Path, Trees

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Path, Trees, 1/30/10
Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, Easthampton, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Mill River

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Mill River, 1/30/10
Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, Easthampton, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

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Red-Bellied Woodpecker, date
Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, Easthampton, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Downy Woodpecker

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Downy Woodpecker, date
Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, Easthampton, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Sheep

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Sheep, 1/27/10
Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, Lincoln, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Cow, Piglets, Pig

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Cow, Piglets, Pig, 1/27/10
Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, Lincoln, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Red Fox

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Red Fox, 1/27/10
Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, Lincoln, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

White-Throated Sparrow

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White-Throated Sparrow, 1/23/10
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Black-Capped Chickadee

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Black-Capped Chickadee, 1/23/10
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

American Goldfinch

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American Goldfinch, 1/23/10
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

American Tree Sparrow

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Tree Sparrow, 1/23/10
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

House Sparrows

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House Sparrows, 1/23/10
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Mallards

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Mallards, 1/21/10
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Northern Cardinal

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Northern Cardinal, 1/21/10
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Cupid's Arrow

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Ice, 1/21/10
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Great Blue Heron

As I came out of the woods into the open area, I could see I had made a tactical error. The trail led along a brook into the low winter sun. Not only was it hard for me to see any of them ahead with the sun in my eyes, but they could easily see me coming. As I walked along, I flushed a mallard. It took off into the sun to somewhere I could hardly see. I continued a few more yards and then I stopped, muttering to myself, pondering my situation. I looked to the right and less than ten yards away I saw it.

A great blue heron. I looked away, not wanting to spook the bird more than I already had. I checked my camera, turned towards it, slowly, but not too slowly, bringing up my camera. I centered the frame on the bird's eye, waited an endless second for the blue rectangle indicating a lock on from the auto focus, and took the picture. My lens was zoomed for tiny song birds, I didn't have time to unzoom to fit in the whole heron. The next frame was just wing and tail feathers as the bird flew off.


I tried to get another shot but this is best I could do. As I got closer, it moved off. I let it be. It's tough to be a bird.

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Great Blue Heron, 1/16/10
Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, Worcester, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Tufted Titmouse

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Tufted Titmouse, 1/16/10
Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, Worcester, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Mallards

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Mallards, 1/16/10
Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, Worcester, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Robins and a Starling Feeding on Crabapples

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Robins and a Starling Feeding on Crabapples, 1/14/10
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Sparrow in Bittersweet

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Sparrow, 1/14/10
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Slate-Colored Junco

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Slate-Colored Junco, 1/14/10
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Song Sparrow

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Song Sparrow, 1/12/10
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Whitetail Deer in the Cattails

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White-Tailed Deer, 1/12/10
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Tufted Titmouse

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Tufted Titmouse, 1/9/10
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Golden-Crowned Kinglet

What bird is this?


The color in this unfortunate exposure did not hold up under processing in an image editor so I converted it to black and white. After increasing the brightness and adjusting the contrast of the image (and consulting Peterson Field Guides), it was possible to identify this bird. The shape and size of the beak and tail, and the white wing bar, indicate it is a Kinglet. The lack of an eye ring and the presence of an eye stripe identify it as a Golden-Crowned Kinglet.

Here's the color version. The colors on the underside are distorted from increasing the brightness and contrast.

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Golden-Crowned Kinglet, 1/7/10
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Mourning Dove

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Mourning Dove, 1/7/10
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Tufted Titmouse

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Tufted Titmouse, 1/7/10
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS