It was the first time I photographed the Northern Lights on purpose. I had captured them accidently in several photos when photographing the Milky Way in Sunapee and on the Yampa River in Utah, exactly one year apart.
I learned viewing might be possible from NH on January 20, so I headed down the road to a spot I knew had a decent view to the north. The Northern Lights were barely visible, but the camera can see much better in the dark than our eyes can.
The two photos above are six-photo panoramas looking down toward Etna and Hanover Center from above the Hanover Town Library at 9:19 p.m. It was very cold that night.
The photos in this post were taken between December 2 and January 26.
Ice Storm
The morning of December 29 arrived revealing our trees covered with ice. Heavy ice. And it would persist in the high hills of Etna for over a week. Birch were the hardest hit, but they have always come back and they did this time.
The two photos below bracketed the arrival of 2026 by less than twelve hours.
The sunset cast a colorful glow on the ice later on the first day of the new year.
Four days later the scene had changed little. You might be able to spot a dozen Mourning Doves on the bent birch.
Winter Blurs
Often when I see a dog running, bikes coming by, deer moving quickly, or ice skaters on a pond — this time Occom — I quickly adjust my exposure to a slow shutter speed to try to capture motion blur. I think blur shows motion better than a tack-sharp image. It is important to pan with the subject to hopefully keep the face and eyes reasonably sharp while letting the background blur.
Winter in Hanover
Here are photos from walks around Occom Pond:
Preparing for snowfall on the street.
Sledding on the old golf course.
Watch out for the poison ivy.
Late afternoon light.
Winter in Etna
Sunrise.
Trio of trees against a gray sky.
Small pond near sunset.
Scottish Highlander at the “Favor Johnson” Farm made famous by Willem Lange.
A second cairn had been added to the tiny Dorothy Byrne Park.
And a second sunrise.
Birds
Tufted Titmouse
Before the Ice Storm.
After the Ice Storm.
Red-breasted Nuthatch
An infrequent sighting but a charming little bird.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
For the past five or so years a Red-bellied Woodpecker has visited our yard a few times each year. But this year this beautiful bird has been a frequent visitor. So naturally I want overboard photographing it. Here are 19 of my favorites.
Purple Finch
A somewhat rare visitor, with many more females than males. Here are two males.
And the less-colorful but nicely patterned females.
Mourning Dove
Mourning Doves were regular visitors — sometimes dozens but normally twelve or less. You can see ten here.
And fourteen on the bent birch after the ice storm.
Here are eighteen photos of Mourning Doves in flight.
Hairy Woodpecker
When I see them visually, I have no trouble telling a Hairy Woodpecker from the smaller Downy Woodpecker. But when looking at my photos, it is harder. I believe these two are Hairy Woodpeckers.
Downy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpeckers were seen much more frequently than Hairy these winter weeks. Here are a dozen photos.
Blue Jay
An occasional Blue Jay or two would come by. They are more cautious than most other species. But I did get a few photos.
Black-capped Chickadee
A common, cute, plunky bird, Black-capped Chickadees are always a joy to see and photograph, especially with wings spread in flight and backlit. They seemed to handle the ice well as can be seen in some of these seventeen photos.
Barred Owl
We saw Barred Owls in our yard in the semi-dark after sunset and along Trescott Road mid-afternoon. I had saved a dead mouse in a plastic bag in our freezer and holding it slowly walked a few steps toward the owl. The owl stayed put and watched me toss it on the ground. It was too dark by then for a photo. After I closed the door it flew and grabbed the mouse before retreating to a branch with its back to us. Here are four photos taken at 1/10 second and ISO 6400 when it was still barely light enough.
We would not have seen the owl on Trescott Road, but a driver coming toward us stopped, flagged us down, and pointed it out. I only had a short lens, but I did get one photo in the warm afternoon light.
American Goldfinch
On some days five to ten American Goldfinch would visit. Like the chickadees, they seem to handle the ice well. I conclude this post with a long slide show of American Goldfinch.
