January in Ohio.
January 21, 2012
Stopping by Woods One Snowy Morning
Apologies to Robert Frost, but a recent experience put me in mind of his wonderful poem.
January is deep winter. Those late autumn and early winter months, teetering on the divide between warm and cold, are over with. It’s official- the cold is here. It’s the time of year when nature lives closer to the bone, when skeletal trees fill the woods under a snowy blanket.
Last week I went to Highbanks Metro Park just north of Columbus and took a morning hike through the woods and fields there, getting done shortly before it started to rain. I thought I’d highlight those January scenes I saw during this excursion.
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Watching Seasons
Great shots of the scenery and birds; it’s amazing what you can find out there in the world around us. There are so many amazing things – on this planet – we just have to open up to it.Great post and I look forward to sharing more with you:))
I enjoyed the hike, everything is so beautiful through your lens.
An excellent day, winter in the woods, got to love it!
Hands down, my favorite post yet. The photos speak for themselves, no words necessary. Outstanding!!!!!!!!!!!! Margie
Lovely photos, you notice things that many people would just walk past. I love the bird pics – what are the species in the 10th & 11th pics, and on the feeder?
Thanks, Jo! The bird in photo #10 is a White-Breasted Nuthatch searching intently for food (hidden insects & their eggs) in a Honey Locust tree, and the bird in photo #11 is a Tufted Titmouse, a species that often doesn’t stay still long enough for a portrait but I got lucky with this one!
The birds at the feeder are a male House Finch (the guy with the wine-colored patches) and American Goldfinches in their dapper winter plumage. It’s always fun to end up a hike at Metro Parks near a nature center, where they often have feeders to attract our feathered friends. The 2 pictures following the feeder picture were taken there too.
Thank you! I thought no.10 might be a nuthatch or a treecreeper. The Titmouse is cute! The House Finch looks a little bit like our Redpoll, but with more colour.
You had a busy day. Most enjoyable post.
You’ve captured the beauty of winter with these photos, Tracy. I love the second one – the sculptural bare tree branches against the winter blue sky – it resonates with me somehow. I love the birds, too, little splashes of color – what would winter be without them?
What kind of bird is the big one in “jo12 (19)”?
Thanks, Barbara! The bird in the 14th photo down is a Red-Tailed Hawk- this bird was up in a tree above a path along the edge of a field looking for its breakfast and decided that I wasn’t much of an interruption as I walked below it 🙂 Apparently it’s used to park visitors!
He has an air of importance about him (is it a male?) – a very handsome bird!
Interesting coincidence – yesterday on the news was this story about a red-tailed hawk!
http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/new_haven_cty/hungry-hawk-in-hamden
Red-Tails have that very noble look- almost as if they’re looking disdainfully out upon the world. They’re mostly solitary birds. It’s difficult to tell what sex they are, unfortunately- most hawks are like that. Very cool birds!
Yikes! That’s interesting- ‘The Birds’ was a creepy film, too!
Great photos as usual. Is that a yellow-rumped warbler I see? I didn’t realize these little birds stayed this far North during the winter. Anyway, love your bird photos.
It surely is, Joleen! More about that next week probably 🙂
Your winter looks much like mine this year (we are currently getting some snow, so that will change soon). Great photos … while looking at them I just realized that I have not seen any woodpeckers at my feeders this winter … very unusual.
Love how you got that pileated woodpecker in focus through the branches.
More on this in a future post- those birds are simply magnificent!
I got maybe 6 decent pictures of this species- along with two dozen poor pictures- in all of the frantic picture-taking I was doing when a pair of them flew into some nearby trees.
Lovely details in the winter landscape!
I love those scenes of winter! I love to walk through winter landscapes too!
You have a very good eye. Some outstanding pictures.
Gorgeous photos. I can almost feel the cold air on my face and see the wee birdies dancing around the park. 🙂
Wow, you were treated to a lot of beautiful things to shoot… all the types of birds, the trees, the sun, etc. I envy the ability to walk through the woods and snap photographs of that raw beauty. Thank you so much for taking me with you, via your beautiful photographs! 🙂
Wonderful post, I so enjoyed this walk with you. The woods remind me so much of my own little woodland (everything except the flat field – that is very Ohio, not the Pennsylvania hills!) You have a real gift for capturing birds on camera – I see and hear my woodpeckers, cardinals, etc., but I rarely capture them with the camera. Thanks for sharing this moment in time.
Those diverse traces of red must really make your day when the weather is so cold and bleak.
Steve Schwartzman
http://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com
Indeed Steve, in particular I like how all of Ohio’s (male) woodpeckers have red on them somewhere.
Beautiful. I love how the birds add so much color to winter. 🙂
Beautiful photos! My daughter was just accepted to college in Ohio and everyone keeps saying OHIO??!! We know Ohio has it’s pretty spots! (I’m originally from NJ!)
Thanks! Ohio is one of those states that’s sort of off the radar screen- sure, there’s a lot of flat farmland and it’s perhaps not the most scenic state, but there’s plenty to see here, and if you like parks there’s a LOT of them. The Metro Park system of central Ohio is excellent. The southeast part of the state is hilly and actually part of Appalachia, in the south you have the Ohio River and Wayne National Forest, and of course there’s Lake Erie to the north. And quite a few interesting natural areas in between. Economically things aren’t as good as they should be, but central Ohio is in good shape.
Best of luck to your daughter- there’s a good amount of solid universities here too 🙂
Thanks for the comments everybody!
Beautiful photos. The colorful birds of Ohio are just beautiful….the red bird is a standout….warms up any cold Winter. It’s fascinating how nature balances everything. Thanks for today’s inspiration. Have a great day.
Many thanks, Island Traveler!