I understand they have not been seen for a week. It has been very windy. Hopefully, they are still around, otherwise they may have already headed north.
Avian flu is in the area, so hopefully it is not that. Have a great week!
Short-Eared Owl Hi!
Category: animals
Young Eagle With Fish
I stopped on my way home from work again at a park on the Hudson River. I arrived to see this young eagle in a tree eating a fish. Next, I hope to see it catch one. I just missed it again.
He had to look all around as other young eagles, adult eagles and vultures were circled around overhead.
There was quite a bit of overhead traffic. I think they needed an air traffic controller.
I am guessing the adult eagle was circling to make sure they did not get to close to the young eagle and the vultures were interested in that fish. I am guessing this may be a 2nd year eagle. What do you think?
Young Eagle on the River
I stopped by public land on my way home from work. This land is right on the Hudson River. I was able to see this young eagle not far from where I parked my car.
I also saw a full adult eagle fly by a few times seemingly checking up on junior. I was hoping it would fly out and catch a fish, but I was told he had just caught one and ate it prior to my arrival.
It was still nice seeing one regardless. Maybe one day I can watch them catch fish. Have a great weekend!
Short-Eared Owl Head On
I love it when the owls fly right towards you, especially in good lighting conditions. Most of the time they come up a little before before sunset, but sometimes they come up earlier.
A quote from Helen Keller:
Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.
In the case of the owls, occasionally they look people straight in the eye. On this large piece of land where people can only stand on a very small section of it, it is great to see the owls come up close to people and look them in the eye. Enjoy your week.
Wakey-Wakey Screech Owl
This screech owl was in a tree close to a little traveled road. Cars stopping in front of the tree did not wake it. Construction vehicles, and aircraft flying around did not awaken it. Other wildlife could not rouse it. It is one heavy sleeper.
I was rooting for this bird, I think a nuthatch, to wake it up. It flew from another nearby tree and proceeded to walk down the owl’s tree towards the hole. I think it thought it was not such a good idea to go further. According to All About Birds:
The Eastern Screech-Owl is known to eat a variety of songbirds, including the European Starling.
This was the closest it got to opening its eyes. This bird must have been tired out from hunting during the night. It could also be a good sleeper. Can you sleep through a variety of noises?
A Windy Day
Usually you do not see short-eared owls on very windy days. Sometimes you are lucky. Since there is ice covering the ground I think that caused some of the shorties to come up well before sunset.
Some used that to their advantage to ride the wind and seemingly hover when they were hunting.
This one landed on a post in front of where we were allowed to stand. Lucky us! It seemed to battle the wind to stay on the post.
Sometimes windy days can be good days. Have a great rest of your weekend.
Soft Landings
It has been said that the layer of ice on top of the ground might make it harder for the owls and hawks to hunt. The past few days I understand the owls have been more active earlier in the day a few hours before sunset. The short-eared owls have been flying all over the place and making soft landings on various trees, bushes, rocks, etc.
All this activity makes a photographer or bird watcher happy. Usually sometime in March they leave for the Arctic. However, last year they stayed slightly longer than usual.
It is cold out, but if you are in a northern state and you want to view these winter visitors, you have to brave it for at least a short time. Bring a good pair of binoculars or a camera with a good zoom lens. I think you will find watching them makes winter more enjoyable.
Otters
Although otters can be found in New York in places such as the Adirondacks and the Hudson Valley, I have not spotted one in the wild in New York. I have only seen them at zoos. Last summer I did see some in England. There were multiple on one body of water.
Otters are fun to watch but hard to photograph. The day I saw these was a typical dark, dreary day, so the lighting was not optimal. They move quite fast and do not stay put long, so I had a hard time getting their head in focus and catching them while they were facing in somewhat my direction.
Regardless, they were fun to see. Have a great rest of your week.
Superb Owl Sunday
What is Superb Owl Sunday? It is a day to celebrate owls while others are immersed in football. Some go on hikes, trips to the zoo, or a wildlife refuge where owls have been known to be. Here is one kind of owl I saw recently: the barred owl.
We have experienced a few minor snow storms to date that have only left a few inches of the the fluffy white stuff. This was after one of these storms. This owl did not look too happy about it.
It was a dark and dreary day after the snow fall. When I took the above picture it was from an angle with less light. This the the first time I have seen a barred owl sitting parked in a tree hole. I have seen the owlets do this, but not an adult. The parent will stay inside the hole in side the tree when there are eggs and when there are owlets not ready to fledge. I have only seen the owlets at the hole just prior to fledging.
If you were not into the Super Bowl I hope you were able to get out an enjoy something else like the Superb Owl Sunday.
Short-Eared Flight
The sun was mostly behind the clouds, but we had a few short periods where the sun peaked out for a few minutes and gave us good light. Unfortunately the owls were only up during the last period of a few minutes of good light.
These pictures are from the last period of light, and it flew right in front of the viewing area then past us. I just love it when they are accommodating.
We have parks in NY that are closed due to finding dead geese and they suspect avian flu. I was told a farm locally had to kill all their chickens due to avian flu. Hopefully the owls, eagles, and hawks do not get infected. I wish there was some way we could tell them not to eat birds. Have a great Friday!
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