I always enjoy seeing photos taken by others who love photography as much as I do.
Not long ago, my grandson, Truman, introduced me to one of his friends, Nikki, a young and very talented and passionate photographer. Nikki started taking photos when he was just 11 years old. Now 14, Nikki's stunning wildlife images can be seen on social media @nikkibirding - gorgeous images of birds from the New York City area and across North America. While he enjoys photographing lots of animals, when asked why he focuses on birds, Nikki says, "because it never gets old, there is always a new bird to take a picture of or a new shot I can get." Right away, I asked him to share some of his favorite pictures. I think you'll agree, they're absolutely breathtaking.
Enjoy Nikki's gallery.
Nikki uses a Canon R6 with a Canon RF 300-800M F6-3.9 USM lens to take many of his photos. This is an American woodcock. These birds typically have plump bodies, short legs and rounded heads. They spend lots of their time on the ground surrounded by brush to stay camouflaged.
The American Woodcock is a mix of different shades of brown, black, and gray. Its large eyes are located high on its head giving it excellent, nearly 360-degree vision.
Nikki caught this bird just sitting on a branch. Blackpoll warblers are small songbirds with short tails. This one is a male, characterized by its distinctive black cap and white cheeks. These birds hunt for insects off foliage and near the trunks of evergreen trees.
Also small is the bright colored yellow warbler. Both males and females have unmarked heads showing off their large black eyes. Nikki catches this bird hopping along small tree limbs looking for caterpillars and other insects.
This is the red-winged blackbird. Males are easy to identify – they have handsome red and yellow shoulders. These birds live ear fresh water marshes and wet roadsides and fields.
Ever see an ovenbird? This walks lower to the ground searching for food – holding its short tail just a bit higher than its backs. The name comes from the way it builds its nest – a domed structure with an entrance on one side, similar to an old-fashioned oven.
Black and white warblers are easy to recognize – bold streaks of black on white bodies. These birds feed on a variety of insects including caterpillars, ants, flies, and certain spiders.
Nikki captures such clear details. Here is a female black and white warbler.
Here is the same bird starting to sing in a thin, high-pitched and squeaky whistle.
The Blackburnian warbler has a trim body with a short, thin and pointed bill. This is also a male, marked by a bright orange face and throat, and the interesting black patterns around his eyes.
Breeding male Blackburnian warblers like to perch high on branches, singing and showing off their vibrant orange throats.
Here sitting on a limb, watching the activity around him is this common nighthawk, a medium-sized, slender bird with a short neck, large eyes and a medium-long tail. These birds like to roost during the day and look for food during the early morning or evening hours.
This is a Cape May warbler, with a delicate short tail and a decurved, or curved downward, bill. Males are also known for their high-pitched song.
This is a hermit thrush. It has a brown body with spots on its breast. It also has a reddish tail. These birds can sometimes be found foraging on the ground shaking their feet to move grass and leaves in search of moving insects.
The red-bellied woodpecker has a bright red cap stretching from its bill all the way to the back of its neck making it stand out on trees, where it looks for insects and spiders in the crevices of trunks. It also has a well-marked back filled with black and white bars and a plain, white or pale gray underside.
Nikki got this photo just last week of a winter wren. Winter wrens prefer to hide among fallen, broken logs close to the ground. These birds are small with short tails, pale throats, and darkly marked backs.
And a great find is this barred owl identified by its streaked chest, round tuftless head, and big, dark eyes.
Nikki took several great photos – this one of its back. Barred Owls have brown and white striped patterns and white barring on the tail.
Barred owls roost in trees during the day, waiting and watching, and actively hunt small rodents at night. Sometimes their calls can be heard – their calls sound like “who cooks for you?” Ever hear one?
Barred owls live in forest areas where deciduous trees and evergreens grow, often near water sources and can be very territorial once they establish nests. Nikki also enjoys taking photos of other animals and has begun taking images at sporting events. Hopefully we’ll see more from this young photographer soon. Thanks for sharing your pictures, Nikki.
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a very safe and enjoyable holiday!
