Monday, February 28, 2011

Winter Wonders

Here in the Midwest, winter's inclement weather has not been very conducive to nature photography. We have seen little of the bright, glorious sun, thus days are gray and appear monochromatic. So far, this season, the Chicago area has received over 50 inches of snow, making it very difficult to wander through nature preserves and bird sanctuaries. Frosty temperatures have also kept me indoors, as my fingers seem to be especially sensitive to the cold. Even though the weather has not been very pleasant, the birds have been most plentiful at our feeders. It's always a joy to observe the busy Black-capped Chickadees, tree scaling White-breasted Nuthatches and lovely Dark-eyed Juncos delighting in sunflower seeds. For this post, since I have had very few photo opportunities, I decided to look back into my archives to see what feathered beauties I was photographing last year at this time. Enjoy!

A sleek White-breasted Nuthatch surveys the buffet table

A sightly Tufted Titmouse perches amid bare branches


A Black-capped Chickadee selects the perfect cracked corn kernel


A pretty Red-bellied Woodpecker goes seed shopping


A curious Downy Woodpecker awaits my offerings


A solitary female Northern Cardinal on a cold winter day


The brilliant scarlet feathers of a Red-headed Woodpecker


Decisions, decisions ... which seed to choose? ~ Blue Jay


A well-camouflaged Brown Creeper spirals its way up the tree trunk in search of food


The lovely profile of a Dark-eyed Junco


Shelled peanuts are this White-breasted Nuthatches snack of choice

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38 comments:

  1. de schoonheid van de natuurFebruary 28, 2011 at 10:35 AM

    Hoi Jullie.
    Wat een geweldige foto’s van die vogels.
    Ik heb er erg van genoten geweldig.
    Groetjes Herman,

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  2. PoetessWugFebruary 28, 2011 at 11:36 AM

    What beautiful birds. The chickadee is my favorite among these though...I can't wait until all of this snow is gone for the season. And yet I thought we here in Massachusetts had it bad!! Chicago has really been walloped!!

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  3. Simon TaylorFebruary 28, 2011 at 12:44 PM

    Beautiful images Julie, every one of them. Well done

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  4. AnonymousFebruary 28, 2011 at 1:25 PM

    Oh my look at all these colors and beautiful birds coming to your "buffet" - great captions, too!

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  5. DanFebruary 28, 2011 at 2:59 PM

    Fabulous photo's, Julie!

    I suspect we'll be seeing more of these in the days and weeks a head.

    Daniel

    Explore. Dream. Discover.
    http://daniels-view.blogspot.com/
    --

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  6. Kerri FarleyFebruary 28, 2011 at 5:32 PM

    AWESOME captures my friend! So glad you posted from your archives! These are some of my fave birds ....and I've never seen Red-headed woodpecker in person .... oh what a BEAUTY!

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  7. AnonymousFebruary 28, 2011 at 6:46 PM

    Fabulous series Julie!! I love the way you captured their expressions and personalities...details are amazing!! Always a JOY to see your photos!

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  8. UnknownFebruary 28, 2011 at 9:31 PM

    Fantastic shots!!!!

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  9. Dawn FineFebruary 28, 2011 at 9:41 PM

    Glad you kept these beauties in your archive to show us now...hope your weather clears soon and you are out taking more photos!

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  10. BirdGalAlcatrazFebruary 28, 2011 at 11:44 PM

    Julie, I so love looking at your wonderful captures of the most beautiful birds. I love both of the images of the White-breasted Nuthatches and the Black-capped Chickadee is special, too. The Tufted Titmouse is always a favorite and I just so enjoy seeing all of your terrific images. Glad for your archives!

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  11. Weekend CowgirlMarch 1, 2011 at 12:31 AM

    Absolutely beautiful bird photos...

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  12. Steve CreekMarch 1, 2011 at 6:04 AM

    Very nice captures Julie!

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  13. Ana MárquezMarch 1, 2011 at 8:19 AM

    I love birds and I love these wonderful birds pics :-) Thanks for sharing!

