Shiloh Marsh

     We took a quick ride down Shiloh Marsh Road as we made our way to the Space Coast Birding Festival in Titusville.  We had eBird reports of a Black rail being heard at the barricade of the access road and wanted to see if we could find the bird.  A Black rail would be a "lifer" for me, and as these diminutive skulkers are extremely difficult to see I had made an executive decision that hearing this bird would constitute a "life bird".

Shiloh Marsh, Merritt Island NWR

     The road through the marsh is unfortunately shortened as the condition of the dike further along the access is degraded and closed to traffic.  The ride out can be productive, however, and is always worth the effort and time to scout it out.

Pied-billed grebe

     The marsh is part of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge but is an area not visited nearly as much as the better known Black Point Drive or the Visitor's Center.   As you first enter the drive, a canal runs parallel to the dirt road and provides interesting habitat for waders, waterfowl, and rails.  The area is a haven for Pied-billed grebes, Snowy egrets, Green herons, and American coots.  As is true throughout most of the state of Florida, Yellow-rumped warblers and Palm warblers are seen on a regular basis.

     As you continue along the road, the water to the right opens up larger ponds upon which more water fowl, Little blue heron, Great Blue herons, Roseatte Spoonbills, and Tricolor herons are common.  One of the best photogenic birds found on the ponds today was a lone White pelican.  Generally, these birds are found in large groups.  They are very large birds....far too large to feed in the plunge-diving fashion of their Brown cousins.  These birds swim along sweeping their large bill back and forth reminding us of an old Ogden Nash limerick that goes something like this.......





"A wonderful bird is the pelican

His bill can hold more than his belly can

He can hold in his beak

Enough food for a week

But I'm damned if I know how the helican"
 
     When we came to the end of the road at the barricade,  we searched for the elusive target bird, the Black rail.  Sorry to say that every chase does not end as hoped.  I hiked out the dike in the vicinity where the bird had last been heard and came up empty.  The habitat was promising but the wind was howling and we were at the peak of the day -two factors that do not foretell of success in looking for this bird.  There was still plenty to see and photograph, however.  A pair of Greater yellowlegs were in reasonably close and could be identified as "greater" by the slightly upturned thicker bill and slightly more barring on the sides.Another excellent view was of the Little blue heron.  

Greater yellowlegs

     Last year, it seemed that every other little blue we encountered was in the juvenile white plumage.  This year, we are finding many more in the adult total blue hued feathers.  Tricolored herons were also present and added to our total count for the day.  While we were a bit disappointed in the failure to find the targeted Black rail, we will be happy with the excellent views we had of these other southern birds.  Just another reason to come back to Shiloh Marsh in the near future!

Little blue heron

North meets South

   

Red-morph of the Eastern Screech owl

     We had a rather interesting day of birding on Tuesday, January 23rd.  We began as usual with our weekly Tuesday morning bird walk at the Indian River Lagoon Preserve in New Smyrna Beach.  Over the past several years, the group has been welcomed into the park by resident Eastern Screech Owls.  It is of particular interest that the pair is comprised of two color morphs.  While not set in stone, it does appear that the reddish owls are more likely to be seen in the southern regions of the owls' range while the grey are more common in the north.  Females also appear to be more prone to the reddish hue while males (as in other birds like the Northern harrier) tend towards the gray. The image here is of our Red morph screech.  We had over 30 species in our 2 hour walk around the preserve.  We found Palm &Yellow-rumped warblers which winter here as well as Common yellowthroat, Prairie and Black and White warblers which are not usually as common during the month of January down here.

Common eider

     So having had our first "North meets South" happening with the two differently hued owls, we went on to get a much more extreme example of birds from different latitudes being found in the southland.  Several miles from our hike this morning, we found a truly northern bird the Common eider swimming along the water's edge near the North Causeway across the Indian River.  It seems like one or two of these Canadian birds ends up down here on an annual basis lately with this being our latest visitor.  We found the bird as had been reported on eBird just south of the causeway drifting along with the current and in close enough to afford us some great looks and decent photo opportunities .

