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  • Friday, March 1, 2013 was a beautiful snowy day so the husband and I decided to take a break from everything and head out to relax and see what kind out photos we could capture. ..This winter scenery was photographed along one of the lakes at the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area in St. Charles County.
    busch_wildlife_winter_scenery.jpg
  • 2013 Saint Paul Winter Carnival - ICE Sculpting @ Rice Park
    Old Man Winter - Ice Carving.jpg
  • The Cardinal is probably one of the most recognizable and popular backyard birds because of its brilliant red color and crested head. It is a great bird to admire year-round. The color contrast of the brilliant red against fresh white snow really is a high point during the winter months. Early settlers were said to have named this bird after the Cardinals of the Catholic Church who wore red robes.<br />
<br />
Both sexes are accomplished songsters and may be heard at any time of year. Cardinals will mate for life and remain together throughout the entire year. That's why you will usually see a male and female together at your feeding station.<br />
<br />
Male and female Cardinals both sing. Songs are loud, beautiful whistled phrases. Some songs you may hear sound like "whoit whoit whoit" and "whacheer whacheer." These songs are used in forming territories and in courtship. Male and female cardinals use "chirps" as contact calls and alarms. They also have many visual displays such as "tail-flicks" to signal alarm. The crest may be raised and lowered. Strongly territorial, males will fight other males, along with their own reflection in windows!
    Chubby Winter Redbird.jpg
  • Miss Junco Enjoying Her Winter Perch
    Junco Winter Bokeh.jpg
  • A cold male Northern Cardinal adds a splash of color to an otherwise dull gray winter afternoon in the woods
    A Splash of Winter Red.jpg
  • A male Northern Cardinal flies through the winter storm dodging the tree branches in the woods laden with icicles. The skies were dull and grey with a bit of a purple tint, the air was brisk and chilly. The only signs of beauty and life was this bold red bird flying from tree to tree on this cold winter day in my Missouri back yard.
    Flight Of A Winter Cardinal.jpg
  • A winter sunset falls in wispy clouds of blue and cotton candy pinks over a tree in an isolated field as a doe poses for the shot.
    Winter Sunset in Isolation.jpg
  • A Tufted Titmouse Snags A Seed In The Winter Snowstorm
    Titmouse Winter Seed Mouth.jpg
  • This blue jay was resting under a heat lamp on a cold and snowy winter day in my Missouri backyard. Having a pretty close vantage point I was able to get a dent amount of detail in the feathers of this lovely bird. A close look reveals the water droplets from the falling snow that has melted from the heat of the lamp.<br />
<br />
The Blue Jay is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to North America. It is resident through most of eastern and central United States and southern Canada, although western populations may be migratory.<br />
<br />
This common, large songbird is familiar to many people, with its perky crest; blue, white, and black plumage; and noisy calls. Blue Jays are known for their intelligence and complex social systems with tight family bonds. Their fondness for acorns is credited with helping spread oak trees after the last glacial period.<br />
<br />
Blue Jays prefer tray feeders or hopper feeders on a post rather than hanging feeders, and they prefer peanuts, sunflower seeds, and suet. Planting oak trees will make acorns available for jays of the future. Blue Jays often take drinks from birdbaths.
    Winter Heat Blue Jay.jpg
  • Well the Junco's are officially taking over the yard, so Winter must be in full effect
    Snowy Winter Junco.jpg
  • Blue Skies and Flakes Of White Blanket The Evergreen That Stands Tall With The Only Foliage Color Left As Winter Sets In.
    Snowy Tree.jpg
  • A Winter Wonderland framed by snow covered branches on a cold snowy day
    339A3921.jpg
  • Winter Mail at 4632 Francis St.
    4632 Francis Mailbox.jpg
  • Snow falls in winter 2013 on this lovely home in New Melle, Missouri
    339A3961.jpg
  • Winter Mail at 4638 Francis St.
    339A3928.jpg
  • Beard Frozen Over, Chiseling Away on the Ice Blocks
    Old Man Winter - Ice Carving 5.jpg
  • After hours of freezing in the cold, the ice sculpture start t take some shape
    Old Man Winter - Ice Carving 4.jpg
  • With -16 Windchill Temperatures, It's not long before everything and everyone turns to ice.
