A Lunar Eclipse- Two Views

 Last night was one of two lunar eclipses for 2022.  (Another is on October 28.) Unlike the majority of such events in Corning, the sky cleared.   Failure is surely an option in much of the Northeast US for any given eclipse on the calendar.

There are two ways to see the eclipse, the first being as the unaided eye offers it.  The moon is actually quite small, and even smaller seen in a cell phone's wider angle lens.  You can see that eclipse is too high to include landmarks on the ground in the scene.  Here is the view across the river towards the Corning Incorporated Headquarters.  This was early in the eclipse.

I actually like it because it puts a lot of attention on the iconic Little Joe Tower that is emblematic of the city and the company.

That's fine, but you really want to see the blood moon which quickly crosses the sky.  Here is my presentation of about 8 minutes elapsed as it approached maximum color.

Note that as the eclipse darkened, a few stars were visible.   The moon is red because the shorter wavelengths of light bouncing off the moon are filtered out by the atmosphere.  

As I was packing my gear to return home, the air becoming foggy. Typical.

Paul

Sketches: Eastern Bluebirds

Last summer we had a pair of Eastern Bluebirds nest in the nest-box we installed.  It was their second brood of the year; they nested in our neighbors backyard in May.  To our delight, several of the first brood came along and helped feed the second brood.  It was sort of an apprenticeship for these recent fledglings.

This week, I found an active nest with adults that were very comfortable with my presence.  Looking at the location, I decided to arrive in early morning shortly before the sun cleared the eastern treeline, putting the nest in good light.  The male was perched outside in the cool light.

Insect activity was low in the cool damp morning air.  He seems fluffed up to keep warm in the early chill.   I was surprised at how rich his colors were in the shade.
 

Soon, the sun bathed the nest box, and deliveries began to the  nest.

The first deliveries were mostly spiders.  I expect the larger insects in the grasslands surrounding the nest are keep down when the dew is heavy.  It will surely shift quickly.

Bluebirds are very fast so these images were taken using 1/2000 second exposures to freeze the motion.  This is a favorite of mine.  Putting on the brakes!

Another spider.  One difficulty is accurately anticipating where the next arrival will come from.

Love the color on the spread wings.

Lest you think only the male is bringing food,  here is one of many times the female delivered some sort of winged insect.

 She perched at the box entrance and hesitated to enter.

Wait, there is more to the story here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 She had to wait her turn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I continued to watch, I realized there were two males, leaving me to believe that one of last year's fledglings was still playing the understudy role.  Fascinating.

That morning deepened my understanding of why so many people care for their bluebird boxes, and the reward they receive.

Paul Schmitt

Sketches: Winter Wren

Singing Winter Wren

I have a love affair with wrens that includes over thirty years of welcoming a pair of House Wrens to our garden.  They bring song and a steady harvest of insects.  My first memory was of a pair of House Wrens that nested in my mother's clothespin bag on our back porch.  When I was about 8 years old, Mom kept me home from school to watch the fledgling wrens exit the nest and perch on our porch railing.  Now I have added the same love for Winter Wrens, after I  discovered them in a deep forest gorge nearby.

I first found these Winter Wrens last year.  At left is one of last year's males in full song. It begins with the song. Here is a link from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as an  introduction:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Winter_Wren/sounds

There is a small stream that runs crystal clear most of the gorge. It has overhanging banks that are ideal for wren nesting and also food in the stream and the forest slopes.

On a recent morning in early May, I set behind my camera on the rocky stream bed expecting some males to begin singing.  A wren appeared to sing a bit, but then I saw something new.  It dropped into the stream's shallows to explore some aquatic mosses.

This was something new for me.  It explored the scene and clearly was picking food from the moss.  Maybe aquatic larvae?

I was excited to see this.  I decided to come back the next sunny afternoon when the light was better.  

When I returned, there was little singing, but I waited.  With a little chitter-chitter song, a wren arrived on a branch and soon dropped into the stream's edge.  (I theorize that this is a female since there was no elaborate singing.  Just a guess.)  

I expected some foraging in the moss like the previous day.  Wrong!

It was bath time.  The water was flying.  Sometimes, only the top of the back was visible.  I was firing off images rapid fire.  Soon, it was time to shake and preen on a large perch at stream's edge.

 

Then it needed to fluff up the feathers.

Then a call for a little more preening of the wing feathers.

Was that it?  No, time for another jump into the stream it seems.

Guess this was the rinse cycle.  Back on the perch for a last preening and the bath is finished.

Now to find a nice sunny perch to dry off.  Isn't she pretty?   

And, aren't I lucky?

Paul