Florida manatee below Great blue heron

     From here, we headed west down to Blue Spring State Park where we hoped to find the Florida manatees.  The temperatures have been unseasonably cool for us in Central Florida this January, but the waters of Blue Spring remain at a fairly constant 72 degrees.  Since manatees need warmer waters to survive, they congregate here at the springs in large numbers during these cooler days.  If the water  in the rivers such as the St. John's where many of the manatees live drops down below 65 degrees, it can threaten the survival of these giant "sea cows".  The last few days have been warming up a bit, and it does not take the shallow rivers very long to heat up.  Several days ago, there were over 300 of the manatees in the relatively confined area of the springs, but today many have already headed out to their normal environs.  One hundred and fifty-seven were counted this morning by the park staff.  A much larger number of tourists flocked to the park today to view these gentle giants!

Carolina wren

      As we walked the boardwalk with friends John and Rosie, we encountered some nice birds up in the canopy.  Two Ruby-crowned kinglets actually flew by no more than three feet in front of us and landed in a live oak.  The trees here are just beginning to "leaf out" (a lot earlier here than back in New York where the leaves will just be starting to show when we arrive back home 3 months from now!)  Still, the flitting kinglets allowed me to get only one "documentary" level photograph.  The Carolina wren, however, was much more cooperative.  These birds are much more often heard than seen, so when this handsome bird perched close by, we were thrilled to be able to grab some nice pix.  Other birds showing up were the Northern cardinal, Blue-gray gnatcatcher, Palm warbler, and American robin.

Double-crested cormorant

     Our last shot of the day before heading home was a Double-crested cormorant which had perched above the manatee laden waters of the spring.  There are many fish in the spring and the manatee pose no threat as they are exclusively herbivores.  The birds which feed on the fish found in the spring such as these cormorants, egrets, herons, and osprey are regular visitors to the park whether the manatees are here or not.  All in all it was a very productive albeit long (10 hours) day of observing nature in this beautiful state which welcomes all visitors - be they human or avian.



   

Blue Heron Preserve

Common yellowthroat

      Many of the wildlife preserves here in Florida are man-made habitats which are a byproduct of the development of water treatment plants.  Such is the case with Blue Heron Preserve in Titusville, FL.  When we first began to winter down here, Blue Heron was on our "must go-to" list.  It was one of the premier spots to see and photograph nesting Great blues and Anhingas.  Purple gallinules were also a fairly sure bet and Least bitterns could also be found.  Then, for whatever reason, the area declined.  It does not appear to have been the result of any mismanagement on the part of the plant, but was perhaps simply a case of the birds relocating due to subtle changes in the environment resulting from natural causes like hurricanes.

Palm warbler

     Last year, we began to hear great things about the preserve once again and decided to pay it another visit this week.  Among our targets for this trip were the Black-bellied whistling ducks.  While being found throughout the state, they are localised and often difficult to find outside of a few well-known areas.  This is the first time that I've heard of them hanging out here, however.  The whistlers are known for spending most of their time on dry land.  Unlike most other ducks, they will be near water but more often stay on shore rather than getting their feet wet.

DC Cormorant

       As we began our drive around the impoundments, we were greeted by the ubiquitous yellow-rumps and Palm warblers - MANY of them!  At this time of year, the most of the males have lost their striking breeding plumage and are somewhat drab.  The yellow rump patch in the same named bird is always striking regardless of season, however, and these birds were no exception to the rule.  The Palms were (as mentioned earlier) quite "tame" and not afraid to pose for the camera a close range.

     Double-crested cormorants and anhingas were found on the truncated dead palms in the process of scouting out possible nesting sites or simply taking a break.  It's a little early in the season for the cormorants to be in the breeding frame of mind and the two crests which will appear as mating time comes closer were not seen on these birds.  Before long, however, the tufts of feathers will begin to show from the tops of the heads and the eye color as well as the color of the inside of their bills will become cobalt blue.

