Birds – Page 4 – M. Sullivan Photography

February 17, 2013 M. Sullivan Photography Birds, Photos

Boreal Owl

We had an unusual visitor to our backyard this morning. I noticed something odd in the old crab apple tree shortly after I got up. Just yesterday my Mom gave me two sets of my Dad’s binoculars. I took out a pair and saw this guy ten feet up in the tree. I did a bit of Google searching and the best match I can come up with is a Boreal Owl. Although some of the pictures make him look rather large, he was only nine or ten inches tall. I tried my best to get him to open his eyes all the way, but to no avail. He finally got tired of me taking pictures and saying “Hoo, hoo” to him and he flew off.

There were several chickadees around too. I couldn’t help but take a picture of one of them.

The surprise visit was a great way to start our Sunday morning.

September 25, 2012 M. Sullivan Photography Family, Landscapes, Photos

Fall At Its Best

The first few days of fall have been sunny and dry. I went for a long walk with Daphne and the kids on Saturday. The kids actually chose to ride their bikes instead of walk. I took my camera with so I could catch the dramatic changing of leaves that we are now enjoying. The leaves aren’t quite at their peak, but many have turned golden yellow, bright orange and deep red.

I told Sophia before we left that we may go to the pond and see the ducks and geese. She decided to bring bread with so that she could offer them a nice mid-afternoon snack.

The kids thought this huge mushroom growing on an elm tree was a bee hive. Luckily no bees, but one big fungus.

We had a number of small birds fly into our south-facing picture window on Saturday. Unfortunately, two birds didn’t make it. Sophia managed to “rescue” this bird. I think it is a downy woodpecker, but do not confess to be an ornithologist, so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

It was just seconds after I took this picture that she flew off. Her crash into the window must have made her see stars, but it only took a few minutes to shake it off and take flight again. We were glad to have a happy ending to her story.

Saving the best photos for last…

March 31, 2012 M. Sullivan Photography Photos

Duck, Duck, Goose

Instead of attending her friend’s roller skating birthday party, Sophia spent the morning watching a movie in our bedroom and trying to rest after waking up with a fever. She was devastated that she was going to miss out on seeing all of her friends and enjoy cupcakes after singing “Happy Birthday”. She perked up a bit later in the day, but still didn’t feel good enough to change out of her pj’s. We gave away our tickets to an evening performance of the “Old Turtle”since we knew she needed rest. Late in the afternoon, Sophia was hanging out in her room, Sebastian and Mike were throwing the ball around in the front yard and I decided to take Daphne for a walk. It was a gray, dreary day, but I decided we needed some fresh air. We ended up walking through a quiet cemetery with a small stream running through it and two ponds. Daphne became excited when she saw ducks, geese and seagulls at the ponds, quacking, honking and cawing. I had my cell phone with me and called Mike to pack up Sophia in her pj’s, get Sebastian in the car, grab my camera and find some old bread to feed our new feathered friends. Mike and the kids arrived within a few minutes and the feast began.

The kids had fun seeing the beautiful birds. They were friendly and came up close enough to feed by hand. We will have to go back later in the spring when they have little ducklings and goslings swimming along side.