This hawk wants all the attention. She flies close to people. Sometimes she flies by us with her catch. Sometimes she lands near us to catch vole. Other times she brings her catch to a post or tree close to where people are allowed to stand so we can admire her hunting ability. It is a red-tailed diva.
Red-Tailed Diva Flying from a bird house on the hunt.Red -Tailed Diva – This time it caught a bird. Goldfinch?
She flew from the top of a bird house to an area with short grasses and had a bird. I did not see her catch it. Not sure if she caught it in mid-air or what. Yes, different kinds of hawks will stalk bird feeders.
Red-Tailed Diva- She flew to a post with her catch faced the photographers and let us get a good view of her catch. This one is facing us.Red Tailed Diva- Then she posed and gave us a side view.
Do any animals act like divas around you? This one seems to be a diva for camera clicks. Enjoy your weekend.
One very windy Sunday morning I went down to see if I could spot loons wintering near one New England Beach, which they usually do. No luck spotting any, however, I saw this gull which appeared to be picking up a rock, but I am sure it is a shell.
Icelandic Gull
Merlin gives three choices for this gull. The first one is an Icelandic Gull. If I am wrong, let me know. The other two to me do not look that close to this one. It is hard to tell with the early morning light, but it appears to be an immature. The east coast of the northern US is within the range for the non breeding gulls. Only some of the gulls migrate south for the winter. Many stay in the arctic all year.
Icelandic Gull- flying off towards the jetty
The gull appeared to be heading in the direction of the jetty. Possibly it would try to crack the shell open there? Have a great weekend.
I found two barred owl families this spring/ summer. The first family had three owlets and they were making the hissing like noise they make when hungry while inside the tree. This second family, in another location, had one owlet.
Barred Owl Family Number 2- most likely the mom
The first family had a great horned owl family come into its territory. Either the parents moved the owlets farther away onto private land, or the great horned owls got them, which they will do. I saw the second family’s baby for several days, then saw it no longer. To be fair, it was very close to private land when I saw it. Owls will have the baby move around, although it seems no further than about a 1/4 of a mile from the nest, when it is still relying on parents for food. I am hoping the story on this one is they moved to private land.
Barred Owl Family Number 2– they had one owlet
The parents are savvy and hide in the shade. The owlet seems to relish the light from the sun. Enjoy your week!
The short-eared owls do not always come up during good light. So what do you do? We can watch the accommodating Red-Tailed Hawk.
Red-Tailed Star 2 – landing on a post
This hawk stays close to where the photographers and other visitors are allowed to stand. She goes between a roof, chimney, posts, trees etc. She provides us all ample opportunities to see her. She even lands on the railing of the photography platforms while people are on it.
Red-Tailed Star 2 – with a vole
Sometimes she brings the voles she catches to a post to sit on and eat in full view.
Red-Tailed Star 2 – with a vole- close up
I walk this location in warmer months when all the trails are open. You can stop anywhere on the trails around this place and hear a vole moving around in the grass. I think all the owls and hawks do not have to worry about competition or their food supply.
Red-Tailed Star Two- Flying Up to a PostRed-Tailed Star 2- Actively Hunting From a Post
Wildlife is fun to watch, especially when they are so accommodating. Have a great rest of your week.
These Mini Coopers were inside different souvenir shops in central London. I blurred the background on the first photo and blackened the background on the photo below so no faces were able to be discerned. These photos were taken in July.
Mini Coopers with British Flag
I actually like the last one better because of the lamp post and Paddington Bear were included in the picture.
Mini Coopers with British Flag – Paddington Bear and lamp post
One more proof that other countries are creative in how they use their flag images. I have seen Mini Coopers similar to this one in the states. I have also seen them with British flags on the mirrors. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
To say this hawk is unusual is an understatement. Usually red-tailed hawks do not want to be around people. This one seems to crave attention. She can hunt anywhere on this big expanse of land. Instead she chooses to stick near the parking lot where people are.
The Red Tailed Star of the Show – She flew close to me.The Red Tailed Star of the Show – I was hoping she would turn around with the vole, but this was the best shot I could get.
She gives people plenty of chances to see her landing on posts, landing on trees, landing on the ground near them, and flying very close to where people are standing.
The Red Tailed Star of the Show
In the above photo she landed on the section of trail that was closed right next to the barriers and sign. She was stomping the ground hunting for a vole.
The Red Tailed Star of the Show
In the above photo she is hunting from the outhouse ventilation.
The Red Tailed Star of the Show – Perching in her current favourite spot
When the short-eared owls arrived from the arctic to winter, they would try to knock her off posts. Now she is spending more time hanging out on this tree. This attracts the owls to the tree, but they seem unable to fly close enough to knock her off. On Christmas she kept eating a vole while ignoring the close fly bys. Below is one of the approaching short eared owls. They seem to take turns going after her.
The Red Tailed Star of the Show- an approaching short-eared owl getting ready to harrass the hawk
It is always a show when this particular red tailed hawk is nearby. She either gives us one or we get a double feature that includes the owls. I hope everyone had a Happy Holiday. Have a great weekend!
I went down for a short time to see if I could catch any short-eared owls this afternoon. There were a lot more people there late afternoon on Christmas Day than I expected. It was a sunny day, which we do not get too many of. Luckily a red-tailed hawk decided to hang out in some prime places. That usually draws the owls closer to harass it.
While the owls flew around one tree the hawk was perched in, I was able to get off some fly by shots.
The owl made my day. I felt like the hawk gave all the visitors a present by perching where she did, and the owls gave us a present by doing close fly-bys. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!
These are the lions outside the NY Public Library Main Branch on the corner of 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. It actually takes up a city block between 42nd Street and 41st Street.
Behind the library is Bryant Park. Grand Central Station is a short walk away.
Merry Christmas Lion
In Christianity the Lion is a symbol of the coming of Jesus and strength. In Revelation 5:5 it says “behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah the root of David, has conquered so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” So it is kind of fitting they incorporated a wreath onto a lion into their holiday decoration.
Merry Christmas Lion
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it. I understand this year the first night of Hanukkah starts on Christmas. Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate it! Happy Kwanza!
We do have Barn Owls in New York, but they are rare. Ebird will allow someone to post the county one was spotted in, but not the town it was seen in. I think these are much more common in England.
Barn Owl Perched
This was another owl I got to see that a group brought in to show. It would be quite rare to see in the wild in New York, but you never know. Have a Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanza!
Spectacled owls range from Mexico down into South America. I doubt I will ever get to see one in those locations, but I was able to view this owl and others through a group that puts on educational shows.
Juvenile Spectacled Owl
Spectacled Owls – Juvenile
This is a juvenile spectacled owl. They have different colouring than adults. Their head is more white, while the adults’ head feathers are more a darker brown.
Spectacled Owls – Juvenile
Adult Spectacled Owl
Spectacled Owls – Adult
How did they get their name?
I do not have a head on shot of the adult. It has white markings around its eyes that make it look like it is wearing glasses. One of their calls is a tapping sound, and they are also known as a knocking owl. The knocking like sound has also resulted in it being named the coffin maker in some places as the sound is likened to someone pounding nails into a coffin.
This was a treat! I was able to see from a short distance owls, some of which are not in the area I live in. I saw a show by a different group 1-2 years ago where they were against photos being taken and were anti anyone with a nice camera. It was nice to see this group was not like that. No flashes were used. Have a great weekend.
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