    Old Man Winter - Ice Carving 3.jpg
  • Carving An Ice Sculpture with A Chainsaw
    Old Man Winter - Ice Carving 2.jpg
  • Ice shard fly like bullets as the chainsaw cuts into the thick block of ice
    Old Man Winter - Ice Carving 6.jpg
  • A Tufted Titmouse Perches To Enjoy The Snow Flurries
    Snowy Winter Titmouse.jpg
  • Taken at the Friedens-Peace United Church of Christ. Friedens Peace United Church of Christ seeks to be a transformative community where following Christ finds expression in both word and deed.<br />
<br />
Friedens (Peace) United Church of Christ was started by a group of residents who broke off from the St. Paul 's Lutheran Church . In 1858, there were two Lutheran Churches in New Melle - St. Peter's and St. Paul 's. St. Paul 's congregation joined the Missouri Synod. That same year the St. Peter's Congregation built a new church of native stone (the building that is now St. Paul 's). The two churches were originally united, but had split over doctrinal issues. In 1868, they reunited and became St. Paul 's Missouri Synod Lutheran Church .<br />
<br />
Some members continued to be unhappy and according to St. Paul 's records, the dissent was over doctrine. The first records of Friedens begin in 1904. Some family names appear in both the St. Paul and Friedens (Peace) records. Included in both records were the families of Henry Schewede, John Nienheuser, Jacob Boehm, Ernst Brakensiek, and John Doermann. Fourteen voting members had a dream of starting a new church by accepting the doctrinal statement of the German Evangelical Church Society of the West. This new church would eventually become the Friedens (Peace) United Church of Christ we know today.<br />
<br />
The first minister was Rev. Stroetker, resident Pastor of St. John's Church in Cappeln. This was the beginning of a long history of sharing a minister with St. John's . The first service was held in German on August 28, 1904 , in the Peniel Methodist Church on Schutzen Street (now part of a private residence).<br />
<br />
The property on which Friedens church is located was purchased from John and Laura Koelling in 1905 for $2,400. The building on the property had been used as a grocery store/saloon. Ernest Sudbrock was chosen as carpenter to do the remodeling, along with a lot of volunteer help.
    Winter Worship.jpg
  • A Male Downy Woodpecker In The Snow
    Snowy Winter Downy.jpg
  • A Dark-Eyed Junco Enjoying Some Flurries As The Snow Piles Up Around The Fallen Tree
    Winter Junco On Stump.jpg
  • Once the site of a silica sand quarry, Klondike Park is a glowing example of nature's resiliency. Located just off the Katy Trail, the 250-acre park is a popular destination for outdoor recreationalists, families, and youth activity groups. Natural and paved trails wind through tree-lined hillsides to offer a challenging ride or hike and spectacular views of wildlife, native plants, and the surrounding Missouri River Valley. An indoor conference center that may be rented for weddings, business meetings, and other group functions; three picnic shelters, camper cabins and tent camping sites; a fishing lake; a boat ramp for access to the Missouri River; and about 5 miles of paved or natural trail.<br />
<br />
According to early records, the land upon which Klondike Park sits was originally owned by Wilhelm (William) Engelage, a farmer from Prussia. In 1898, the Tavern Rock Sand Company bought a portion of the property and began Klondike Quarry. The silica sand mined from this quarry was mixed with soda and limestone to create glass products. The top layer (from 8? to 18? was used to make amber glass because of its yellow, claystained color, while clear glass was made from the white sand found below 18 feet. Production reached its peak in 1945 when 233,420 tons of sand were exported from the quarry to meet war demands. The quarry was permanently closed in 1983.
    Winter Sets at Klondike Park.jpg
  • A Female Dark-Eyed Junco Foraging For Food in the Snow During A Cold Blue Winter Day.<br />
<br />
Females and juvenile birds are generally paler and show a greater mixture of brown in the plumage. Generally, there is less white on the outer tail feathers in juvenile and female birds. There is, however, much individual variation.<br />
<br />
The Dark-eyed Junco is the best-known species of the juncos, a genus of small grayish American sparrows. This bird is common across much of temperate North America and in summer ranges far into the Arctic. Dark-eyed Juncos are neat, even flashy little sparrows that flit about forest floors of the western mountains and Canada, then flood the rest of North America for winter. They're easy to recognize by their crisp (though extremely variable) markings and the bright white tail feathers they habitually flash in flight. One of the most abundant forest birds of North America, you'll see juncos on woodland walks as well as in flocks at your feeders or on the ground beneath them. <br />
<br />
Juncos are the "snowbirds" of the middle latitudes. Over most of the eastern United States, they appear as winter sets in and then retreat northward each spring. Some juncos in the Appalachian Mountains remain there all year round, breeding at the higher elevations. These residents have shorter wings than the migrants that join them each winter. Longer wings are better suited to flying long distances, a pattern commonly noted among other studies of migratory vs. resident species.
    Blue Christmas Junco.jpg
  • A view from the front corner of the house, highlighting or snowy gazebo in the back
    339A3957.jpg
  • Snow falls at the entrance to the Nichole Parc subdivision in Wentzville, Missouri
    339A4009.jpg
  • A Male Northern Cardinals perched on a white feeder in the midst of a cold winter snow storm. The vibrant Cardinal red contrast against the chilly blues and white snow. The Northern Cardinal is a North American bird in the genus Cardinalis, it is also known colloquially as the redbird or common cardinal.<br />
<br />
The Northern Cardinal or "Redbird" is probably one of most popular visitors to backyard bird feeders. Its range extends over most of the eastern USA, parts of extreme southeastern Canada, and south through Mexico to Belize. It has also been introduced to Hawaii. Its variable call, a loud "cheer cheer cheer" or "purty purty purty," is sung by both sexes and can be heard year round. Cardinals are nonmigratory, but some movement does occur in the later summer and fall.<br />
<br />
The male Northern Cardinal is perhaps responsible for getting more people to open up a field guide than any other bird. They're a perfect combination of familiarity, conspicuousness, and style: a shade of red you can't take your eyes off. Even the brown females sport a sharp crest and warm red accents. Cardinals don't migrate and they don't molt into a dull plumage, so they're still breathtaking in winter's snowy backyards. In summer, their sweet whistles are one of the first sounds of the morning.
    Chilly Cardinal Blues.jpg
  • Mail at 4806 Brooke St.
    339A4007.jpg
  • Snowman stay warm with Casino Tequila during the winter and Christmas season.
    casino_tequila_keeps_me_warm.jpg
  • Loving all the winter white, just wish this day had something better than gray skies as a backdrop
    339A3955.jpg
  • A cold Male Junco bird gland on a dormant winter bush covered with snow, sunflower seed in his beak
    Snowy Male Junco.jpg
  • A chilly winter view from the front of the house
    339A3913.jpg
  • Another lovely winter home framed by a jungle of white branches
    fritz.jpg
  • A lonely Robin perches in a bare isolated winter tree as the sun begins to set and casts shades of purple splendor through the skies.
    Robins Lonely Tree.jpg
  • A somber lonely pond frozen over from a harsh Minnesota winter
    Branched Reprieve.jpg
  • A chilly winter snowflake creation.
    Snow Flaked.jpg
  • A Nuthatch tries to stay warm while perched in a bare winter tree during a snow storm
    Nuthatch Flurries.jpg
  • Blue skies and white flakes set this winter scene
    339A4004.jpg
  • A Junco out catching snowflakes on a cold winter afternoon
    Chilly Junco On Her Perch.jpg
  • Well, the view from the backyard is still a Winter Wonderland. If your wondering where that new nice contrasting black fence came from, it was Tri-County Fence & Deck!
    339A3902.jpg
  • In summer it can seem that every patch of woods in the eastern United States rings with the rolling song of the Carolina Wren. This shy bird can be hard to see, but it delivers an amazing number of decibels for its size. Follow its teakettle-teakettle! and other piercing exclamations through backyard or forest, and you may be rewarded with glimpses of this bird's rich cinnamon plumage, white eyebrow stripe, and long, upward-cocked tail. This hardy bird has been wintering farther and farther north in recent decades.
    Carolina Wren.jpg
  • Not quite the 2-3 inches that was called for, but we'll take the 9!
    339A3925.jpg
  • Blatant Youth is a group of 4 talented teens aged 14-17 who are taking the Twin Cities music scene by storm with their performance and energy on the stage. The band has played such venues as, The State Fair Grandstand, Pickle Park, Niesons, The Basement, The Dugout, Famous Daves, and many more. They excite audiences of all age groups with their covers from the 70's, 80's, and 90's and their Large number of original songs. Blatant Youth summed up in three words is: Talented, Original, and Exciting.
    Blatant Youth 3.jpg
  • The Carolina Wren is a common species of wren, resident in the eastern half of the USA, the extreme south of Ontario, Canada, and the extreme northeast of Mexico
    Carolina Wren 2.jpg
  • A Red-Bellied Woodpecker Posted On A Withered Tree Trunk With His Beak Open and Tongue Showing.
    Woody Tongue.jpg
  • A Tufted Titmouse Grabs A Snack In The Snow
    Titmouse Flurries.jpg
  • Staircase at the Saint Paul Hotel.
    Saint Paul Hotel Stairs.jpg
  • Braving the elements at The Saint Paul Hotel.
    339A9596.jpg
  • A Friendly red cardinal perches on a blue bar on my swing-set in search af some afternoon seed.
    Cardinal In The Rain.jpg
  • I took this photo of the snowfall the other night from our front porch.
    Snowy Twilight.jpg
  • A tufted Titmouse strikes a pose on a bare breach on a chilly morning with flurries beginning to fall
    Frigid Morning Titmouse.jpg
  • Have a safe and Happy Holiday all, greetings from Patty's Driveway Lights.
    339A4092.jpg
  • A snow covered tree extends towards the falling flakes
    339A3944.jpg
  • I just love the view from my back window on days like this!
    339A3905.jpg
  • Nestled behind the trees, this home has a quaint snowy feel from the curb
    339A3919.jpg
  • It's cold outside, so come on it!
    339A3951.jpg
  • Chilly days ahead at the corner of Francis St. and Jacob Lane
    339A3937.jpg
  • 9 Inches Of White blanket everything in sight, let it snow!
    339A3934.jpg
  • Close to 10 inches of snow await you on Jacob Lane
    339A3930.jpg
  • The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds. The male cones, which produce pollen, are usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous even at full maturity. The name 'cone' derives from the fact that the shape in some species resembles a geometric cone. The individual plates of a cone are known as scales.<br />
<br />
The male cone (microstrobilus or pollen cone) is structurally similar across all conifers, differing only in small ways (mostly in scale arrangement) from species to species. Extending out from a central axis are microsporophylls (modified leaves). Under each microsporophyll is one or several microsporangia (pollen sacs).<br />
<br />
The female cone (megastrobilus, seed cone, or ovulate cone) contains ovules which, when fertilized by pollen, become seeds. The female cone structure varies more markedly between the different conifer families, and is often crucial for the identification of many species of conifers.
    March Snow Cones.jpg
  • Blatant Youth is a group of 4 talented teens aged 14-17 who are taking the Twin Cities music scene by storm with their performance and energy on the stage. The band has played such venues as, The State Fair Grandstand, Pickle Park, Niesons, The Basement, The Dugout, Famous Daves, and many more. They excite audiences of all age groups with their covers from the 70's, 80's, and 90's and their Large number of original songs. Blatant Youth summed up in three words is: Talented, Original, and Exciting.
    Blatant Youth 4.jpg
  • Blatant Youth is a group of 4 talented teens aged 14-17 who are taking the Twin Cities music scene by storm with their performance and energy on the stage. The band has played such venues as, The State Fair Grandstand, Pickle Park, Niesons, The Basement, The Dugout, Famous Daves, and many more. They excite audiences of all age groups with their covers from the 70's, 80's, and 90's and their Large number of original songs. Blatant Youth summed up in three words is: Talented, Original, and Exciting.
