photography – Page 2 – Sharon's Iconic Travel Photography Blog

Educated Red-Tailed Hawk

I saw this hawk on the campus of a local university. The Merlin app only assigns the red tailed hawk to these images, so I will have to assume that is what it is.

I was hoping to see this bird fly. Although it did look like it was actively hunting looking for mice etc. It did not move on from this spot while I was there.

I was walking in an open area and on the return I heard the call of a red tailed hawk coming from the woods, so I am assuming it may have been this bird.

I know a lot of schools in New York had off today for Veteran’s Day. I understand some in Connecticut may have had classes. I know of some veteran’s who were asked to go in and speak at one school. Since the numbers of people in this country who have actually served in the military are decreasing, maybe a day in school inviting in those who served would be a better use of time. If you served in the military, thank you for your service!

Tufted Titmouse in November

I believe these are all tufted titmouse. I saw these in a park on the Hudson River in New York. My region of New York is within its year-round range.

Tufted titmouse were following me around at this park. They were really interested in where I was.

These birds will visit feeders. In the complex I live in we were banned a few years ago from feeding the birds due to a bear going through and raiding the bird feeders. No one has been feeding the birds since, but we still have bears wandering through.

According to All About Birds Tufted Titmice move from branch to branch in the forest looking for food. They will go on the ground after fallen seeds. The park I went to was made up mostly of forest along the river.

Enjoy the weather and have a great week!

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

This bird was tough to snap a picture of. It seemed to be ADHD. It moved quickly from tree to tree and branch to branch. I believe it is a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet. If I am wrong let me know.

Ruby Crowned Kinglets are said to be hyperactive, which definitely fits this bird. This type of kinglet is said to have an uneven eye ring, which this one does. The Ruby-Crowned Kinglet is said to have brighter greenish edges on the wing and tail feathers, which you can see here.

This bird was in a wooded area right next to the Hudson River in an area with different kinds of birds.

According to Merlin, the ruby crown is only on the males and is usually hidden. If it becomes agitated you might see it.

This bird was interesting to observe. The Hudson Valley in Southern NY is actually in its non-breeding range. What birds have you caught during this migration?

Owl Fledglings 2024

These are two of the three fledglings from the same tree hole in May. This appears to be the day these two left the nest hole. The third was still in the hole and was quite loud.

The two out of the tree hole looked so small for barred owls it was confusing. It did not help they fledged during a dark day where it was raining hard. This is why they look drenched. The one pictured above is on a tree branch on the ground. I called a friend and she came. To not upset the apple cart with the parents, who had to be nearby, we left the baby on the ground in hopes that it would climb a nearby tree. It looked exhausted.

Owl Fledglings 2024 I manipulated this dark photo a lot to try to get it sharper and with less noise.

This is the second fledged owlet. It was on a tree maybe ten feet off the ground. This is the last time I saw the owlets from this tree. I did see the parents hunting nearby several times, so I am thinking they were there somewhere. This year though the screech of the babies asking for food was absent. I have always heard that in the past. This year I only heard the screeching coming while they were inside the tree hole or at the hole. Hopefully the great horned owls coming on their territory did not result in the barred owlets being killed. I am hoping they moved them safely to another area.

Duke of York Pub Signs

These signs are from two different pubs of the same name in London, The Duke of York. According to pubnames.co.uk there are 52 Pubs named Duke of York.

The pub pictured above I believe is in Mayfair, London. One of the more famous Duke of York’s was King Charles brother, James. According to history.nycourts.gov, Charles laid claim for New Netherland by granting James a patent to the colony. James sent a fleet of ships to New Netherland and the Dutch surrendered. The English took over New Netherland and the colony was renamed New York. I am guessing that is who is depicted in the sign, but I could be wrong. Paintings I see of him online do not resemble this sign.

Duke of York Pub Signs – Fitzrovia, London

The pub sign pictured above is at The Duke of York pub in Fitzrovia in central London. According to londonletter.substack.com, Prince Andrew gave permission for his likeness to be used in this sign. They say it is the only pub in the world that has a living member of the Royal family on it. Not sure how I feel about that. The reigning monarch’s image is on the pound notes as well as coins. Some may say having Prince Andrew’s image on a pub sign is controversial.