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  14. Marco LuijkenMarch 1, 2011 at 8:40 AM

    Hello Julie,
    What a wonderfull pictures of these lovely birds. I've never seen woodpeckers with these beautiful red colour on their head at all. I like it very much. And I like the picture of the Blue Jay to. Really nice pictures!! My compliments!!

    Greetings, Marco

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  15. UnknownMarch 1, 2011 at 12:39 PM

    Hola, buenas fotos, saludos

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  16. SLHMarch 1, 2011 at 6:51 PM

    These are fantastic!!

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  17. Bill S.March 2, 2011 at 6:41 AM

    Great pictures. You must use a blind set up by the feeders. I use one about three feet from my feeders and really enjoy the close up views.

    I hear you about the snow. We have 18 inches still on the ground and they are predicting rain!!! Not good. Like you I am hoping for spring soon.

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  18. NESASKMarch 2, 2011 at 9:35 PM

    Great shots. Especially love the woodpeckers.

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  19. cindyzlogicMarch 2, 2011 at 10:41 PM

    These are all excellent shots, Julie!!!

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  20. CarolMarch 3, 2011 at 10:15 AM

    Fabulous captures Julie! I love the red-headed woodpecker and brown creeper shots especially!

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  21. The Zen BirdfeederMarch 3, 2011 at 10:41 AM

    Fabulous series, Julie. I especially enjoyed seeing the Red-headed Woodpecker. Gorgeous bird, not common here.

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  22. UnknownMarch 5, 2011 at 9:37 AM

    Beautiful photos! I love your work! Looking forward to more!

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  23. John's IslandMarch 5, 2011 at 11:25 AM

    What a great series of photos! Missed your blog while I was traveling! Thanks for sharing Julie!

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  24. AnonymousMarch 5, 2011 at 10:01 PM

    Greetings from Southern California

    I am your newest follower. I invite you to visit my blog and follow me if you want too.

    God bless you :-)

    ~Ron

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  25. UnknownMarch 6, 2011 at 7:49 AM

    Julie...as always you nailed this post! These images are crisp, clear & evocative. After seeing them I want to get outside and start "shooting" birds! Thanks!

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  26. RichardMarch 7, 2011 at 5:44 AM

    Great blog about birding. Keep the good work!

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  27. UnknownMarch 7, 2011 at 8:16 PM

    Forgot to mention before that I "Stumbled" your post :)

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  28. BenMarch 8, 2011 at 8:50 AM

    Hi Julie,
    Great pictures of these wonderful birds.I love the perfect sharpness. It's a joy to see how beautiful the colours of the birds are and the settings in which the birds are photographed. Compliments!!!

    Grtz,
    Ben

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  29. Julie G.March 8, 2011 at 4:33 PM

    Extending a heartfelt thank you for all the thoughtful remarks left on this blog post. I am so very appreciative of every single comment.

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  30. AnonymousMarch 9, 2011 at 11:05 AM

    So much personality...

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  31. Kathie BrownMarch 9, 2011 at 8:31 PM

    Wonderful photography! I have seen most of those same species in my yard this winter except for the red-headed woodpecker and the brown creeper! I would love to add both to my yard list!

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  32. eileeninmdMarch 11, 2011 at 5:47 PM

    Julie, fantastic series of birds and photos. I especially love the creeper and the Redheaded woodie.

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  33. TammyMarch 11, 2011 at 6:17 PM

    Beautiful shots! We have similar taste in subjects :)

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  34. Kah-Wai LinMarch 15, 2011 at 10:06 AM

    Beautiful!

    Kah Wai
    http://kwbirding.blogspot.com/

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  35. RVDaalenMarch 18, 2011 at 6:49 PM

    Wow... really great birds captures....good job!!


    Greetz from Holland,

    Remco

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  36. forgetmenotMarch 21, 2011 at 9:33 AM

    You and Kerri have the world of nature "covered" with your stunning photos. Beautiful shots--I've become a follower because I can't wait to see other posts. Lovely work. Mickie

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  37. Debbie Miller @HooootOwlMarch 23, 2011 at 1:00 PM

    Gorgeous captures!

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  38. Joanna DurczokMarch 27, 2011 at 2:44 AM

    Beautiful set of photos. Wonderful scenes and birds' poses. I love each of them :)

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