I love baking pies and for years it's been my own Thanksgiving tradition to bake pies for members of my staff at the farm. I offer a choice of several kinds and then I spend two to three days preparing the dough and baking each pie from scratch. Last weekend, I made the pâte brisés, so they were ready to roll into pie crusts. And then earlier this week, I, along with a small group of helpers, mixed all the fillings and baked a total of 32 pies and tarts - maple bourbon pumpkin pie, pumpkin honey molasses pie, pecan pie, and chocolate pecan tart.
I hope you saw photos on my Instagram page @marthastewart48. Here are more, enjoy.
Here I am rolling out one of the pâte brisée discs. When rolling, make sure there are no cracks. To fit a nine-inch pie plate, roll out an 11-inch round that’s about 1/8-inch thick. I have been making this pâte brisée for many years and have perfected this recipe. It calls for two-and-a-half cups all-purpose flour, one teaspoon kosher salt, one teaspoon granulated sugar, two sticks unsalted butter, and a quarter to a half cup of ice water.
Here are several chilled pâte brisée discs. Pâte brisée is the French version of classic pie or tart pastry. It is a versatile all-butter dough for both sweet and savory recipes—from apple pie to quiche.
While I roll out the doughs, Enma gathers all the necessary tart pans and pie plates.
Look closely – one is clearly a Martha Stewart pie plate.
To keep everything organized, I write down all the ingredients and amounts for every kind of pie on my list and then adjust the amounts for the number of each pie I need to make.
My productive hens made sure I had enough fresh eggs for all my pies. Eggs are picked every day and brought to the house at 3:30pm sharp.
As part of the preparations, Matt chops several bags of pecans for the pecan pies and the chocolate pecan tarts.
Matt also selects all the “perfect” pecan halves for the pecan pie tops.
Semi sweet chocolates are measured and laid out for the chocolate pecan tarts.
Also for the chocolate pecan tarts – corn syrup. I use a strainer held over the pot with wooden spoons and then turn the bottles upside down to empty – frees up my hands to do other things.
Because I am making several different kinds of pies all at the same time, it is crucial that everything be labeled as it’s mixed and cooked.
I rolled all 32 pie and tart crusts myself – it’s fun and good exercise.
After pressing the dough into the plate, using kitchen shears trim the edge to one inch over and fold under, so it looks neat and tidy. Save the scraps for the decorations. Then put the plate into the fridge to chill.
I told my baking team it isn’t worth all the work if the pie crust isn’t done right. I taught Matt how to crimp the pie crust, so it is well defined. Crimping is not only decorative, but if done properly, it makes it less likely the sides of the pie will fall or shrink during baking.
Here’s Matt pouring in the pumpkin for the maple bourbon pumpkin pies. I need enough filling for at least eight.
As the fillings are made, the stainless steel bowls are covered and accurately labeled.
For the pumpkin, the filling is poured carefully into the chilled pie crust. I asked Matt to hold the crust on the edge of the metal bowl to prevent unnecessary drips. I am using my square ladle – it’s part of my kitchen tool set at my shop on Amazon.
Enma brushes the crusts with an egg and cream wash – just enough to moisten for a simple glazed finish.
These are all lined up and ready to put into the oven.
Find lots of holiday recipes in ENTERTAINING from Clarkson Potter. My very first book is now re-released for all of you to enjoy. It includes all 300 recipes and 450 full color photos from the original version.
These maple bourbon pumpkin pies will bake for about 45-minutes to an hour until the custard is firm and the top is glossy and golden brown. Unfortunately, I had to leave while the pies were still baking.
I also make lots of small decorations for the pies. The decorations are cut from the scraps of dough and baked separately.
I make seasonal appropriate decorations, such as leaves.
Small cookie cutters are perfect to use for these decorations.
Here are the pecan pies in the oven – they look great. They’re almost ready.
These are the chocolate pecan tarts also ready to go into the oven – every member of the staff is required to bring the pie plate back after enjoying their dessert.
This is a pumpkin honey molasses pie.
Here’s one of the maple bourbon pumpkin pies.
Here’s a chocolate pecan tart.
And a traditional pecan pie. The team works in an assembly line fashion to get all the pies ready on time. Once cooked, they are left to cool – on the counter, on the stovetop, near the sink – anywhere there is room.
