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.
In this picture I lightened the owl a little bit. It was lighter to begin with.This one I didn’t. You can see how it blends in somewhat.
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!
Name the hawk. Is it a red shouldered? A cooper’s hawk? The light situation was bad. Ad on top of it I just started using the Merlin Bird Identification App. and Merlin could not identify its call. I also could not get a picture of its back. It was facing me next to a hiking trail with its back to a busy road, so the recording I tried to make was not good quality with cars passing by.
This guy must not have been in hunting mode. He is giving himself away with his call.Looks like he is going to fall over here.
It sounds kind of like this call from All About Birds, A Red Shouldered.
So, what’s your verdict? I am leaning towards red-shouldered because its call is closer than the ones I hear of the Copper’s Hawk. Regardless, is it a juvenile? Obviously, I am not a bird expert.
One does not have to walk far into the woods here to tell we have many woodpeckers. There are holes in a lot of trees. Many times they are just searching for bugs under the bark to eat. Sometimes it is to build a home. This woodpecker I saw near the Hudson River on one of my walks this week. A pair were flying tree to tree together and had a unique call. This woodpecker is the northern flicker.
I am hoping this year to find some babies peaking out of a hole. I am sure they are born already. I have seen some adults bringing back food to tree holes, but no heads peaking out. I think by the time they do that the leaves are fully on the trees blocking our view. One can only hope I will some day get lucky. Have a great weekend! Go slow enjoy your holiday!
It’s hard to tell how many eaglets there are in the nest when you look at the back of your camera. I visited this nest two times today. I thought I only saw one head. A couple of times I captured two. However, I was told there are actually three eaglets in this nest. The first may have been born I heard before the end of March. The others may have been the same week or maybe even the last one this week.
Two of the three are visible. Watching the other parent do a fly-by.Screaming or calling to spouse doing a fly-by. Bring more food, we have three mouths to feed.You can see one head to the right of the parent.
I am guessing the youngest one is the one I am not seeing. Someone was lucky enough to get all three in a picture. It was a cloudy day, but this is the best time I feel to get eagle pictures as there will be less shadows given where the nest is. Even on cloudy days there are things to see.
I noticed the clock when walking south from Grand Central Station in Manhattan to a meeting last week. On top is a wizard with a sword and a blacksmith hammering something. On the side of the clock are mulberry leaves and silkworms. A lady emerges on the hour.
The clock was designed for Robert Schwarzenbach, silk merchant, by sculptor William Zorach in 1926.
This clock is on Park Avenue.
There is more than one story about the clock. The more backed story seems to be the wizard is Zoroaster. The blacksmith is a slave. He swings at a cocoon at the feet of the wizard which brings about the emergence of the Queen of Silk. She disappears when the hour is done striking.
The other story about this clock relates to one of the King Arthur stories. According to Ephemeral New York, the Lady of the Lake comes out on the hour after the wizard hits the blacksmith’s head with a sword.
In the King Arthur Story, Le Morte D’Arthur, written by Sir Thomas Malory, Arthur needed another sword. Merlin, the wizard took him to a place where Arthur saw an arm clothed in white samite (silk) holding a sword in the middle of a lake. The lady came out of the lake holding the sword. He asked the Lady of the Lake for the Sword and she gave it to him with the condition that he do what she asked.
Whether the story behind it is Zoroaster or King Arthur, it is an interesting find in New York. I understand the clock does not fully work as it originally did, but it is almost 100 years old. Walk slow if you can and look around closely. It is amazing what you can find along the path you take.
We had an Arabic- Middle Eastern Food celebration at work last week. I did not know what foods would be brought in, so I have little in the lines of props. Everything that was brought in was delicious. My favourite was the chicken shawarma. It was also my favourite to photograph as it came with several sides.
Falafel
Hummus with Pita Bread
Cous Cous
Grape Leaves
Chicken Shawarma
Try something new. I have eaten most of these before. There is nothing like homemade though.
This tree had two visible holes, but the larger hole I did not think was large enough to host an owl that was egg sitting. After seeing an adult owl perched in the tree I realised it could. I also figured out there was another hole I could not view.
Not sure if this is a nest tree or the barred owl was just chilling. No wildlife seemed to spot this owl here so it seemed to be a good perching spot. I haven’t seen two owls together yet. I have not heard them calling to each other. It has been rather quiet this year in the woods. I am open to the belief this owl and its mate may be hanging out more on private property.
Despite that it was a cloudy morning, I was happy to spot this owl. The tell tale signs of the nearby wildlife being upset were not there. Looking at tree holes and knobs of branches helped today. Walk slow and appreciate nature.
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