Northern Flicker On The Edge of Spring ...

 “A forest bird never wants a cage.”

   ~ Henrik Ibsen

            ~ 1828 ~ 1906

I spotted this yellow-shafted Northern Flicker – the first I’ve ever captured in a photo – nestled in the grass gazing upon the looming late winter sunset of a March day at Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

According to All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Northern Flickers are large, brown woodpeckers with a gentle expression and handsome black-scalloped plumage. On walks, don’t be surprised if you scare one up from the ground. It’s not where you’d expect to find a woodpecker, but flickers eat mainly ants and beetles, digging for them with their unusual, slightly curved bill. When they fly you’ll see a flash of color in the wings – yellow if you’re in the East, red if you’re in the West – and a bright white flash on the rump.

Snow Cardinal ...

“Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.”

    ~ Rabindranath Tagore

     ~ 1861 ~ 1941

 

A beautiful male North American Cardinal brings a pop of red to an early March snowfall on a beautiful late winter afternoon at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

 

Swan On Snowy Pond ...

“Those who find beauty in all of nature will find themselves at one with the secrets of life.”

           ~ L. Wolfe Gilbert

     ~ Russian-born American songwriter of 

        Tin Pan Alley

              ~ 1886-1970

A beautiful trumpeter swan gracefully glides along the pond as a mid-February afternoon segues into evening at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

 

Young Blue Jay's June Morning ...

“I would like to paint the way a bird sings.”

     ~ Claude Monet

     ~ 1840 ~ 1926

On the cusp of summer, a beautiful young blue jay has it made in the shade and savors a lovely late spring morning in mid-June at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.