Birds in the Woods

A nuthatch with a bite to eat

 Well, it is officially November (for those of you who have not glanced at your calendar lately).  Bird watching get pretty good this time of year, because the various trees, shrubs, vines, and flowers put forth a veritable smorgasbord of flavor for our avian friends.   Berries, seeds, thistle, nuts...you name it!  The thinning foliage makes spotting these guys a lot easier, and since they are very active as they beef up for winter, it is the perfect time to keep your eyes and ears open. 

Although I did not get to capture every unique bird I saw on camera, I did see and get a shot of a Cedar Waxwing.  I have longed to get a chance to photograph one of these sleek beautiful birds for years, but they never seem to visit my yard.  Not the close-up I always dreamed of, but I was delighted to get a couple fun shots none the less.  I also grabbed a couple distant shots of a few active Blue Jays, whose bright blue plumage jumped out against the yellow hues of the woods.  So here is what I was able to catch, hope you enjoy!

Cedar Waxwing

 

Excerpt from Charles Spurgeon’s book  “The Treasury of David” Psalm 143

Verse 5. I meditate on all thy works. Let us look for God in the future more earnestly than we have done in the past,—look for him in vineyards and orchards and harvest fields,—in the bright plumage of birds, and the delicate bloom of fruit, and the sweet gracefulness of flowers,—in the dense foliage of the forest, and the sparse heather of the moor,—in the rich luxuriance of fertile valleys, and the rugged grandeur of the everlasting hills,—in the merry dance of the rivulet, and the majestic tides of the ocean—in the gay colours of the rainbow, and the splendour of the starry heavens,—

in the gentle radiance of the

 moon, and the gorgeous light of setting suns,—in the clear azure sky, and the weird pageantry of clouds,—in the snow mantled wintry landscape, and the brilliant effulgence of a summer's noon,—in the virgin loveliness of spring, and in the pensive fading beauty of autumn,—let us look for him with an earnest, eager, and unwearied gaze, till we see him to be a God of wisdom as well as power, of love as well as sovereignty, of beauty as well as glory.

—A. W. Momerie, in "The Origin of Evil, and other Sermons," 1881.

Are you looking at me?

Of course, I had my trusty side kick with me.  This may have played a small part in the birds not getting to close....a predator was afoot!