I see one of the parents perched by this lake on my way to work. On the way home I stop by sometimes to get a glimpse. It looks like this nest may have the latest born eaglets in the area. I am guessing these are less than 2 weeks old.
Get out an enjoy nature! Stay safe!
What are barn quilts? Barn quilts make me think of the Hex signs that the Pennsylvania Dutch painted on the sides of their barns for many years. Barn quilts seem to be a more recent take on it. Barn Quilts are square blocks that are made to represent quilt patterns. Some barn quilts are favourite family patterns. They can be placed on barns or other buildings. They are usually hand painted.
Some rural communities have barn quilt maps that you can follow. It is a draw to bring tourists in to travel the scenic country roads searching for them. I found these when passing through the main street and a few other roads of Middleburgh, NY. There were others I am sure I missed. Middleburgh is in Schoharie County in the Catskill Mountains of New York.
Enjoy nature. Take a drive to a rural area and see something different along the way. It is amazing what is out there. Stay safe!
The owlets are growing up. One can see more colouring like that of an adult great horned owl. It is interesting to have this opportunity to view these youngsters. Get out and enjoy nature. It’s a perfect way to social distance and get exercise at the same time.
I had to stop by after work. The weather has not cooperated, but I can not do anything about that. No drama today. The crows did a fly by , but did not see the parent.
It looks like one owl was winking at me. I am sure it had something in his eye though. The parent tries to be stealth around the nest. It did not work today. It has no problem being photographed away from the nest.
Get out and enjoy nature. It is the perfect socially distant activity.
It was another dark and dreary day, but it was not hard to find this parent in the woods. Just heard a bunch of crows loudly complaining. Did he eat their friend? The crows parked on the branches above him and around the owl. They flew close to him and dropped sticks on him/her. The owl went after one of them. I could not see what happened. Not sure if he killed it or injured it. Some left after that and when the rain started the rest of the crows left. The owl mostly looked up and away from me, but these few times it looked towards my direction, usually when a crow was flying around him from my direction.
These were taken from quite a distance away and were greatly cropped. Stay safe and stay healthy!
Some action around the nest tonight. A hawk was getting too close and was chased a few times by one of the parents. It did not seem to worry the babies. They spent their time snoozing and watching me. They are starting to look more like owls and less like aliens.
These are taken from quite a distance away and heavily cropped. I am sure there are others with much sharper images out there. This nest is also on private land.
Sometimes you are at the right place at the right time. I have been following this nest on private property for several weeks now. I knew there were babies as one parent was always sitting in the nest. Then today… poof ….I see one adult perched on a neighbouring branch and two babies in the nest that look quite large.
I kept a distance. This is one owl you need to give a lot of space to. They will attack people who get too close. I took these with a zoom lens and they are heavily cropped. Get out and enjoy nature. You never know what you find in your own backyard or a friend’s backyard.
The Eagles in New York are doing well and in fact throughout the country. Several newspapers including the NY Times reported that the American bald eagle population has quadrupled since 2009. This was based on a US Fish and Wildlife Service report. In 2009 there were about 72,000 bald eagles in the lower 48 states, while now researchers say the population is above 300,000.
Local nests are seeing new life. This week two babies hatched in one nest. Good timing for me as I had some days off this week. The weather may not have been the best, but I will take it.
Go out and enjoy the great outdoors!
There’s a whole world out there right outside your window. You’d be a fool to miss it.”
Charlotte Ericksson
I have been really busy with work. I hope to take a few walks this week. Even in these times you can explore the walking trails around your area, walk in the mountains or on a beach, or even go to a wildlife refuge. Go out and enjoy. Happy holidays! Happy vacation!
Covid does not seem to have affected the eagles. Last year it meant less noise around the nest. The same may be the case this year as people are not out and about as in previous times. There are less cars on the roads.
The eagles have been taking turns egg sitting. Local estimates are 7-10 days. I’m hoping for good weather and that more activity falls during during my week off. Would be nice to get a good shot of an incoming fish. I did not have much luck with that last year. Stay safe everyone!
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