If I had to pick a favorite time of year to photograph birds, it would be now, near the official beginning of winter and on until early spring. There are not as many varieties of birds as during the spring or fall migrations, but there are many local and visiting winter residents to challenge any birder/photographer. Clear, cold winter mornings are magical, the angle of the sun provides excellent photo lighting, and with most of the foliage gone, the birds are easy to see. But they are quite wary this time of year because they are more vulnerable and the predators are hungrier. The best strategy this time of year is to set up with a blind or camouflage in a likely location and wait for them to come to you. A type location which I like for field and woods birds is a protected field edge adjacent to brush with big trees behind. My favorite location near home is at The Field. There is a spot on the north side of the field where the field edge protrudes into the woods forming a pocket about 40 yards wide and deep, with lots of brush and large oaks/pines mixed behind the brush. There is a large old pecan tree growing about 10 feet out in the field at the west edge of the pocket. This provides for the early morning through late afternoon sun to warm the cover along the edge, and the area is protected from the predominate west and north winds that come this time of year. The warming activates insects in the brush, attracting many species. Poison ivy berries and mistletoe are growing in the pecan and oaks, providing another source of food. It is always amazing to me how many critters come to such an area to find food. The car is a great hiding place. Animals are not really afraid of cars if they are still and you stay inside. Last Thursday I went to this spot about 8AM and parked my car parallel to the back of the pocket about 30 yards out, giving me visual access to all three sides of the spot from the drivers seat. And I waited. When I left at 11AM, I had pictures of about 20 different species of birds and a few mammals. They included both field birds(Robins, meadowlarks, sparrows), woods birds(Blue Jay, White Eyed Vireo, Ruby and Golden crowned Kinglets, Flickers, Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-bellied woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, White throated Sparrow, Bluebird, and Orchard Oriole), raptors(Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier), and a few Mammals( Fox Squirrel, O'Possum, Deer). My favorite shots are of the Vireo, the squirrels, and the Pileated Woodpeckers doing acrobatics in the pecan tree trying to eat the poison ivy berries Merry Christmas and enjoy the pics below!!
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