     As we continued around the drive, we noticed a dike up ahead which spanned the two major water bodies.  It was prime habitat for the whistling ducks if indeed they were on the site.  We approached with eager anticipation and were soon rewarded with a sighting I've rarely encountered.  No fewer than 150 of the Black-bellied whistling ducks were strolling along in the high grass.  With water on both sides, we did not see a single whistler in the ponds.  We could hear an occasional whistle emanating from several of the ducks, but other than that there was not much activity.  Most were content to sit in place and relax in the relative warmth of the day.

Black-bellied whistling ducks

     As we headed north back to our condo, we decided to make one more stop at Riverbreeze Park in Oak Hill.  The site has provided us with some wonderful views of Yellow-crowned night-herons in the past.  Each January for the past several years, the birds congregate on a small island just off shore and within 50 yards of the fishing pier.  When we arrived, we found no fewer than 16 of the birds right where they were last January.  It seems that you have to catch them at this time of year, for in the past by February they are no longer on site.  I've not looked for these birds earlier in the day, and it may well be that they are coming in to catch the last rays of the setting sun.  The dark side of the island is basically devoid of the birds, so they are obviously attracted to the warm sunny side.  After watching and photographing for about a half hour, the sun began to set and some of the birds took flight.  I wonder if they all will leave after sunset and head to an alternate roost for the night.  We will visit again in the near future and see if they continue or vanish after several weeks.

Merritt Island

American avocets

      Merritt Island is one of the most popular birding sites in the state of Florida if not the entire east coast.  Originally created as a buffer zone for NASA's Cape Canaveral, it has become a magnet for migratory waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds, raptors and more.  Early in the development of the space center, the mosquito problem of a southern wetland had to be addressed to meet the needs of the many people who were going to be working at the site.  A series of impoundments in which the water levels could be controlled were built to make the environment less hospitable for the biting insects.  As a byproduct of this development, the area became a haven for the birds and birders alike.

Little blue heron

     An 8-mile drive around known as Black Point Drive has become the center of attraction in spite of the fact it only occupies a small percentage of the entire acreage of the National Wildlife Reserve.  The canals, wetlands, and ponds hold a wide variety of migrating and resident birds.  The herons and egrets symbolise this most beautiful and productive habitat.  Immediately upon entering the drive, we were treated to a fine assemblage of Little blue herons, Great blues, White ibises, Tricolored herons, Snowy egrets, and Great egrets.

     The mosquito control program has made the area delightful to visit during the winter months.  The birds have more than enough food to eat owing to the abundant fish, reptiles, small mammals, and other insects that thrive in the reserve.  While many of the birds are found across that large impoundments and necessitate the use of a scope, many are close to the dirt roadway and are easily and seen and photographed with basic equipment and the naked eye.

Roseate spoonbill

     For a birder from the north, many of the species found here will rarely if ever be seen in the northern latitudes of the country.  Roseate spoonbills, Anhingas, Loggerhead shrikes, Wood storks, and Reddish egrets are examples of these local species.  All of the above are seen on a regular basis here at Black Point.  The Reddish egrets are always entertaining as they dance through the shallows trying to scare up a meal.

Reddish egret

     The impoundments here are always an attraction for waterfowl and those of us who wish to see and photograph these migratory birds.  We certainly were treated well today with huge flocks of Red-breasted mergansers, the southern specialty Mottled duck, Pintails, Ring-necks, Blue-winged and Green-winged teal, an occasional mallard (nowhere near as common down here as back north), Ruddy ducks, and more.  The image below shows a very large mixed flock of Pintails and American wigeons.  

     I'll end up this instalment with a photograph of one of the most elegant of the avian world the American avocet.  What a beautiful chorus line they make as they all work the layer of the water just below the surface in unison in search of small crustaceans.  One of the great things about these birds is that they prefer open water making the job of the photographer so much easier!

