February 09 – My Nature Journal
2025-02-09 Nature Journal
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
American Crows are easy wild animals to spot but can be hard to photograph.
They are easy to spot because they live almost everywhere in United States, are active during the day, are large birds, live near humans, and are very vocal birds so draw attention to themselves.
But American Crows can be a real challenge to photograph for one big reason; they are solid black birds.
While their feathers are glossy, their solid black coloration makes them appear as dark, featureless silhouettes in photographs taken in almost all light without adjusting the exposure to compensate. I had to take several exposures of this bird to check whether I was capturing its details. Fiddling with camera settings takes time, which wild animals don’t grant to admiring nature photographers always.
Luckily for me, this American Crow seemed intent on warning every animal in the forest of my presence. He remained perched on this branch for several minutes, cawing his head off, while I got my settings right.
Carolina Wren
(Thryothorus ludovicianus)
Carolina Wrens are charming little songbirds. They live year-round in my area and are fairly abundant, so I’m almost guaranteed to see at least one on nearly any nature walk I take, regardless of season.
They are easy to identify from a distance, thanks to their bright white eye stripe, curved bill, and cocked-up tail. But they can be tough to photograph sometimes.
First, Carolina Wrens live in brushy areas. They spend much of their time flitting through dense vegetation or shadowed areas. This habit keeps them behind cover or in tough light much of the time.
Second, they are extremely active birds. Like many songbirds, individual Carolina Wrens rarely spend more than a second or two in one place. They bob, flit, dart, and flutter around the landscape. I have to race the birds to catch their photographs before they flit to a different location.
But they’re fun little birds to try to photograph. Often, they join other small songbirds like sparrows in the same general area. Together, the wrens and sparrows can be so numerous that they fill my peripheral vision with sharp movements from all the birds darting around the undergrowth.
Bufflehead
Bucephala albeola
I was pleased to see several Buffleheads floating and diving on the lake today.
This species only winters in my area, so it won’t be long before these birds take off for the far north, not to return again until the fall.
And I will miss them.
Today’s Nature Journal Snapshot
|
Time of Day |
Mid-afternoon |
|
Setting |
Large lake and surrounding forest |
|
Temperature |
71° F / 22° C |
|
Weather |
Scattered clouds |
|
Humidity |
34% |
