Bird Alert!

...the bird book says this is a Marsh Hawk, a young bird, since it has russet tones on the chest. It sat on the wires in the backyard for a spell, pooped of course--staying long enough for me to crunch thru the snow in the yard with camera. Finally, when it was annoyed enough at me, it left. Click for a better view. The Marsh Hawks patrol the skies over our town, looking for wayward rodents and small birds to snack on. (The photo on top was taken by Hubsy yesterday with the other camera.) For Camera Critters!

Fenceline, snow and shadow: in Blue...

...blues make for wonderful tones; blue tone harmonize so well. What doesn't go great with Blue?

Toes are Freezing by now....

...Steve and Lori's home is in the background; I start back, around the backyard wetland (swamp) and up their road. Paused to collect images of the rustic fence line and evocative shadows. The game just started when I got  back to their place.

Stop the Presses!

....this is why we set up all these feeders and keep them stocked! Today, I was just thinking: Oh, how I wish some brand new great bird would come and give me a nice "feeder show".  The Red-Bellied Woodpecker must have heard me. This happened within an hour.

Waiting for Spring...

...like the rest of us, the trellis in the corner, beside the front porch, slumps under the ice.

Quiet and Cold...

...I was outside for less than half an hour, but everywhere I looked: a nice opportunity for a photo. The air temperature was 15-18 F with a crystal sapphire sky, pure snow and lovely light. The horses across the road were somewhat interested in me, but more so in their pile of food.

"The Bears-Packers Super Bowl"....

...as it was billed at a tavern on the IL-WI border near Richmond, IL. Hubs' and I drove north an hour or so to watch the event on TV at the lovely home of Steve and Lori; adorable, fun-loving and irrepressible--long time friends from the days when Hubs' and I practically commuted between Zion, IL and Madison, WI to see one another. Before the game started, I walked outside with my camera to capture some of the mid-winter magic that can be seen in the Chain of Lakes area of Northern IL.  That's my world.