What do you think? Should a living person be depicted on a pub sign? Have a great rest of your weekend!

Glossy Ibis

This was another first for me. Owls occupy most of my birding. I saw the glossy ibis at a large wildlife refuge in Central New York during a long weekend vacation trip.

All of these are quite far away taken with a zoom lens and heavily cropped. The first day I was there they mainly stuck to hiding amongst the plants. They were farther away the first day and luckily someone at the refuge with a powerful spotting scope located and let me view them.

They seemed to stick to the island like areas in the wetlands and occasionally on the second day went in the water. They came closer the second day and these images are from then.

There were two of them. Sometimes they were close together and other times they were near to each other, but not that close.

These images are not that great, but I was happy to see them regardless. Maybe sometime in the future I can witness them up closer. Have a great week.

Sand Hill Cranes

These are the first birds I photographed at a large wildlife refuge in Central New York. After I climbed a viewing tower they flew towards me then passed by. I only had a chance to get off one shot.

They appear to be Sand Hill Cranes. There were three flying together. The next shot is an even closer cropped image of the first shot. This is the first time I photographed this bird. As you can tell I am far from an expert.

My understanding is it is the only crane that nests in New York. There are reports in the Adirondacks of nesting sights as well as other areas. It does appear to be not so common to see one in New York.

When visiting a wildlife refuge be prepared to take shots as soon as you arrive. Otherwise you might miss out.

Osprey with Fish

While kayaking a lake that is mostly shallow, I saw this osprey hanging out there. I think it flies between another body of water and this one. It seemed to come back to the same area of the lake when it caught the fish.

I did see it splash into the water on the other side of the lake before it flew back in circles with a fish. Lucky for me that it landed nearby.

Look at those talons speared into the fish. I am assuming the fish is already dead.

He seemingly holds on with one foot. This was a cloudy day and very windy. Sitting in my kayak to try to take shots was far from steady. I’m still okay with these. Here’s hoping to see one dive in close by in the future. Have a great weekend.

Kingfisher Stuck in Fishing Line

Kingfishers in New York , known as belted kingfishers, are less colourful than the kingfishers in England (common kingfishers). They are interesting to watch. They are very skittish though and do not let you come to0 close usually. I was kayaking on a windy day and was surprised when this one let me drift closer than usual. It was not until I got home and looked at the images on my computer that I may have seen why.

This kingfisher seemingly has a fishing line attached to it. It did fly from tree to tree overhanging the water and I did see it drop into the water. However, I hope if it needs help, it will allow someone to get close enough to bring it to help.

According to NOAA Fisheries: “Entangled animals may drown or starve because they are restricted by fishing gear, or they may suffer physical trauma and infections from the gear cutting into their flesh.”

Kingfisher Stuck in Fishing Line – This is on a different tree that is down over the water

The lake I went on is popular with fishermen on shore and on fishing kayaks. Although this bird was on an unpopulated side of the lake, those on kayaks could fish in that area.

It was not possible for me to get there before dark today, but I have put the word out. Incidentally, I also have a picture of a turtle with fishing line stuck to it as well from the same outing. Hopefully if this bird needs help it will allow someone to get close enough to grab. The hazards of life for wildlife that depend on water seem to be many.

Gray Heron

I was fortunate enough to see some gray herons at different Royal Parks in London. It turns out these places are great places to bird watch.

Gray herons are similar in appearance to great blue herons, but are smaller in size. All About Birds has the length of the gray heron being between 35.4-38.6 inches, while the great blue heron is between 38.2-53.9 inches in length.

The above pictures appears to be an adult. It has the pronounced black stipe on its head and the beak is lighter. During peak breeding season its beak can be orange.

I am guessing this image may be a juvenile gray heron. It does not have the pronounced black and white colours on its head and its beak is darker.

I highly recommend visiting the Royal Parks in London. It is a great way to get in some steps in while being nature in the heart of London.

“In every walk in nature, one receives far more than he seeks.”

John Muir

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