I look at these images and wonder what is it that appeals to me about the black and white. The simplicity of the compositions? The textures? The emphasis on shadows and shapes? What do you think about black and white imagery?
More winter birds hanging around our place. Pine Siskin. American Goldfinch. House Cassin’s Finch. Evening Grosbeak. Red-winged Blackbird. Bald Eagle. And my favorite of this group, White-breasted Nuthatch.
This is a Red-tailed Hawk. Redtails, as they are commonly called, come in a variety of colors but most have similar patterns that ought to make them easy to identify. For beginning birders, they do present challenges. This bird is a light colored, first year bird. It was born last spring. The next time it molts (replaces its feathers) it will have a distinctive red tail which will make it easier to identify. Sometimes Redtails are very dark and the patterns are not always obvious. It is the most commonly seen hawk in our area.
We often see Bald Eagles from our house flying by or perched on trees and snags down below the house or along the river. So when my friend from out of town noticed an eagle perched on a snag in the yard, at eye level from the dining room table, we just thought it was an immature Bald Eagle. We had about a minute to watch and I made a few photos through the not very clean, window with the closest camera I had before it flew. While examining the photos last night, I kept thinking, that is not a Bald Eagle. In fact, it’s a Golden Eagle! Ken saw it perched below the house later yesterday so maybe it’s sticking around. I’ll be watching every eagle more closely now!
After a few days, the snow grew heavy and then it consolidated til we were limited to plowed and previously packed areas for getting around. Only one animal has moved gracefully through the deep and crusted snow recently.
My Everyday Photos 