I hear frogs many times I hike near water. However, I usually do not spot them. A friend I was hiking with spotted this guy first. He stayed there for a long time below a trail bridge as interested in us as we were with him.
Enjoy your weekend! Try to see things through someone else’s eyes.
When we stop seeing things through the eyes of others, we risk loosing the ability to help them see through our eyes.
Fro Your Mountain is Waiting
I went on a long hike to a wetland area with a trail next to it on two sides. I did not know what I would see. This was private land with public access on their trails. They do have someone come by in a truck to make sure people are following the rules. The main ones are stay on the trails and keep your dog on a lead or leash. I did manage to get off a couple of quick shots on the fly of wood ducks.
I found them to be like other wood ducks- skittish around people. The female and the baby mostly hid amongst the plants. This was the only shot I could get on these two.
The male I was able to get off a few shots. He was walking back and forth on this log. There was a big nest in a tree in the middle of the water. I am guessing it was a hawk’s nest. I am wondering if they had more ducklings, but lost them to predators. These were taken from a long distance with a zoom lens and are heavily cropped. Get out and enjoy the great outdoors, and explore new trails.
You can’t soar like an eagle when you surround yourself with turkeys.
Unknown
I saw wild turkeys a few times this week. Once two were crossing a hiking trail in front of me. I got a few pictures of one of them and kept my distance. The other retreated to to woods area.
The other I wish I got a picture of, but realise it is good I did not try. I see wild turkeys along a highway leading south to NYC frequently. I saw one running on the shoulder like it was commuting with the rest of us on the road, just outside NYC. It would have made a funny shot. It was running like a bank robber in Manhattan. Yes, outside NYC cars can go highway speeds, but it is pretty much impossible inside Manhattan. I guess that fits in with other news of the week.
Be careful who you spend your time with. Choose to be around those who lift you up and not bring you down. I think that explains the quote. Turkeys are probably used in the comparison because they spend so much time on the ground.
I went to a place to walk I have not been before. It was my second hiking location of the day and it was less than two hours to sunset. I was happy to see an owl flying in a field heading towards a woods. I followed it. I did not find the parent, but I found one owlet in a nest and one in a branch of the same tree. I could only get the one in the branch from very far away and with the wind it was hard to get a sharp shot.
I saw these from a distance. This are greatly cropped. A parent from flying tree to ground to tree nearby hunting. I am pretty sure this is the one in the nest.
It was very windy, but it was still great to catch these even from a distance. I could even faintly hear the owlets screech for food. This made my day! Take joy in the little things in life. Have a great week!
I started hearing mayhem amongst the birds in the woods. Crows, a blue jay, some other bird with an annoying call were complaining loudly. I went towards the sound and thought maybe the owl or a hawk caught a bird. The following pictures were taken right before sunset in the woods.
I saw what I believe is the female owl sitting patiently looking up in the trees in the direction of the sound. It turns out the male owl had caught an animal. The birds slowly one by one flew away complaining. After things had quieted down I saw what looked like the other owl fly to a tree and make a short who sound.
The father owl then flew to a neighbouring tree. The mother owl flew over to the tree he had gone to first. The father had left an animal for the mom to eat. How nice of him! I could not tell what it was at first.
The mother owl was nice enough to take the animal and fly off to a neighbouring tree branch where I could get a better view. It appears to be a chipmunk. We are seeing more chipmunks and squirrels now, but not nearly as much as in past years it seems. Many people in this area are commenting the same.
The mother owl spent a lot of time trying to swallow this, give up, then appear to try to rip it or bite pieces, then repeat.
When she was done she flew to another nearby tree and perched for a while. I always feel lucky to see this pair. They have not been together much this year so far. I hope I did not gross you out too much. Enjoy the end of your week!
What may be a good time to find owls? It appears after a rainstorm at night. It seemed to rain much of the night here. They may have needed time during the day to hunt.
I found this one first. You cannot use the usually bluejays being ticked or chipmunks making noise to find them this year. There are a lack of those around as well as squirrels, which are all part of their diet. More hawks around I think is greatly culling the animal population.
This one’s mate was at a neighbouring tree not too far away. The mate is more stealth. If I cannot find him right away I give up and let him show himself to me on his terms.
After resting for a while, they started following each other around. One landed on a branch. When they other one tried to land on the same branch , the branch broke off and fell to the ground sending the owls in quick flight. The one owl was not putting up with having the other on the next branch it landed on. It forced them off.
So they ended up on the same tree. but different areas of it. I think they were wondering if they would see a sunset or another rainstorm. It ended up being another rainstorm.
What do you have to view on your daily commute? Luckily for me there is an eagle nest right next to a major commuting road that goes south to New York City.
When the leaves are off the trees, you get quite a view. These pictures were taken from the side of the highway. Now you are always seeing one parent on or quite close to the nest. A sure sign of eaglets within it.
Since the view is from below the nest, you do not get to see the eaglets until they grow bigger. The tree is looking pretty dead right now on the top, so the nest is more exposed.
Is there something you notice on your daily commute? Do you have something to look forward to seeing? Enjoy your commute and enjoy your weekend.
Since the leaves are just starting to come in, this owl is still choosing to hang out on pine trees. Another day another pine tree.
This time some birds were aware the owl was there. Some were protesting, but they still kept a safe distance. The owl positioned itself next to a stream hoping for some wildlife to stop by and get a drink.
Leaves of trees between where I stood and the tree the owl was on are filling in. It is going to be tougher to find the owl soon. Here’s hoping I find this one’s tree hole.
Have a great week and I hope you have great weather!
I have heard this weird squawk of a hawk the past few weeks in the woods. I have only seen the hawk on its own. Honestly the squawk is not exactly like the sounds I am hearing on different websites for a Cooper’s Hawk. I hear barred owls make sounds I do not hear on websites either though.
The hawk above is the original one I hear making the odd sound. In different light it appears to fit a Copper’s Hawk. It has orangish eyes and a blueish grey feathers on the back.
This one was with the original hawk on the same branch/ tree. This one was silent. I could not tell for sure, but it looked like it had prey by its feet. Something is coming out of its mouth on the left side.
In this light it looks like this second one has a blueish grey area on its back as well. I am guessing these are now a pair. Other hawks flying overhead in the same area were red tailed hawks. It seems like there are other birds of prey in the area this year. It may be why I am hearing less bluejays, etc.
I could hear this hawk constantly on my walk when I got within earshot. I think Mettatsunami was correct. It was looking for a mate. Keep enjoying your weekend!
What do owls do before the leaves are on the trees? Hang out in pine trees or stick close to the trunk of other trees. These pictures were taken before sunset near a road. People walking by had no idea it was there.
The owl tends to hang out on the shady side of the tree. It tries to fake out other animals by pretending to sleep for a minute here and there.
On a side note I don’t know what is going on with the squirrels and the chipmunks. I am just starting to see them. I also have heard less blue jays than usual. I am seeing more hawks around, so I am wondering if they picked off a lot of small animals over the winter. Is anyone else noticing the same thing?
Once in a while stop and look up. You never know what is above you. Have a great weekend!
Sharon's Iconic Travel Photography Blog 