrew’s image on a pub sign is controversial.

What do you think? Should a living person be depicted on a pub sign? Have a great rest of your weekend!

The Lamb and Lion Pub Sign

According to Pubhome.co.uk the name The Lamb and Lion is used by 4 pubs in the UK. One of them is in York, and this one is in Bath’s city centre.

The lamb and lion are symbols in Christianity. The lamb represents Christ’s sacrifice or death. The lion represents Christ’s resurrection.

Have a great weekend! I hope the weather is great where you live so you can enjoy it.

White-Headed Duck

This is a white headed duck. I only got off one shot where its head was raised. They seemed to be sleeping with their head in their body. This is another bird I photographed on a body of water near the Thames in London.

According to eBird, White-Headed Duck males “have a striking white face and black crown that contrasts with their large blue bill and chestnut body.” They are a diving duck with a long tail. Unfortunately I did not get the whole of it’s tail in one picture.

Personally, I would have named it related to it’s blue bill. Have a great Friday!

Green Winged Teal

I believe this is a green winged teal. If I am wrong let me know. This is one of the many birds I saw in London in one of the parks.

The green winged teal is a dabbling duck. According to Ducks Unlimited they visit shallow waters such as flooded fields and marshes. They feed by tipping up rather than diving.

I am still going back to the many bird photos I took in England and trying to identify them. Happy Columbus Day if you are in the U.S. Happy Thanksgiving if you are in Canada!

Northern Lights

The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, happens when charged particles from the Sun get captured in Earth’s magnetic fields, and move towards the poles. They interact with Earth’s atmosphere, releasing energy that produces these lights that can appear to shimmer.

Thanks to a friend who let me know about an aurora website for NY and her inviting me to meet at a location, I was able to capture these. This event was even visible this past Thursday for about 20-30 minutes with the naked eye.

My camera is not good for night images, they recommend other camera models for that. These are better than I expected for my camera. Others arrived at the same location and showed me their phone photos, which were much better.

The colours changed. It started in one area then appeared in another. The sky seemed filled with colours on the northern half.

It was so powerful that people saw them from a busy shopping street and many posted images of buildings and bridges that were lit up and the aurora was in the background.

Hopefully I will get more chances to see this closer to sunset or sunrise on the weekends. I know, am I asking too much? Word is we may be able to see this from time to time through March.

In one direction a deep purplish colour was visible for a time, then seemed to switch to a reddish colour.

Several times we saw green closer to the horizon. Small aircraft were buzzing back and forth. I would like to see the pictures they got from up there.

I remember my father pointing out the northern lights when I was a child. It was a thrill to be able to see them again with the naked eye. Were you able to see the aurora/ northern lights in your area?

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