Viera Wetlands

Yellow-rumped warbler

   
     Finally, we are settled into our winter quarters and are anxious to get out into the Florida environs and get birding in some of the most productive birding grounds in the country.  We join two good friends from the "North country" today to visit one of those sites, Viera Wetlands also known as the Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands.  The area is a mecca for overwintering wading birds, waterfowl, raptors, and home to several rarities such as the Creasted caracara and Limpkin.  The warblers we will see back in New York in the spring have moved even further south and are not common in the park at this time.  Two however - the Palm and the Yellow-rumped warbler - are very comfortable here in Florida and are some of the more commonly viewed birds in the state at this time of year.

Common yellowthroat

      We did find a third warbler as well.  Wherever wetlands are found across the entire  country, the Common yellowthroat can be found.  Common yellowthroats can be difficult to spot as they prefer to hang in the dense foliage next to the shallow edges of lakes, ponds, and impoundments.  If you hear the familiar refrain of "witchety-witchety-witchety", careful scanning of the vegetation will eventually lead to their movement and if lucky to a good sighting of this striking masked warbler.


     Two birds known to be present in these wetlands are the Least and American bitterns.  They are of course two of the most reclusive birds we birders encounter (or at least would like to encounter) and are more often heard than seen.  The Least flits from reed to reed and tends to stay away from the outside edges of the vegetation.  There are several locations in the preserve which Sharon and I know are often home to these bitterns, but try as we may, the term "elusive" was well applied today.  No sighting and vocalisations were to be found.  The American bittern, however, was more obliging.  The bird pictured above was so preoccupied with his hunt for a tasty morsel in the form of a crayfish that he paid us little heed and was easily seen and photographed though the sparse reeds.

 
      Back in New York, the "default" hawk seems to be the Red-tailed.  While the Red-tail is fairly common down here in Florida, the hawk most often seen and heard is the Red-shouldered.  North of Florida, this hawk has a beautiful rusty chest and head.  Here, however, this hawk is much "blonder" with a more grey head.  The calls are the same as the Red-shoulder north of here sounding like a red-tail calling over and over and over again.  The flight feathers have narrow striking black and white bands easily seen at rest and in flight.  As with most birds in Florida (and I have no theory as to why this occurs) these birds seem much more comfortable with human presence and do not flee a human's approach as quickly as northern birds.


     Our final bird of this report is another Florida icon, the Sandhill crane.  There are actually two populations of these cranes here in the sunshine state.  One population is the migratory birds which are wintering here and will eventually return to their breeding grounds in the northern mid-west of our country.  The second group are residents here and can be seen nesting here in the Grissom wetlands.  It is a remarkable experience to hear flocks of these birds coming into an area in the evening with their distinctive rattling call.  Remarkably, some of these birds have strayed north into New York and it's always a treat to see this rare occurrence.  Here at our winter home, it is a different story with the birds often seen on golf courses and along the roadsides.  It is a different birding world down here for sure.

Impending storm - Viera Wetlands

   

   

Savannah National Wildlife Reserve

Savannah sparrow

     We're finally back on-line and ready to report on several trips as we head south down to our winter home in Florida.  Due to a Spectrum induced lack of internet availability over the past week or so, I've been unable to keep up as regularly as I'd like to do, so bear with me as I make an attempt to get caught up on our birding travels.

     As we headed south earlier this month, we stopped at a preselected birding venue as we always attempt to do.  This year, it was the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge on the South Carolina - Georgia border.  So nice to be in a little warmer clime as we've left the brutal chill of the New York winter behind.  It's been several years since we last visited this refuge, so we didn't know quite what to expect.  Fittingly, one of our first birds and a
'first of the year" was the Savannah sparrow.  The refuge is comprised of a number of impoundments which we expected to be good for winter waterfowl, and we were not disappointed in that regard.