    Blatant Youth.jpg
  • Tufted on the Cob 2.jpg
  • The snow is gone and all that's left is ice, ice and more iec.
    339A4113.jpg
  • It would be great to have the snow stick around until Christmas!
    339A3918.jpg
  • A slash of color peeks through the blanket of white
    339A3953.jpg
  • A dry fall day lacking in color and life, nature still stands alone in hopes of surviving until spring
    339A9945.jpg
  • Blatant Youth is a group of 4 talented teens aged 14-17 who are taking the Twin Cities music scene by storm with their performance and energy on the stage. The band has played such venues as, The State Fair Grandstand, Pickle Park, Niesons, The Basement, The Dugout, Famous Daves, and many more. They excite audiences of all age groups with their covers from the 70's, 80's, and 90's and their Large number of original songs. Blatant Youth summed up in three words is: Talented, Original, and Exciting.
    Blatant Youth 2.jpg
  • A male Norther Cardinal tries to balance on the side of my swing and hold on.
    Little Red Director.jpg
  • A Lonely and Moody Winter Scene in Wentzville, Missouri
    A Barren Winter.jpg
  • A tiny Downy Woodpecker grabs some suet from the bird feeder on a cold winter day
    Hello Winter Downy.jpg
  • Spring Green Begins To Return After A Long Winter At Broemmelsiek Park in Wentzville, Missouri
    After A Long Winter At Broemmelsiek.jpg
  • A Black-Capped Chickadee in the snow
    Winter Black-Capped Chickadee.jpg
  • The Downy Woodpecker is a species of woodpecker, the smallest in North America. The active little Downy Woodpecker is a familiar sight at backyard feeders and in parks and woodlots, where it joins flocks of chickadees and nuthatches, barely outsizing them.
    Downy on Winter Feeder.jpg
  • Winter Lake Fantasm.jpg
  • A Purple Finch Perched On A Tree Limb During A Snow Storm
    Snowy Winter Purple Finch.jpg
  • A Purple Finch Perched On A Tree Limb During A Snow Storm
    Snowy Winter Purple Finch.jpg
  • Keeping with the county's mission to preserve green space, the St. Charles County Parks Department is designing Broemmelsiek Park as a passive recreation area focused on the natural features of the land. The 384 acre property is located in southwestern St. Charles County five miles west of Highway 40-61 off State Route DD. Broemmelsiek Park features several lakes, a blend of oak-hickory forest and rolling pastures suitable for a variety of recreation activities and park amenities.
    End Of Winter At Broemmelsiek.jpg
  • The Bald Eagle has been the national emblem of the United States since 1782 and a spiritual symbol for native people for far longer than that. These regal birds aren't really bald, but their white-feathered heads gleam in contrast to their chocolate-brown body and wings. Look for them soaring in solitude, chasing other birds for their food, or gathering by the hundreds in winter. Once endangered by hunting and pesticides, Bald Eagles have flourished under protection. <br />
<br />
The Bald Eagle dwarfs most other raptors, including the Turkey Vulture and Red-tailed Hawk. It has a heavy body, large head, and long, hooked bill. In flight, a Bald Eagle holds its broad wings flat like a board. <br />
<br />
Look for Bald Eagles near lakes, reservoirs, rivers, marshes, and coasts. For a chance to see large Bald Eagle congregations, check out wildlife refuges or large bodies of water in winter over much of the continent, or fish processing plants and dumpsters year-round in coastal Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
    Eagle With an Attitude.jpg
  • Well there has been no snow to speak of this winter, which really is aggravating. I so wanted at least one day of accumulation to take some winter scene photos. I like looking at different snow covered compositions from others and have been inspired to do some of my own. But, no luck in 2011... So I say forget it and let's move on, give me Spring already, and all the color and beauty that goes with it my lens can capture!
