Picture imperfect

It has been a week of appointments and tests, punctuated by rain, wind and a cold snap, all of which greatly limited the number and duration of my back yard photographic excursions.  Sultry skies and elusive subjects contributed to poorly exposed and fuzzy images.

Eastern Bluebirds gather together during the cold months in family or multi-family flocks. My poorly-focused encounter with several perching side-by side was a delightful sight which, I felt, did not deserve to be consigned to the digital dustpan:

Another bluebird flew in:

Some explored the bluebird house which had been taken over by Tree Swallows this spring:

One perched atop a tall Chestnut Oak, too far away for a decent shot:

At the platform feeder which offers Safflower seeds, the first Purple Finch of the season, a female,  joined a colorful male House Finch:

The sighting was only momentary and I had to shoot diagonally through the double-paned window. Note the distinctive face pattern of the Purple Finch. It also appears a bit larger and the top ridge of her bill (culmen) is straight, not slightly curved as in House Finch:

For comparison, this is a plain-faced female House Finch:

We have had very few squirrels or Blue Jays at the feeders this fall. Deer and Black Bear sightings have been less frequent in neighborhood back yards. This is very likely due to the abundant crop of acorns and other nuts. There were practically none the previous autumn. Turkeys and deer also benefit. Here is a typical roadside accumulation of hickory nuts, a huge waste of calories in a season of plenty. They pop like little firecrackers when autos run over them:

Acorns covered the ground under a single White Oak:

A White-tailed doe briefly visited the side yard, providing a through-the-window snap:

Six of the 13 segments on this Wooly Bear caterpillar (larva of Tiger Moth) are entirely black, 4 are entirely rusty brown, and 3 seem to contain both colors.

Legend has it that a majority of black segments portends a more severe winter. The more likely explanation for the ratio may be that the number of brown bands is directly related to the age of the caterpillar--  it is widest if the caterpillar emerged early in the spring. If the previous winter was more prolonged and caused later emergence, the black areas would prevail and thus correlate with the severity of the PREVIOUS winter! (REF: Woolly Bear Caterpillars and Weather Prediction)

Three pairs of Mallards paddled in the reflected color of lakeside autumn leaves:

Their wake trailed behind them:

There was a colorful sunset after a rainy afternoon. Fog settled in the valleys:

This week's header: Afternoon storm approaching

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Linking to:

Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

Garden Affair

All Seasons

Image-in-ing

Nature Notes

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World
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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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