Photos, Paintings, Portraits & Prints by Cynthia Crawford
These two ducks- a male Bufflehead and a male Ring-necked Duck, have been hanging out together above a big dam on the Connecticut river in Wilder , Vermont. They were here in January/February, when they might be expected to be seen, but they’re STILL here , long after they usually would have migrated North. No one has seen either of them fly. They seem content, eat well and stay close. It’s a joy to see them, but. hoping there is nothing wrong with them.
One if the joys of bird-watching is witnessing something special- in this case , an American Redstart female building a nest in a Sumac bush. I watched her for about 15 minutes, and managed to get a few pictures. The real picture though, is in my memory as a cherished moment!
Got up at 5 AM today to join 30 other birders in Windsor, Vermont, for a lovely morning of bird-watching. Here are some of the highlights.
My beautiful Glen, Rory, had major surgery at the Norwich Regional Hospital ( http://www.norwichanimal.com/) on Wednesday. Jennifer Lesser did a great job removing a large tumor- it was a very tricky operation. Thank-you, Jennifer, and all the staff “family” support.
Here he is in his “hospital Gown” – an old T-shirt modified to fit. Pretty handsome, don’t you think?
We’ve never had a House Wren here before- it’s pretty woodsy. This one was singing and competing with a Chickadee for this house. Did not heard him yesterday…maybe he got discouraged?
This male Bluebird was defending his nest box from some persistent, pesky Tree Swallows. Look out Swallows!
This plucky little fellow was defending his nest box from 7 Tree Swallows. He reminded me of my friend Annette, who is dealing so bravely with a serious cancer diagnosis. May they both prevail!
Looking for signs of spring, mostly birding around the Upper Valley a mid-Vermont area encompassing Hanover, N.H. and White River Jct. Vermont- both sides of the Connecticut River.
Migrant birds have been arriving, including a puzzling duck, found recently on Lake Runnemede in Windsor, Vermont. There has been a lot of debate about this female Scaup. Greater Scaup or Lesser Scaup. Here she is.
Lots more pictures in my Flickr gallery here:
This plucky little fellow was bravely defending his birdhouse against 7 Tree Swallows. He made me think of my friend, Annette, who is bravely dealing with serious cancer, just recently discovered. May they both prevail!
Note: My dear friend Annette has passed on, but her spirit is undiminished!
Took some pictures of a few of our Evening Grosbeaks today- we have a flock of about 15 noisy birds. It’s a real treat to have them around, as they are becoming rare around here (in Vermont).
We’ve had almost summer-like weather here- lovely to see all the spring bird arrivals and the piglets and goatlets at Hogwash farm nearby.
