Yesterday was extremely cold at Great Meadows, but I intrepidly went forth and was delighted to encounter a flocking of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). I am not sure what this is about, migrational arrival, mating, the cold? Maybe a reader knows? I failed to get a good picture of it, but share the image of Figure 1 to document the event.

During my walk I encountered, up close and personal, this gorgeous canada goose (Branta canadensis) and decided to take a tight portrait of him, revealing flecks of grass and seed on his face and, of course, nice bokeh in the background. They can be quite aggressive, especially when protecting fledglings. But this time of year they follow the view that discretion, retreat, and exit is the better part of valor! The image is shown in Figure 2. We get so used to thinking of these birds as pests that we forget to stop and look at just how beautiful and elegant they really are.

Figure 2 – Canada goose, Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Concord, MA. (c) DE Wolf 2022

Figure 1 – Canon T2i with EF 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM lens at 320 mm, ISO 1600 Aperture Priority AE Mode 1/400 sec at f/5.6 with no exposure compensation

Figure 2 – Canon T2i with EF 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM lens at 235 mm, ISO 1600 Aperture Priority AE Mode 1/3200 sec at f/5.6 with no exposure compensation