Getting cold out there!! Dark early too!

[Iminit]

Getting cold out there!! Getting dark early too!!

[LizStreithorst]

Those pics of the otter actually made me feel cold.

I'm glad someone finally took a pic of a buzzard. I'm very fond of them. Back when I was spending more time out of doors, I would see and hear a huge flock of them fly down to the river to roost. The sound of all those wings was what turned me on. Whoosh, woosh, woosh. You might be a red neck if you look forward to the buzzards going to roost.

[brewmaster15]

Nice Marsh Hawk/Harrier shot Tom.. Keep.an eye out for the whitish grey ghost version ( males)
A little info here.. https://www.audubon.org/news/northern-harrier.

The seals are cool too. We have a spot here at Hammonasset State Park where we see them regularly. They were out on the rocks a few weeks ago.

Pretty soon your subject will change. Winter ducks move into the marshes and bays.I bet you will see some nice ducks. We had a flock of about 50 hooded Mergansers here last week at a local pond .Pretty soon there will huge rafts of ducks in Long Island sound.My wife has her spotting scope ready,she loves when the Ducks return.

Shooting in cold weather can be challenging but its probably one of the best times to be able to be alone out there with your subject. Not alot of people like the shoreline in the cold of winter. Personally I love it.

Pics keep improving Tom.. keep shooting!

[Iminit]

Liz that’s a seal not an otter. Do have a few otters on the island. Haven’t got a picture of one yet though. I do know where some are. May have to stake them out one weekend. The buzzards are actually bald eagles. Evening shot. Was getting too dark.
yyou’d think the cold weather would send these photographers home!!! Nope my eagle spot has actually gotten crowded! And my beach spot where for the last 4 months I’ve only met one other photographer. Is now crowded! I was way back in the dunes taking pics of the Harrier and I focused in on a guy in complete camo! lol. Seems there has been a few sightings of snowy owls and everyone is now at the beaches!! As for me I’m still making mistakes. Twice yesterday in between shots of little birds I had 2 different Harriers right above me. Both times with my 600mm lens and 1 1/4tc I managed to shoot them at 340mm. Never reset the lens.
first may be your gray ghost! Or the one below

As always the duck shot was great

Many ducks here now. All at eagle lake.

[brewmaster15]

There have been snowy owls spotted along the CT shore too. Some years they come down this far down.. others not. They like ope9n areas and can draw huge crowds looking to get the pic of that life bird or snag an iconic snowy shot.
I tend to avoid the flocks of bird watchers even if a rarity is there. Theres often some tension between watchers and photographers. though some fall in the middle of both like I do , most dont.

I prefer to shoot pics alone and seek that out... its led me from some of my usual areas when crowded and allowed me to find new areas. Thats the joy of nature photography.. theres always something to take pics off just around the corner.

[jwcarlson]

To be fair... bald eagles are basically buzzards. They're just as likely to be eating road kill or a hog that a farmer tossed out in a field as they are to be fishing.

Nice pics, Tom. I like this time of year because in a lot of ways it condenses down daylight activity. The frustrating part to me is that it's basically always dark. Dark when I leave for work. Dark when I get home. Tough to get anything done outside at all. It's clear the water up north is closing up. It's closing up here even with some warm weather the last few days. Lots of ducks/geese moving. And even a lot of swans flying over our house, which is awesome. I "talked" to some the other day.

[Iminit]

lol yes eagles are like buzzards! They’re an amazing bird! But I see these eagles becoming as popular as ospreys in about 5 years. In the last month I’ve found 10 more bald eagles. The nest I was watching had 2 successful fledglings. Other pairs on the island had 3. So the population is growing. Out east I had a fledgling living behind the house for a few months. Last weekend with the leaves down I found a pair with a fledgling about a mile from the house. They are showing up everywhere. Swans!! We’ve got hundreds!! No joke I counted 60 on a lake by me. At eagle lake yesterday there were well over 20. In the spring there was only 2. These swans are hopefully migrating! But at that first lake those 60 are residents! All year! More swans than Canadian geese!
The snowy owls have got every photographer out looking for them! Yes I’d love to see one but the amount of people looking keeps me from getting out there. Than there’s the ones who complain about the first! Just annoying! Yes I too like to be by myself. Reminds me a lot of hunting a solo activity. But there is a group of about 20 regulars at eagle lake. I now know most of them. Great group of people all willing to help and explain what there doing! Funny when I bought my Camera I was the only one with it. Seem many have now bought this camera! These people all own the Z8 but have now moved to the Z6lll. So lots of info coming my way. I bought the right camera. Some duck pics from yesterday.

[jwcarlson]

That hooded merganser group shot is great! And a black duck even... don't see many of those around. At least not here!