Bufflehead

     Our initial sightings of the ducks included the Ruddy, Ring-billed, Scaup, & Blue-winged teal.  We had high hopes for seeing plenty of these and more and we were partly correct.  Of the species noted above, we did indeed find good numbers.  Beyond those, however, we found no other species.  Literally hundreds of the aforementioned ducks were dabbling away in the impoundment shallows, but recent rains had left the water levels higher than normal which may have been an impetus for some of the other fowl to move on further south.

Great egret

     Coots (of which I've seen one so far this year up in New York at the Newburgh waterfront) were present in large numbers.  These birds are always found on virtually every body of still water in the south.  It is indeed difficult to bird anywhere in the Carolinas, Georgia, or Florida without having counts in the hundreds by days end.   It was nice to see the ibises, herons, and egrets in good numbers along the banks of the ponds as well.  We were quickly getting back into the Sunshine state-of-mind as we continued to drive around the impoundments observing the birds.

     Birds of course are not the only game in town.  The friendlier climate of the south means a greater abundance of reptiles and amphibians.  Turtles such as this Yellow-bellied slider and alligators (icons of the south) were evident as well and are just the tip of the iceberg(?) we are headed for in Florida.


     From here it's on to Florida where we will spending our next three and a half months in search of the wildlife of the welcome warmer and sunnier climate.

Hudson Valley Eagle Trail

     When the ice first starts to appear on the Hudson, we know to start looking for our most popular winter visitors - the majestic Bald eagle.  We were "blessed" with an unusually cold start to the winter season this year with two solid weeks of sub-freezing temperatures between Christmas and January 8.  Tomorrow is the first time this year that it will "warm" up to a balmy mid 30s kind of day.  The good news is that early freeze brings early eagles and they are already here in big numbers.

     When we see ice on the river, we know that much of the open water north of us up into the Adirondacks and beyond is locked in with ice and the eagles can therefore not get to their favourite food source - fish.  The lower Hudson Valley, however, will usually have open water on the river due to the geography of the place.  The sharp turns around West Point and Bear Mountain as well as the activity of the ice breakers attempting to keep this commercial waterway open means that although ice is on the river, there are plenty of open areas in which the eagles can hunt.

     A number of years ago, Sharon and I plotted out a route from the Bear Mt. Bridge down to the Croton Train Station where we could easily drive to and observe the eagles out on the river and on the adjacent riverbanks.  I decided to check out the route in spite of the relatively early date to see if the ice had brought the birds down to us.  I was not disappointed!

     First stop was the overlook just south of the Bear Mt. Bridge from which you can park and look down upon Iona Island.  With plenty of ice jamming up around this bend and several great "eagle trees" for the birds to perch, this is often a productive spot.  Sadly, today the eagles were not to be found here.  They may well have been out checking other areas of the valley, or perhaps the usual haunts were not in use yet.  During the Spring, we saw several juvenile resident birds here as we helped with the semi-annual wildlife inventory for Harriman State Park, but I could not locate a single eagle with the scope from this great vantage point.  After about 15 minutes of checking, I decided to move on to stop 2.


 

 The next stop is the Annsville Creek Paddlesport Center which is reached by continuing south from Stop 1.  Even before pulling into the parking lot, I spotted a handsome adult sitting in a tree just across the road from the parking lot.  A pair of eagles has nested for the past several years in a spot not too distant from here, but the last couple of times I checked, the site appeared to be abandoned.   The parking area abuts Peekskill Bay which can be very productive when the eagles are here in big numbers.  Today, however, the entire body of water from the lot to the railroad beds crossing the bay was frozen solid.  When there is open water here, eagles, Common mergansers, Canvasbacks, Cormorants, and other water fowl can be observed in big numbers.  Today, it was just this one eagle keeping watch over the frozen expanses.






