When the mercury reaches 50 degrees F, after a long, cold winter, honey bees (Apis mellifera) exit their home in search of water, pollen and nectar and begin the process of cleaning their hive.
 The Pine branches bend under the weight of the snowstorm. With any luck this will be the last storm of a very long, cold and snowy winter.
 Camouflaged in the trees overlooking the river an immature Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalis) watches and waits.
 The Bald Eagles
(Haliaeetus leucocephalus) rest quietly on their nest with a birds-eye view over the hillside and down to the river. Countless vehicles pass the eagles without noticing the nest. Once spring arrives and their young develop, the nest will be well hidden by foliage,  This question is on the minds and lips of everyone. The largest creature to the tiniest bird and even the ones that shovel snow are wondering how long this season will last.
 There was no mistaking that call. The pair kept me up all night. At dawn I spotted the male Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) in a distant treetop, chasing away Ospreys and other birds. These point and shoot camera images do not do this owl justice. The male eventually settled into a large tree, close to his mate on her nest. Both were perfectly hidden in the Spanish moss hanging from the oak limbs.   A female, Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) makes an appearance in the creek. Ice on the Great Lakes may have sent this northern bird south searching for open water.
 This American Beaver (Castor canadensis) made a rare and cold, daytime appearance at the shoreline long enough to pose for a few photographs before swimming upstream. The weather was cold enough to form ice crystals on the beaver's mouth.
 An American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) sits on an electric line, focused on the roadside field below.
 On a stretch of the two coldest days of the year, the night wind chill drops to -20 F, leaving birds and beasts to hunker down and take refuge.
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Explore the outdoors with DanielPhotographs, musings and observations. (Click on images to enlarge.) Archives
May 2025
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