A View to Magnetic North

My old compass still shows the way to magnetic north. This 16-point compass displays the four main cardinal points plus the 12 half wind directions. The traditional north symbol, a fleur-de-lis has been stylized from its French origins to something else from Germany. Looks to be pre-WWII. Now you will never be lost.

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Wintertime Backyard Critters

A visit to my backyard bird feeder this morning brought this colorful female cardinal. The more colorful male was around but never flew close to camera range. A couple of inches of snow fell last night making it difficult for birds and squirrels to find food.

What food the birds do disturb from the feeder, the squirrels make into a meal. This one looks well fed. It should be, after climbing all over the feeders and chowing down seeds all season long. A daily gang of deer also check out the bird feeder. Since deer generally feed during the evening, I haven't been able to get a decent photo of them - yet.

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Busy Day at the Bird Feeders

Day two of a March storm yielded almost 8 inches of late season snow in eastern Iowa. With food sources scarce as a result of the storm several bird species decided to drop by 42N HQ to chow on free seed. I think this is a red-bellied woodpecker, one of two who tapped various tree branches for insects before finding a much easier food source. I am also experimenting with a teleconverter lens that increases zoom by 40%. The lens requires manual focus and lots of light I am discovering. These five photos are the best of the shoot. I like the top photo the best because it is unusual, has two seeds on the woodpecker's mouth, and most importantly, is in focus. 

The northern cardinal (male) gives this common sparrow the once over look. 

After scaring off the sparrow our scarlet cardinal showed more of his coloration before jumping to the ground to feast on various seeds shaken from the feeder.

This less colorful female cardinal stayed close to the red male - it is almost Spring you know.

Sparrows represent the majority of the winged feeders visiting the seed outlets. However, in the morning a flock of crows pecked around the snow for seed. Birds have to eat.

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