    Ode to Spring.jpg
  • The spring bloom is a strong increase in phytoplankton abundance that typically occurs in the early spring and lasts until late spring or early summer. Spring blooms typically last until late spring or early summer, at which time the bloom collapses due to nutrient depletion in the stratified water column and increased grazing pressure by zooplankton.<br />
<br />
This week the earliest of spring flowers are starting to dot the landscape with color and the tree buds give a promise of warmer days ahead. Daffodils are in full bloom, as well as crocus and dwarf iris. Color is just beginning to peek out from the hyacinths, showing hints of purple and pink. <br />
<br />
Spring flowers come along and cheer us up at a time when we most need it -- after we've somehow survived another long winter. Speaking for myself, it wouldn't be going too far to say that they help me convalesce as I recuperate from Old Man Winter's months-long blustery barrage.
    Vibralicios Blooms.jpg
  • It's an unusually warm winter day in December.  The dog park is busy and the dogs are having a blast playing in the man-made lake.
    shake_shake_shake.jpg
  • It was an unusual winter day on December 2, 2013 when the temperature climbed close to 80 in Missouri. ..We decided to go for a walk and take photographs when we noticed the dog park at Broemmelsiek Park was extremely busy. So we sat over at the dog park and just started snapping photos of the dogs as they played.
    doggie_play.jpg
  • I took this shot of the Male Indigo Bunting in my front yard. The Indigo Bunting is a small bird. It displays sexual dimorphism in its coloration; the male is a vibrant blue in the summer and a brown color during the winter months, while the female is brown year-round.
    male_indigo_bunting.jpg
  • This handsome little finch, the state bird of New Jersey, Iowa, and Washington, is welcome and common at feeders, where it takes primarily sunflower and nyjer. Goldfinches often flock with Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls. Spring males are brilliant yellow and shiny black with a bit of white. Females and all winter birds are more dull but identifiable by their conical bill; pointed, notched tail; wingbars; and lack of streaking. During molts they look bizarrely patchy.
    American Goldfinch - 3.jpg
  • This handsome little finch, the state bird of New Jersey, Iowa, and Washington, is welcome and common at feeders, where it takes primarily sunflower and nyjer. Goldfinches often flock with Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls. Spring males are brilliant yellow and shiny black with a bit of white. Females and all winter birds are more dull but identifiable by their conical bill; pointed, notched tail; wingbars; and lack of streaking. During molts they look bizarrely patchy.
    American Goldfinch - 1.jpg
  • This handsome little finch, the state bird of New Jersey, Iowa, and Washington, is welcome and common at feeders, where it takes primarily sunflower and nyjer. Goldfinches often flock with Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls. Spring males are brilliant yellow and shiny black with a bit of white. Females and all winter birds are more dull but identifiable by their conical bill; pointed, notched tail; wingbars; and lack of streaking. During molts they look bizarrely patchy.
    American Goldfinch - 2.jpg
  • Loons are found on lakes throughout central and northeastern Minnesota. In September, Minnesota's adult loons travel to their winter home along the Atlantic coast from North Carolina south to Florida, or on the Gulf of Mexico.
    Common Loons.jpg
  • A Wood Duck Hen Preens Along The Shore of the Lake.<br />
<br />
Wood ducks pair up in late winter and they begin breeding in early spring. The males attract females with their call and attractive, colorful breeding plumage. <br />
<br />
Female wood ducks have grayish-brown bodies. The back is dark gray-brown and the sides are a lighter shade. The most noticeable characteristics of the females are found on the head. The head is gray with a white eye-ring around each eye. The head also has a crest of feathers at the back and white feathers on the throat and chin. <br />
<br />
Wood ducks will 'tip up' and dip their heads under the water to find the standard wetland fare to eat like wild rice, smartweed, pondweed, bulrush, and lotus seeds, but they love to eat "out," of the water that is. They love fruits and nuts found in the woods like beechnuts, wild acorns grapes, and one of their favorites, acorns.
    Preening Wood Duck Hen.jpg
  • The quintessential early bird, American Robins are common sights on lawns across North America, where you often see them tugging earthworms out of the ground. Robins are popular birds for their warm orange breast, cheery song, and early appearance at the end of winter. Though they're familiar town and city birds, American Robins are at home in wilder areas, too, including mountain forests and Alaskan wilderness.
