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From My Window

Photographs taken with a compact camera journaling everyday life in Central Massachusetts and beyond.

Birds of Massachusetts

Hope is the Thing With Feathers

An excerpt from a poem by Massachusetts’ own Emily Dickinson.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –

-Emily Dickinson

Bringing Cheer

During this difficult time, the reappearance of the American Robin in my yard is a rejuvenating and stabilizing sight.

American Robins are known to run a few steps, then stop abruptly, both to listen for danger and watch for worm movement in the ground.
Robins usually hop through tall grasses; this robin is hopping through the last of the snow.
Each year, robins build multiple nests, like these from last year, under my deck. Sometimes they choose one as their nesting site. Other years they all remain empty.

Cold Snap

Whether you are on a porch or in the field, it’s still frosty in Massachusetts. Spring is due in five weeks for our creatures at Wachusett Meadow Audubon. By then, the icicles should melt off the grapevines and food should be easier to find everywhere.

Wonderful Waxwings

Cedar Waxwings display an elegant combination of brown, lemon yellow and gray feathers, accented with red wing tips and topped off with a jaunty black mask. What a treat to see on a gray New England day!

Bluebird Break

Today’s high temperature of 62 degrees Fahrenheit encouraged the small group of bluebirds who remain in Massachusetts all year to enjoy the unusually snow-free Wachusett Meadow.

Snow and Seeds

White-throated Sparrows, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Juncos don’t seem to mind a hop on the crunchy snow, so long as an abundance of seeds fallen from the bird feeders is on offer.

A New Year In New England

December brought snow, ice and temperature fluctuations, lending itself to a variety of seasonal photo opportunities.
Happy New Year from New England!

Wachusett Meadow Audubon, Princeton, MA
Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston, MA
Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston, MA
Old Sturbridge Village, MA
Tower Hill Botanic Garden
Wachusett Meadow Audubon, Princeton, MA

Morning Has Broken

This cheerful Gray Catbird, who I have named “Cat Stevens”, has returned for the Summer. His day (and thus mine, as well) starts around 5:00 a.m. with continuous merry outbursts of a variety of songs delivered from a nearby treetop.

Glorious Oriole

Baltimore Orioles visit my backyard for a short time each year in early May. This acrobatic guest made the most of my hummingbird feeder, cleverly swinging and balancing so he could take a drink.

Tricks With Sticks

The persistent and ingenious house wren who returns to our yard each year always finds a way to create a new nest for the next generation.

Eastern Wild Turkey

Once nearly extinct in New England, Eastern wild turkeys have made a remarkable comeback. This turkey was wandering the field at the Wachusett Meadow Audubon this week.

A full grown turkey has between 5000 and 6000 feathers on its body arranged in unique patterns called feather tracts. These feathers can exhibit shades of green, red, gold, black and even bronze.

On the Lookout

The Northern Mockingbird, House Sparrow and Red-Winged Blackbird keep a watchful eye over the barn area at Wachusett Meadow Audubon.

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