After they are all done and slightly cooled, the pies are packed in boxes and brought outside for “pick up.”
All these pies were ready on time. I am always so happy to make pies for my hardworking staff. I hope you are all having a wonderful time preparing for today’s big feast. Enjoy.
Decorating doesn't have to be expensive or burdensome - just moving existing pieces of furniture can transform and refresh any room.
I always like to keep a collection of interesting container plants in my enclosed porch where I can see them every day. Most of my houseplants are kept in the greenhouse, so they can be closely maintained and then moved to my Winter House when I am home. For some time, I've been thinking about where I could put two unused long marble-topped tables. It finally came to me that they would be perfect for the porch - to hold many of my potted specimens, such as Rhipsalis, Dracaena, forced paper whites and amaryllis, and so many others.
Enjoy these photos.
My porch is a lovely space for displaying houseplants. The floor to ceiling windows allow lots of light and the plants surround my desk, where I can enjoy them while writing or while attending remote meetings.
I fill the spaces on both sides of the door with appealing and interesting specimens. All the furniture, including these plant stands, are black and the pots are natural light gray clay.
But then I had the idea to move in these two tables – narrow marble-topped tables on strong, black cast iron legs, that fit perfectly. They brighten up the porch right away.
I asked my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, to arrange the plants on the tables and add some more to the collection.
Ryan and my housekeeper, Enma Sandoval, worked together. Enma brought in plates. Whenever I decorate with plants, I use silver, copper, glass, or white plates, purchased from tag sales or antiques fairs, under the pots to catch any water. I find them more decorative than the clay saucers that come with the pots.
The plates are selected individually for each pot. Make sure it is wider than the bottom of the container.
Some of the plants here right now include this potted rhipsalis. It is native to the rainforests of South America, the Caribbean and Central America. Rhipsalis is a cacti genus with approximately 35 distinct species. I have many types of rhipsalis growing in my greenhouse.
Rhipsalis specimens have long, trailing stems making them perfect choices as indoor hanging plants.
Also known as chain cactus or mistletoe cactus, the thread-like succulent stems on the cactus are narrow, green and in can grow several feet long.
These plants prefer bright, indirect light. Rhipsalis plants also appreciate a good misting now and again and watering about once a week, or whenever the soil becomes dry.
Displayed on its own or with other specimens, rhipsalis plants always get lots of attention.
If you like growing plants, but don’t really have a lot of time to care for them, consider growing succulents. Succulents, which includes the cactus family, require very little maintenance. These plants are able to survive prolonged drought because they store moisture in their fleshy stems, roots, and leaves.
This is Euphorbia lactea is also known as a “Coral Cactus.” It is a species native to tropical Asia, mainly in India. The showy part of the plant, the section that resembles coral, is called the crest. The ridges are spiny, with short spines.
On the other side of the porch is a jade plant, Crassula ovata – another popular succulent characterized by its thick, woody stems and shiny, oval shaped leaves. It’s well known for its ease of care – it can live for many years if maintained properly.
And look who is watching all the redecorating. It’s Lilium, my brown Persian longhaired cat. She is one of four cats that live with me in my Winter House.
And this is Dahlia, a dilute calico Persian. My cats love to lounge in this enclosed porch.
Dracaena has strap-like leaves that emerge in a fountain-like cluster from a thick woody stem. This plant can grow as much as six feet in height when grown as a potted plant. In outdoor settings, it has been known to grow up to 20 feet.
On one end, I have these potted Monarch ferns. They are tropical ferns native to the Western Pacific Rim and loved for their glossy, green foliage.
Forcing is the process of speeding up a bulb’s development by simulating the conditions of winter and spring – it’s a way of fooling Mother Nature and tricking the bulb to bloom before its natural time. These paper whites were started last month and they’re developing so beautifully.
These are forced amaryllis. It won’t be long before they bloom.
If you’re hosting this Thanksgiving and getting your home ready for guests, look around, switch some furniture, add a few houseplants – and watch the space transform. Redecorating with items you already have is easy… and a very good thing.
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