Some birds I am convinced are ADHD. The tree swallow is constantly on the move, and I find it hard to capture it in photos. It very much seems ADHD.
I was hoping it would land on the birdhouse. Lucky for me, it was reading my mind. It was only there for a short time, but I was able to take a few shots.
It stared me down for a bit before it flew off. Do any other birds or animals seem ADHD to you? Have a great rest of your week.
I went to check on the Osprey family this weekend. Parents were flying in and out of the nest, which is a good sign the baby or babies hatched.
I was hoping to see a parent bring in a fish, but not this time.
I only got a few pictures that included a baby osprey. This is one of them. I do not know if this is the only one.
I do not think the parent was feeding herself here. They seemed to be handing off low to a baby in the nest.
I did not witness a fish being brought in, but saw one of the parents bring in a stick, Considering there is visible in this picture a big hole in this nest, it is probably a good idea. Were you busy this weekend? I hope you had time to relax.
I see and hear various woodpeckers in my area. There is only one kind I have been able to catch the babies peaking out of the tree hole of the nesting tree. It is the Downy woodpecker.
I usually can at least find the tree the babies are in because I heard them making sounds begging for food. It does not always mean you will be able to catch sight of the hole. Sometimes by the time you hear the babies start making the sounds, the hole may be well camouflaged by leaves.
The parents are usually fairly close by pecking at trees for bugs. Sometimes they even look for food on the nest tree.
I have no idea what kind of food they caught in either of these pictures. Our woods is full of bugs due to all the rain we have experienced the past year, so they won’t go hungry.
I believe the babies have fledged from this particular tree, but I know of at least three other trees in the same woods where the Downy babies were still in the hole. This pictures were before sunset, taken from a distance, and heavily cropped.
If you go to All About Birds the babies sound kind of like this in the woods when they are in the tree, but soon to fledge. I usually start hearing them right before they fledge.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Downy_Woodpecker/sounds
Walk slow and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. What woodpeckers do you see along your journeys?
Watch the Eyes! The Osprey seems to be thinking as its mate is flying in. These landings look risky to me.
This nest either has little babies or eggs that have not hatched yet. In the time I was there the mate only flew out to chase perceived threats. No fish were brought in.
I wonder if an osprey ever injuries its mate when flying back into the nest.
Although they seem to have babies later than owls and eagles, it is still that time of year for new life. Pause to reflect on those who gave the ultimate sacrifice that we may be free.
I came upon this barred owl when I heard birds going nuts in the woods. I was about to walk this way and saw this owl. Its mate was hunting nearby. I felt like the owl was thinking there is nothing to see here, move along. I took a picture then left. Sometimes the male hunts for food for the female, and sometimes they are hunting to feed the young. I have seen the male bring the female his catch . Have a great holiday weekend!
These are an unexpected find. It is an unexpected location for many reasons that I cannot go into detail about.
The weather has been absolutely horrid. Very cloudy most of the time it seems, so it makes for very dark conditions amongst a group of trees. The photo at the bottom I actually got caught in a passing rain storm.
I actually heard the sounds days before I saw them at the tree hole. The first few days they did not appear at the tree hole. I walked on all sides of this tree and the sound appeared to come from the other side of the tree no matter what side of the tree I was on. I concluded it had to be inside the tree. I even had a friend listen to a video of the sound to confirm it was an owlet. I never heard them make these sounds inside the tree hole, only after they ventured out of the hole. Then I saw one on a different day appear at the hole. On another day I saw two heads. It almost appeared the one would push the other out.
All of these photos, but especially the one on the bottom are taken in very low light conditions at a high ISO. Even in a location you would never think an owl would nest, they might. Enjoy the rest of your week!
I took this photo in 2020. Instead of hiking around Manhattan, I was hiking in the woods north of the city. I think I can say many altered their lives in significant ways after March of 2020, although for some it may have been temporary.
Have you made changes that you stuck to? For me it was probably taking more animal pictures. What about you?
The barred owl has a facial disk. The disk is composed of feathers that grow around the owl’s head. These feathers help make the bared owl a skilled hunter. These feathers they say help direct sound to the bird’s ears. They say it is the same effect as cupping your hands behind your ears. The disk feathers allow them to hear the movement of a mouse in the grass, the flapping of feathers in the night, or the slithering of a snake in a tree or on the ground.
The hunter becomes the hunted in the Pacific Northwest. The government wants to cull barred owls. The barred owl is being blamed for the decrease in population of the spotted owl. The barred is more indigenous to the east coast, but has been moving over the the Pacific Northwest. Therefore, the US Fish and Wildlife wants people to kill 500,000 of them. It is very controversial as it will eliminate a species in one area to save another. What do you think?
This pair has been in and out of public land at one of the many places I hike. It has mostly been outside of public land past two years. Too many things have happened and continue to happen that keep them on private lands. Tonight the pair crossed the border into public land.
I actually saw one of them on Sunday morning. I was looking at another bird and the owl made one of the many sounds a barred owl makes. Turns out it was in a neighbouring tree. I would like to think it was saying hi!
I have not heard any of the usual telltale signs they are near in the past several months such as the complaining of robins, bluejays, chipmunks, etc. Birds complain when a hawk or owl is nearby. Tonight was the first time I heard the signs, but it was well after I saw it.
The pictures above and below are at sunset. It actually caught something on the ground and carried it to a neighbouring tree to its mate. The mate ate a little then carried it off towards private land. I think they will only be occasional opportunities on the fly to see them again this year.
I hope I see them again in the future. This was unexpected, but great nonetheless.
These pictures were taken recently in what may have been the short-eared owls last day here. A big event happened and that may have driven them back up north to Canada. The season started out with not much luck for me, but ended with a bang.
I did not have much luck until sometime around mid-February and had more luck after the time change. On weekends in winter the place is mobbed and the behaviour of some of the photographers I believe keeps them far away from where we are allowed to stand. I say some, not all. Most respect the rules of the location and the animals. The short-eared owls usually leave sometime in March, but they stayed until past mid-April. People were hoping they were going to stay year round. (I went to another location yesterday and I was told it was a great year for short-eared owl viewing there as well).
One owl would land on trees, various posts and do close fly-bys. I among others believe it was the same owl every time. When I say close fly-bys I mean within 5-10 feet of you. I hope the same owl returns next year. Otherwise, I enjoyed it while it lasted mid-February through mid-April. Seeing an owl close up was not a daily occurrence. Sometimes it would come up to a nearby post or do fly-bys when there was low light. If the conditions were not right you would not see them close or at all.
One thing I learned and it seems to be true is the short-eared owls do not like wind over 10 miles and hour. It was rare to see them fly when the wind was above 10 mph. I believe on this night it was not promising, but a cloudy day changed into one with no clouds at the horizon and it made for good light after 6. The winds also died down. Right around the time for these two events we started to see them pop up and fly.
Get out and enjoy the wildlife that reside in your state! Have a great rest of your week!
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