Is this a red-shouldered hawk? Another one was nearby and kept calling to it. The call sounded like the call of a red shouldered I heard online. What do you think?
If you have nice weather tomorrow, get out and enjoy it. For some it may be the calm before the storm.
Do red tailed hawks have a sense of smell? This one makes me wonder. One of the hawk’s go to spots to perch is on top of a wildlife refuge’s latrine chimney.
These were taken yesterday. It was sunny, but very windy and frigid. What do you think? Do hawks have a sense of smell?
I don’t think this red tailed hawk was named by anyone, but I am going to call it Diva. Why? It has no problem being around people and will seemingly try to get the attention of the people taking wildlife pictures or with binoculars watching wildlife.
Maybe the hawk is trying to remind everyone to be on good behaviour. Only certain trails are open in winter due to the visitors from far up north.
If I had Google Translate set Hawk to English: This is a reminder. The area behind me is only for wildlife. Humans stay on the other side of the sign. Some wildlife sleep during the day on the ground.
Despite today being a very windy, frigid day it was great to see the hawk. I had to take numerous in the car breaks with the heat running. Frigid days can still be fruitful days.
These pictures were taken on the same day as my other post on snow geese. It was a dark, windy, dreary day. I felt fortunate though to see them in flight.
I saw them arrive to the park from a distance. I walked closer to where they landed. After a while smaller groups among them took flight again above the park. It was like they were exercising, or possibly getting ready for another long flight.
They did several circles around the park before they landed again. Lucky for me they flew overhead.
Flaps down, floating in for a landing.
Not sure how they avoid landing on another bird from the flock. Add into the conditions that it was a very windy day and it seems like a difficult task.
Despite the weather and dark skies, great things can be seen! Walking outside is a great stress reliever. Seeing wildlife makes it more so.
I went to a park that straddled two states to catch these. Two attempts after work did not yield results. The third attempt on a weekend was the charm. Warning: it was a dreary day, so the images are dark and not sharp as a result.
I saw them approach the park in a large group from a distance. I guesstimate the group was around a few hundred. I walked towards where they were. They slowly drifted towards my location. It helped few people were there.
When they arrived the swans were at the end of the water body closest to me. When the swans wanted to get to the other side, the snow geese gave them a wide path. I don’t know if that is respect or fear. What do you think?
Most were white morphs. According to All About Birds white morphs have black wingtips and a pink bill with a black grin patch.
According to All about Birds blue morph snow geese have a white head and a dark body. The are the same size and shape as the white morph snow geese as well as the same pink bill with a black grin.
I wish Google Translate had snow geese as an option. It would be interesting to know what they were saying amongst themselves.
They were here evidently a couple of weeks before I caught them. I have heard from multiple people this is unusual. There may have been a thousand or more at one point. At this location is is down to a couple hundred or less now. They do not usually come to this area in these numbers. I think our mild weather made this area and its ice free waters attractive as a long term stop.
Get out and enjoy nature! Even when the weather is not optimal. You may get to see something you have have before.
I am doing overtime from January- March at least. December showed me you cannot take your health for granted. I do not have much time to take photos. Many times on the weekends it has been cloudy before sunset. After work it is usually dark or close to it by the time I get home.
I only saw the red tailed hawk up close this time. The short eared owls only came up after 4 and stayed far away. It was a very overcast day and it was not long before sunset, so the light is not good and they are not sharp.
This one wanted to be the star. It landed on the pole close to the parking lot for a while. Then it flew right over me and landed on the refugee’s latrine chimney. Then it flew on top of a bird house. All the while it was close to people and did not seem to care.
Don’t take your health for granted. Get out and walk! Enjoy nature. Be around people who are positive.
I have to combine my walks with where I may most likely see wildlife. This harrier is in the same area I have seen the arctic short-eared owls. This guy probably stole the owl’s prey a few times.
We have no snow on the ground presently. I am not seeing that as necessarily a bad thing. It is cold this week. Possibly the lack of snow makes it easier for the harriers and owls to catch voles. If you stop long enough at this location you can see or hear the voles moving around in the grass.
These shots are taken at a distance and are heavily cropped. It was close to sunset.
Get out an enjoy the weather when it allows. Exercise and fresh air are good for the soul.
Still hoping to see short eared owls up close. I caught these right before sunset. Occasionally you may have to opportunity to see them earlier in the day, but many times they come up an hour or two before sunset.
Short eared owls sleep on the ground, making them susceptible to predators. I heard possibly a coyote got one at this location a few years ago.
Once again I saw an owl and a harrier fighting over food, although I did not include it here.
Again, these owls are very far away and these images are heavily cropped. Regardless I got in a long walk, and it is fun to see them from afar as well.
I saw a sign up for a raptors show when I was on my way to visit a relative. Of course I had to stop. The program was more than halfway through, but I was able to take these photos the short time I was there. It was in the basement of a building so the light situation was not good.
I love barred owls. I have followed a family in the wild for three years. I always say the mother owl found me. She flew right over my shoulder one day when I was walking. I returned to that area every year she makes herself known to me. I feel lucky. Seeing one this close up is great even if the light was bad.
I hope to see a barn owl in the wild, but realise that may be on a to do list for an England trip.
A wild bird rescue introduced these raptors. They are not falconers. I think most if not all of the birds for one reason or another are not capable of being in the wild. They may have been hit by a car, be partially blind, etc.
I was lucky enough to see one of these in a tree hole in the wild. Again, it was a thrill to see them up close.
I have seen peregrine falcons in the wild. They fly too fast for me to get a picture of one. I only got some of them perched on a cliff.
Your best view of these birds would be through a falconer or a rehabber who has an educational program. Take advantage of one of these programs, especially if you have kids. The children there were mesmerised.
Do you like murals? Do you like animals? One type of expression in the artsy town of Beacon, NY to see are some of the murals around town. The ones pictured below are on one building in a park. Three were taken on a cloudy day as they appeared better photos than the ones I took on a sunny day.
These are part of a community project led by the artist Joel Pimentel. I think the artwork is very well done. I hope you enjoy it.
Which one is your favourite? I love all of them. I like the owl one best because it is, well, an owl. Need I say more?
Sharon's Iconic Travel Photography Blog 