Pair of Great White Egrets

All along Old Hickory Lake which is part of the Cumberland River that runs through downtown Nashville and northeast to Hendersonville and Gallatin, there are many small tributaries where you can view the many species of waterfowl that make this lake their home. There are also many species who migrate through on their way North or South during Spring and Fall.

It was mid May and as I was on my way home for the day, I spotted quite a few Great White Egrets gathered in one of the backwater tributaries of Old Hickory Lake situated next to the main road. It was late day and harsh light, but I got out of my car and stood and counted 26 Great White Egrets in that one area. It was an amazing sight. My 300 mm just couldn't get close enough to get the images I had hoped for, but I wanted to share one of the images with you. I have been way under the weather since New Year's Day, but wanted to share this first image of the New Year with you. ENJOY!

A Sandhill Crane Story

Come with me as I take you back to Winter 2013. After a short drive, I pull into the small town of Ewing Bottoms, west of Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge, in south central Indiana. Thousands of Sandhill Cranes are spread across the vast farm fields. Moving from field to field, the Cranes lift off, fly a short distance and land to forage for food. The bottom land is the perfect platform for viewing the Sandhill Cranes with its flat expanse covering multiple farm fields and a two lane road that cuts right through the middle of the area enabling you to view the Cranes in closer proximity. Flat and wide, one can view the Cranes for miles and miles while listening to their distinct calls as it penetrates an otherwise quiet Winter's day.

Fast forward to present day in middle Tennessee. Now, as I did in southern Indiana, I will travel to view the Sandhill Cranes yet again. Only this Winter I will travel to Hiwassee National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Tennessee, where thousands and thousands and thousands of Cranes will spend the winter months before migrating back north to build their nests and add to the Crane population. Each January the refuge holds a Sandhill Crane Festival with upwards of 2,500 visitors who travel to the refuge from all over the United States to view the Cranes. One might have thought my relationship with these magnificent creatures ended when I moved south to Tennessee, that could not be farther from the truth. Now I am closer to their Winter home and hopefully, in early January I will have new images of the Cranes to share as I travel to Hiwassee to view the Cranes yet again. Until then I wanted to share with you this image I captured of the Cranes as they flew from field to field in Ewing Bottoms in Southern Indiana several years ago. They are so beautiful. Don't you agree. ENJOY!

Scarlet Tanager

Sunday proved to be interesting as I photographed two different birds that from a distance looked similar, but when looking at the images in my software, definitely are not. The Palm Warbler proved more difficult to identify while the bird I am posting today needed less research to uncover the identification. This is a female Scarlet Tanager. I read that the female Scarlet Tanager never turns scarlet red, as its name suggests. Only the male has the strikingly beautiful scarlet red body with jet black wings.

In the winter, this female will turn completely yellow green. She may have a hint of darker color to her scapulars. Now you may ask me, what is a scapular? I had no idea what that was either. It is the 'what I like to call' layers of feathers. The feathers lay in rows with upper, lower and sub scapulars. Under those scapulars are the tail, undertail coverts and greater coverts. Who knew? I guess you need to know when you have thousands of birds to identify in varying stages of ages and sexes. Not to mention breeding plumage. Another interesting note, Tanagers and Orioles seem to have similar markings and coloring.

This Scarlet Tanager seemed as curious about me as I was about it. Turning her head back and forth, I thought for sure she was going to fly away. But she hesitated for a bit. Here is where a long fixed lens would have come in very handy. A 300mm fixed lens would have gotten me some fantastic images. As it was my 300mm zoom kept auto focusing on branches. So I only got a few really good images that were in focus. My guess is an avid bird photographer will carry those fixed lens as it has to be to their advantage.

Female Scarlet Tanagers are entirely yellowish green, with a yellower throat and sides, and dark wings and tail. A thin bright yellow eye ring and greenish edging on their wing coverts are markings that can help identify these birds. Tanagers breed in the eastern United States, all the way to the Gulf Coast. Wintertime you will find them migrating to Amazonia and the foothills of the Andes in South America. What a trip these birds make. I truly am amazed at how far some of the smaller bird species travel in migration. As I mentioned in my last post, it has turned into the rainy season here in the Bluegrass State, with storms and heavy rain. After grabbing lunch today, I looked up to see a really dark ring of storm clouds moving in. I have to admit I checked out the whole ring just to make sure no circular motion was going on as tornadoes and wind have brought damage to homes and businesses and even several deaths south in Kentucky and in Tenessee. ENJOY!

Palm Warbler

Every now and then you can find me hanging out on the path that surrounds Kingfisher Pond at Bernheim Arboretum. The pond itself is so small that if you blink, you might miss it. However, it is a good spot for bird watching which I did today. This area of Bernheim has a lot of trees and bushes near the pond which attracts lots of different species of birds.

As I stood on the path that surrounds the pond, a small bird sat on a nearby tree for a few seconds allowing me to capture a few images. When I got home I did a search on the internet to find out what type of bird he was thinking perhaps he could be a Warbler. And discovered he is a Warbler, a Palm Warbler. Not sure how he got his name although he spends his winters in the Caribbean. He is a Life List bird for me which is even better.

