I always used to see these beauties in Scotlands Caingorm Mountains and occasionally in the winter along the coast in Norfolk. Now in the winter they're just a few hundred yards down the lane. It was rather frigid this morning at 7F (-13.88C). The lack of wind and bright early morning sunshine made it seem warmer. I didn't stay up there long but still managed to take 2472 shots! Here's a select few of them.
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| Snow Bunting |
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| Snow Bunting |
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| Snow Bunting |
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| Snow Bunting |
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| Snow Bunting |
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| Snow Bunting |
I often refer to it being cold with the metaphor "colder than a witches tit", yeah well today's cold takes that to a whole new level. Today up in the fields it was "colder than Bellatrix Lestrange's tit". A Harry Potter reference to a particularly nasty witch. 😉 It was 15F (-9.44C), so I didn't stay too long.
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| Horned Lark |
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| Snow Bunting |
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| Horned Lark |
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| Horned Lark |
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| Snow Bunting |
It must have started snowing in the early hours of Sunday morning because it was several inches deep when I got up just after 5AM. As it was hovering around freezing the snow was sticking to everything and looked quite photogenic. I took a few shots around the yard when it got a little lighter. As the temperatures are going to drop to 15F (-9.44C) and stay pretty cold for the rest of the week the snow probably isn't going to melt. We were due to head out just after 8AM to head back across the River onto the West Shore to revisit the LL Bean Store. I thought it best to get the drive cleared before we left and the snow blower made light work of it. Heading out the temperature was dropping all the time and the wind was getting up and blowing the snow around. We stopped off for lunch at Olive Garden (I had my favorite Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara which was yummy) after which we headed home. I went up the lane to check on the birds and sure enough the field birds were along the lane feeding on the verges exposed by the snow ploughs. I only saw one Snow Bunting among the Horned Larks but it did come close enough for a few photos. The wind was howling across the fields and drifting is going to be a problem in the morning.
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| Front Yard |
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| Front Yard |
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| Across the Fields |
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| Across the Fields |
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| Horned Lark |
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| Snow Bunting |
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| Snow Bunting |
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| Snow Bunting |
Kelly had Friday off and wanted to go over to the LL Bean Store over on the West Shore. Thinking there might be one or two photo opportunities I grabbed a camera on the way out. Leaving the store in Mechanicsburg we turned off interstate 81 at Marysville and headed North along the Susquehanna River to Duncannon. We crossed over the river and headed back along the river and stopped off at Fort Hunter where I got my only photo opportunity. The Rockville Bridge with a train going over it.
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| Rockville Bridge |
In the peace and quiet of the backyard (apart from the Blue Jays squawking that is) I took a few of the birds visiting my feeders.
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| Red-bellied Woodpecker |
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| White-breasted Nuthatch |
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| White-breasted Nuthatch |
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| Dark-eyed Junco |
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| Dark-eyed Junco |
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| Blue Jay |
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| Blue Jay |
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| Blue Jay |
People can be as dumb as dirt. I met several today and as such I only got one measly shot of a Snow Bunting. Why can't these morons stay in their car and use it as blind and to stop spooking the birds?
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| Horned Lark |
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| Horned Lark |
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| Horned Lark |
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| Horned Lark |
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| Horned Lark |
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| American Pipit |
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| American Pipit |
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| American Pipit |
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| American Pipit |
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| American Pipit |
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| American Pipit |
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| Horned Lark |
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| Horned Lark |
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| American Pipit |
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| American Pipit |
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| Horned Lark |
The weather forecast for days has been predicting heavy snow varying from 4-8 inches to 3-5 inches, what has been pretty consistent has been the starting time. It's been 3AM lasting until 1PM. I woke just after 5AM and eagerly looked out the window to see absolutely not one flake. It eventually started about 6:30AM and lasted until around 11AM and we got probably 3 inches.
I went out and spread seed on the table which got covered pretty quickly so I went out again and added more and the Blue Jay's saw me and were signaling to one and other that food has been served. As the snow was blowing from the East I was able to open the West facing window and take some shots of the snowbirds visiting the feeder. I do love my Blue Jays😃
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| Blue Jay |
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| Blue Jay |
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| Blue Jay |
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| Blue Jay |
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| Dark-eyed Junco |
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| Dark-eyed Junco |
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| Dark-eyed Junco |
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| Dark-eyed Junco |
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| Starling |
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| Mourning Dove |
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| Red-bellied Woodpecker |
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| Downy Woodpecker |
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| Red-bellied Woodpecker |
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| Blue Jay |
