wild bird blog Archives - Five Cedars

Purple Finch – April 8th 2015

Tom Roberts — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 19:51:13 +0000

I have been watching for a purple finch all winter. This chunky little bird is about the size of a sparrow and brightly colored. I was very exciting to see a pair of them this afternoon. A member of the finch family, the scientific name is Haemorhous purpureus. This little guy is a year round... Read more »

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Mourning Doves 5/5/2015

Tom Roberts — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 00:06:05 +0000

This pair of Mourning Doves had been hanging around all day in the lilacs. I have heard these called Turtle Doves or Rain Doves but we usually refer to them as just Doves. When they take flight their wings make a whistling swoopy sound and clicks. Other than that they make a cooing sound. They... Read more »

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Goldeneye Ducks 4/4/2015

Tom Roberts — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 21:44:22 +0000

Today we were headed to Oswego to photograph a lighthouse while there was still ice in the harbor but as it happens all too often we were visiting and the time flew by so we decided to postpone this particular adventure until we had more time and a better list of things to do. Instead... Read more »

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Female Downy Woodpecker 4/4/2015

Tom Roberts — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 14:46:23 +0000

Late this evening and early this morning a soft sticky snow fell, covering the branches and feeders. This is not unusual for this part of the country as we are liable to get snow on the 4th of July. That said, after a particularly cold and brutal winter we are looking forward to spring weather.... Read more »

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Great Blue Heron 3/28/2015

Tom Roberts — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 18:54:29 +0000

This year the cold has held on and much of the wetlands are still frozen and covered in ice. This heron is one of a flock who had found an area of open water. They seemed to be hunting newly emerging amphibians or maybe small fish. Great Blue Herons nest near here but migrate during... Read more »

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Great Blue Heron 2011

Tom Roberts — Sun, 22 Mar 2015 01:30:17 +0000

I photographed this Great Blue Heron in 2011 near Alexandria Bay NY. The rain was pouring down and all I had was my d40 Nikon with the 18-55mm kit lens. Since that time I have found better lenses are key to wild life photography. And patience.

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Wild bird feeder filler

Tom Roberts — Sat, 21 Mar 2015 00:36:14 +0000

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Dealing with nesting starlings

Tom Roberts — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 01:51:38 +0000

About 2 weeks ago we were awaken by squawking and scratching outside our bedroom window. By the sounds of squeaks and whistles we knew the culprits were Starlings. It seemed they had found a small opening in the siding and were fixing to take up housekeeping in the wall of our house. We bought this... Read more »

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Female snowy owl

Tom Roberts — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 01:50:23 +0000

Today as we were driving we noticed a large owl perched on the top of an old abandoned school house. This was one of those one room survivors that someone has maintained and it sits in an area with no trees or brush, just vacant field. At first it looked as if it might have... Read more »

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Robins are back

Tom Roberts — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 01:48:58 +0000

A sure sign of spring is the return of the robins. We began to notice them about a week ago and now they seem to be everywhere. They spend winters in roots from just below Canada south to Florida. This disappearing act has given rise to the idea that they fly south for the winter.... Read more »

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