I learned that Palm Warblers breed in the farthest northern part of Canada than any other Warbler species. They migrate from that northern Canada summer breeding ground to the Gulf Coast and the Caribbean in winter. This particular Palm Warbler is an adult and was sporting its Fall plumage.

After searching for what type of Warbler this was, I have come to the conclusion you could go mad identifying Warblers as there are so many of them. And to make matters worst, once you do identify what type of Warbler then you have to figure out if it is a juvenile or an adult, a male or a female, and then what plumage is it sporting. Maddening.

I have another bird I will post this week that I captured images of near the pond. I haven't quite put my finger on his identification although he could be a Grosbeak of some sort. I did see a Cardinal, a Cedar Waxwing and a Black Capped Chickadee in the same vicinity. I expected I might find a Waxwing what with all of the bushes heavily laden with berries. And yes, I have images of those too to share soon. I hope you had a great weekend. Here in Kentucky, we could use a bit of sunshine and I don't mean the peak through the clouds kind like we had today. It has been gloomy for days, rained most of last week, just ugly. ENJOY!

American White Pelicans

Dare I drive two hours to see what birds are at Goose Pond FWA in central Indiana. Why, of course. The sky was blue, the sun was shining only occasionally abscurred by fluffy white clouds. Beautiful American White Pelicans were busily cohabitating in one of the many marshlands in Beehunter's Marsh in Goose Pond FWA just south of a tiny town called Linton in central Indiana. They allowed me to only get so close and then they would move away.

Numbering in the hundreds, the pelicans were busily refueling, as they took a much needed break, having traveled far from points in the southern United States. A migration only partially complete. Soon these pelicans will depart, as have many of their counterparts already, to points north, where they will nest and breed.

There was one small flock of pelicans in the southern most marsh at Beehunter's that I was sure were the only ones left. But before departing Goose Pond, I checked one last marsh in northern Beehunter's and there they were. Huddled in large groups and small, hundreds of American White Pelicans. So glad I persevered. To watch these huge birds with their large knotty bills and bright yellow (although I think they are more orange than yellow) gullets and their large black tipped wings was amazing. Amazing. And a Life List Bird for me as well. Yippee.

My various Goose Pond encounters included Whooping Cranes, which I wasn't expecting at all, Sandhill Cranes, Northern Shovelers, American Coots, Tundra Swans and Canadian Geese, of course. But the highlight for me was the American White Pelicans. And they are actually why I made the long drive. So gorgeous. ENJOY!

Postscript: Did I mention I can foretell the future. I see a new Nikon camera body in my future. OK. I dropped my Nikon last night with my 300 lens on it and jammed the shutter release. I'll have it repaired, of course, as it still has lots of life left in it. The lens is OK, I think. But in anticipation of taking a trip later this year, I have decided a second camera body is necessary. Did I mention that I am well known, and I do mean, well known, for being clumsy. I am. I have a long, long history dating back to all of the plates I broke as a young girl while drying the dishes in the evening after dinner. There my clumsiness was first evidenced and well, it still prevails.

Sandhill Crane Migration

Slowly, the Sandhill Cranes are lifting off in pairs and the like to begin their long and arduous journey back to their nesting grounds in Canada, leaving Kentucky and Indiana behind.

Checking the birding websites as I do daily, I read the posts from individuals who leave comments regarding the daily sightings of the Cranes as they fly overhead toward points North.

Reportedly there are six to seven thousand Sandhill Cranes in and around Ewing Bottoms and Mustatatuck NWR. However, they are migrating north which leaves the farmers in South Central Indiana to begin preparation for planting their Spring crops. I am grateful for the farms fields which fed and watered the Cranes as they overwintered there. The Cranes will be gone until late November or December. I hope they will fair well on their migration north and return in good health and in abundance bringing young adult Cranes with them.

My thoughts and prayers go out to those families who lost family and/or friends on the Malyasian Airlines plane that perished in the South China Sea today. I truly hope terrorism was not a factor.

Have a wonderful Sunday evening. I'll be back soon. ENJOY!

Photo of the Week

Ewing Bottoms has currently been taken over by the Sandhill Crane migration in southern Indiana. The Cranes number in the thousands in one huge farm field alone. In that particular field, there was an opening between two clusters of trees with thousands of cranes to the left and thousands behind the trees. Slowly, I made my way toward the opening, while staying hidden by trees on my right, so as not to disturb the Cranes I hoped to photograph behind the trees. The thousands of Cranes to my left were too far away so I knew I wouldn't disturb them.

Always in my mind I'm repeating the unwritten rule, don't disturb the wildlife. I got as close as I felt comfortable before stopping to take some photos. The crane behavior behind the treeline was much like that you'd find in a bus terminal. Cranes were flying in. Cranes were flying out. Cranes were lifting off, landing, and of course, dancing about in their traditional courting ritual. It was a hotbed of busy activity and I felt blessed to witness it in person. This particular image demonstrates best the unique interaction that takes place between the Cranes in their 'very' social gatherings. And I happen to think this image is beautiful. I hope you agree. ENJOY! PHOTOGRAPHER'S NOTE: Photo enhanced with Lomo-ish and Orton-ish textures.

Tundra Swans, Into the Light

I look toward the light today in an effort to fight my way out of the darkness of this deadly weekend. I pray for all of the victims and I pray for America. ENJOY!