The day was stunning with sun, gentle warmth, and no mosquitoes for a change. My first stop was at Nashawannuck Pond in Easthampton. I loved seeing the Cormorants with the city-scape behind them. They were busy preening until one of them brought a pinecone up from the depths and seemed to have it caught in his beak. Now he had their attention! He did finally get free of it and they flew away.
Nearby were a couple of Mallards swimming in beautiful fall-colored water.
In the cemetery next to the pond, there were lots of birds flying around including this robin who seemed to match the coloring of the pine cones. He had been sitting at the very top, but I wasn’t able to get a good shot of him there.
Next stop was over at Arcadia where I watched this little Downy Woodpecker go to town on the sumac bush. His tail feathers, in the first picture, look to me like he is wearing ballet slippers! I noticed that he almost always closed his eyes as he stuck his beak into the plant. So cute!
Back in Hadley a while later, I was surprised to see a Kingfisher sitting above the farmers’ field, evidently taking a break from fishing.
You never know what you might find on the telephone wires over there. A couple of days earlier I had seen the beautiful male Kestrel hanging out. These little guys fly down real quick to snag a tasty rodent or juicy bug then fly up again to eat in peace. They are fun to watch but really shy and it is hard to get close. Other birds will put up with a car driving by but not these little falcons. These pictures are from earlier in the week.
Sadly, there was also a small, mangy coyote in those fields. It would be great to get him some veterinary care, but that’s not going to happen. This was the second such pup I have seen there.
Love your photos as much as I love your story telling! I felt like I was there with you!