    Robin at Sunrise.jpg
  • A lonesome cow in the pasture on an overcast rainy winter day
    Moooody.jpg
  • The Snow Goose has two color plumage morphs, white (snow) or gray/blue (blue), thus the common description as snows and blues. White-morph birds are white except for black wing tips, but blue-morph geese have bluish-grey plumage replacing the white except on the head, neck and tail tip. The immature blue phase is drab or slate-gray with little to no white on the head, neck, or belly.<br />
<br />
Outside of the nesting season, they usually feed in flocks. In winter, snow geese feed on left-over grain in fields. They migrate in large flocks, often visiting traditional stopover habitats in spectacular numbers. Snow Geese often travel and feed alongside Greater White-fronted Geese; in contrast, the two tend to avoid travelling and feeding alongside Canada Geese, which are often heavier birds.<br />
<br />
The breeding population of the Lesser Snow Goose exceeds 5 million birds, an increase of more than 300 percent since the mid-1970s. The population is increasing at a rate of more than 5 percent per year. Non-breeding geese (juveniles or adults that fail to nest successfully) are not included in this estimate, so the total number of geese is even higher. Lesser Snow Goose population indices are the highest they have been since population records have been kept, and evidence suggests that large breeding populations are spreading to previously untouched sections of the Hudson Bay coastline.
    Snow Goose Flight.jpg
  • A Horse tries to stay warm as winter flurries begin to fall
    Stay Warm Horsy.jpg
  • Snowflakes land on this closeup photograph of a Tufted Titmouse perched on a red bird feeder in winter, contrasted against a vibrant sparking green backdrop
    Titmouse Lime.jpg
  • Yes even a robin can have some majesty and prowess.<br />
<br />
The quintessential early bird, American Robins are common sights on lawns across North America, where you often see them tugging earthworms out of the ground. Robins are popular birds for their warm orange breast, cheery song, and early appearance at the end of winter. Though they're familiar town and city birds, American Robins are at home in wilder areas, too, including mountain forests and Alaskan wilderness. <br />
<br />
The American Robin or North American Robin is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. It is named after the European Robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely<br />
<br />
A distinctive, potbellied bird. Forages on lawns and other areas of short vegetation for earthworms and other invertebrates in a run-and-stop pattern typical of terrestrial thrushes. Adult: depending on sex and subspecies, head, with white eye arcs, varies from jet black to gray, with white supercilia and throat, blackish lores and lateral throat stripe. Underparts vary, often in tandem with head color, from deep, rich reddish maroon to gray-scalloped, peachy orange. Males tend to be darker, females grayer, but overlap makes determining sex of many problematic.
    Majestic Robin Blues.jpg
  • A Double-Crested Cormorant casts a shadow against textured peeling paint at the Saint Louis Zoo. The Double-crested Cormorant is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It occurs along inland waterways as well as in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America. he Double-crested Cormorant is a large waterbird with a stocky body, long neck, medium-sized tail, webbed feet and a medium sized hooked bill.<br />
<br />
Recently the population of Double-crested Cormorants has increased. Some studies have concluded that the recovery was allowed by the decrease of contaminants, particularly the discontinued use of DDT. The population may have also increased because of aquaculture ponds in its southern wintering grounds. The ponds favor good over-winter survival and growth.<br />
<br />
Adult Double-crested Cormorants are black or dark brown and have an orange-yellow patch of skin at the base of their bills. In breeding plumage, adults have two whitish tufts behind their eyes, hence the description 'double-crested.' First-year birds are pale on the upper breast and darker on the belly. Double-crested Cormorants have slender, hook-tipped bills that are often tipped up at an angle as they swim. They can be distinguished from the other two Washington cormorant species by their thicker bills and by the pronounced kink in their long necks in flight.
    Cormorant By Cracked Paint.jpg
  • The American White Pelican is a large aquatic bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Central America, in winter. This shot was taken at the Saint Louis Zoo.
    American White Pelican.jpg
  • Time for another splash of color. I thought this was an interesting new bloom and had just enough light on a cold winter day to get some decent tones in the capture
    pineapple-bloom.jpg
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