Count Down to Spring

Just think campers, we're down to 26 days to Spring! I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to it. I'm fed up with the snow, the weather man tells me we've had 100 inches so far for the year and the weather's about to go south once again in the way of a Nor'easter, even as we prepare this blog.

The Art Alliance of Mount Aloysius College is sponsoring a Gone to the Birds January 20 - March 12, 2010. A reception was held on Sunday, 14 February 2010.

Patrons of the arts view some of the pieces on display at the Wolf-Kuhn Gallery on the campus of Mount Aloysius College in Cresson, PA.

Visitors take a closer look at a photograph of a Snowy Owl, which isn't often seen in this area.

The Student Government Association at Saint Francis University recently had the grand opening of an ice skating rink which is situated behind the DeGol Field House.

Free hot dogs, hamburgers and hot chocolate are one way to get students on any campus to attend an event.

Ice skates in the snow.

This SFU student does his best impersonation of Hans Brinker.

Dried buds from last year's Spanish Yucca flower are a nice contrast to the snow.

Bird hotel, closed for the winter.

I swear next year I will have many pots of these silk flowers around the yard so I can have a winter garden.

This is a Titmouse and a Black-capped Chickadee looking to land on the same spot of the feeder.

It's a near mid-air collision for these opposing two birds.

The orange slices that were part of our Christmas decorations are now serving as a little color in the white of winter and hopefully, the birds will enjoy them as well.

The warm weather that we've been having for the last several days has brought out the local rodent population.

Titmouse about to fly down to the feeder below him.

If you are a regular reader of the blog you've seen more than enough photographs of the woodpeckers and other birds flying into the suet feeders. This photograph shows the male Hairy Woodpecker as he flies toward the suet feeder. The distance between the 2x4 on the left and the center of the chain holding the feeder is 29 inches. For the most part, I try to snap the shutter as soon as the bird indicates that it's about to take off. Sometimes, I'm too fast, sometimes I'm too slow. In this shot I'm a little slow because the bird had traveled approximately 26 inches by the time I hit the button.

At this point, the bird is about 5 inches from the feeder.

In this shot the Red-bellied Woodpecker was sitting on top of the 2x4 before leaping off to land on the suet feeder.

Similar, but Different (a study)

These next two pictures are just pure luck for the most part. Because the Hairy Woodpecker was having trouble landing on the suet feeder, I was able to get shots of him while he was fluttering about around the feeder. This allows me to get shots from the back of the birds that I would normally not get because of the way they usually must approach the feeders. When you look at these two pictures you can see they were shot from different directions yet they are similar. Look closely at the two shots and see what you find to be similar and what you find to be different.

Here you have to imagine what the bird's feet are doing.


In this picture the bird is approaching left to right. In the previous picture the bird is approaching over my shoulder. You can see the bird's feet getting ready to grab the feeder.