May birding shots

I'm continuing to enjoy birding this month and I've take a few opportunities to get out with the family and go for a walk and photo trip at the same. Good family time + good picture time makes for a happy me. Some of the interesting species and fun shots I've taken the last two weeks: This is rapidly becoming a bird photo blog, I hope no one minds :)

Another day with the birds!

Today was another day with the birds, with a trip out to Oak Hammock Marsh near Stonewall.  It was a windy day so sadly the birds were few and far between but there were a few surprises.

Songbirds were pretty much nowhere to be seen, but at one point a curious American Tree Sparrow let me check him out as he perched on a nearby bullrush:



A slightly more interesting find was a small cluster of what turned out to be Marbled Godwits.  This was my first time seeing these birds, so I was happy to get a decent capture.



That was about it for keepers at Oak Hammock itself, but on the drive back, my wife noticed something by the side of the road:



I thought this Snowy Owl might have been injured, but once I got close enough, it showed that it was okay:



Sadly, it never turned back to me, but I like the sense of motion as it launched so this was the shot I kept.

Thinking the day might not be so bad we headed to nearby Lockport to see if the Pelicans that gather there were up for a photoshoot.  What we found put a smile on my face:







A great end to a fun day out with the family.