Category: photography

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.

Wakey-Wakey Screech Owl

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. 

Wakey-Wakey Screech Owl
Wakey-Wakey Screech Owl – Eyes slightly open

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.

A Windy Day – Short-Eared Owl

Some used that to their advantage to ride the wind and seemingly hover when they were hunting.

A Windy Day – Short-Eared Owl

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.

A Windy Day – Short-Eared Owl

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.

Soft Landings – Short-Eared Owls

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.

Soft Landings – Short-Eared Owls

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

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.

Otters

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.

Superb Owl Sunday

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.

Superb Owl Sunday

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.

Short-Eared Flight

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!

Female Northern Harrier

Northern Harriers are one type of hawk native to North America. It is one hawk I mainly see in winter.

Female Northern Harrier

Food

Northern harriers hunt small mammals and birds. They can get rabbits and ducks. During winter, when I see them, they mainly go after voles and mice. This one is carrying grass, but I am not sure if there is a vole or mouse amongst it.

Female Northern Harrier

Hunting behaviour

I have found these birds in grasslands where they fly quite low going often between the grasses. Harriers hunt during the daytime. They can also hover then dive while hunting. Harriers rely on hearing and sight to capture their prey. I have seen them chase after and steal a vole from a short-eared owl in late afternoon.

Nesting Behaviour

Northern harriers will roost in groups on the ground, sometimes with Short-Eared Owls, according to All About Birds. Because they roost on the ground, animals such as coyotes and feral dogs will go after adult northern harriers.

Female Northern Harrier

These are fascinating birds to watch. I love seeing them hover and chase after the short-eared owls. Have a great Wednesday!

Muskrats on Ice

How did muskrats get their name? Evidently they get the word musk because of the strong smelling odor they give off to mark territory and keep away intruders. I have never smelled anything when around them, but I do not get too close. The rat in their name is because their tail is said to resemble a rats. At one point they were known as musk beavers because of the flat tail.

Muskrats on Ice

This small pond has at least 5 muskrats. This is the first time I have seen the muskrats on ice in decent lighting conditions. When I arrived in the late afternoon I saw two.

They keep the area on the pond where this one is clear of ice. Most of the pond is iced over, except the other spots they come up from the water. From this spot they scurry up the hill and get grass and other plants from areas they have cleared of snow.

Muskrats on Ice

Muskrats build lodges like beavers, or they build a tunnel from under a pond to a chamber above water on the bank of the pond. Because they may tunnel on a pond bank , it could cause bank destruction or collapse.

Have a great rest of your weekend!

Ice Fishing

We have been experiencing some cold nights. Some days the highs were in the 20s. I swung by Lower Canopus Lake in Fahnestock State Park when travelling nearby and saw these two ice fishing.

Ice Fishing

They were quite a distance away. This image was taken with a zoom lens and is heavily cropped. On a side note, the Appalachian Trail runs through this park, not far from where I took this image.

Some enjoy the cold weather, others tend to hibernate indoors. Whatever you do, have a great Friday!

Muskrats

I know these creatures are in a little pond. They make sure there are holes in the ice to come up out of. I have only briefly seen them out of the holes near the pond. On the day of the photos I saw them scampering up the hill from the pond.

Muskrats – Digging in the grasses under the snow

They appeared to be moving snow and digging in the grass underneath. It appeared they were eating a lot of it there, but some they were carrying back down to the pond.

Muskrats- walking uphill from the pond
Muskrats – pausing to look at me
Muskrats- just out of the water

If you celebrate it- Wishing you a prosperous new year! 祝你新年快乐. 번영하는 새해를 기원합니다 chúc bạn một năm mới an khang thịnh vượng

Have a great rest of your week!