     Next stop, China Pier located just north of the Indian Point Power Plant.  We often see eagles out on the ice here, riding the flows up and down the river and looking for a quick meal passing by.  Three years ago while in the lot looking across for the eagles, I spotted a Coyote that had somehow gotten itself stranded out on the ice in the middle of the bay.  It was running back and forth, looking for a way to get off the ice and back onto terra firma, but when I left after about a half hour of watching the canine, he had not succeeded in escaping the ice.  He was probably close enough to swim to shore, but I'm not sure how long he would last in the 32 degrees water.

Coyote on the frozen Peekskill Bay - March 3, 2015

     I continued south down to Crystal Bay, site of Spins Hudson Marina.  From the parking lot here, I could see two juvenile eagles sitting on the ice.  As I scanned the trees along the western bank of this small bay, I counted 4 more eagles including one adult.  I could hear another calling from a distance, but could not locate that bird.  As I watched the pair, a third flew in to join them.  Well, two's company and three's a crowd. As the third juvenile flew in, one of the pair took flight while the other stood its ground.  After a brief spat, the third intruder left the scene and the lone youngster was left on his own.  So before leaving I tallied 7 eagles at this spot....not too bad for this early in January .

     Next destination was King's Ferry in Verplanck.  While too distant to photograph, I did count another 5 Bald eagles perched on the opposite side of the river at Stony Point Battlefield.  Several years ago threre was an active nest at the park, but Mother Nature sent along several storms which eventually made the nest too unstable for the eagles.  They had moved across the River to George's Island, our next stop.  Meanwhile, we continued to scour the river and did find several large rafts of Common mergansers, many Ring-billed gulls, several Black ducks and Mallards.  Again, as the season wears on, you can be assured that scoping the river both north and south from this vantage point will yield many a fine view of our national symbol. 

     Finally, I made one last stop at George's Island along Haverstraw Bay.  The small embayment at George's Island was frozen solid, but I did find one lone juvenile bird perched deep in the woods on the point extending out into the River.  As with some of the other spotting cites, when there is just a little less ice and a bit more open water, this can be a very productive area.  One of the other folks out chasing eagles this morning told me that this was the "hot spot" yesterday with close to a dozen eagles spotted here.   

     As the winter wears on, the sightings will surely become more and more frequent as long as there is ice on the river.  With 13 eagles spotted today on a rather speedy trip down the east shore of the river, it bodes well for things to come during this beautiful time of year in the Hudson Valley.

Winter birds

    One of our favorite venues for winter birds in the Orange County area is the Black Dirt farming region out near Pine Island.  Most serious birders in the area are quite familiar with Skinner's Lane and what treasures it can yield if you are there at the right time.  With only a few days left before Sharon and I head to warmer climes, I decided to travel out to the black dirt area and see if I could score any of our northern birds to add to my year list while we are still in the area.

     The winter weather has been absolutely brutal here in the northeast with not a single day above freezing in the past two weeks.  Today, the temps were hovering around 10 degrees with a strong steady wind chill of below zero.  Of course with the farms fields offering absolutely no wind breaks, I decided it would be wisest to do most of my shooting from the relative comfort of my vehicle.  Birds seem to be quite comfortable with an SVU slowly approaching and will not readily flee, so the use of my RAV served two purposes.

     With close to a foot of new fallen snow on the ground, the birds were working the fields where the steady winds had removed much of the powder exposing seeds from the previous season's crops.  Large flocks of Horned larks were the bird d'jour and were so busy foraging for their dinner that they paid me little heed.  I scanned the flocks in the hopes of finding a second species, perhaps a longspur or Snow bunting, but the larks were the only show in town.

     Periodically, a flock would lift up and fly a short distance to another relatively bare spot of ground on which to feed.  A second flock would soon come in to take over the area the first had vacated.  Even with the shelter of the SVU, I found I could only keep the window down for a short time and photograph the closest birds before the cold winds convinced me to roll that window up and let the heater do its work.  Still, the trip out to the black dirt was well worth the effort and I was more than happy to have "braved" the brief sub-zero temps to see these beautiful birds one more time before we  head south.

     Tech Tip of the day - A few tips for shooting in snowscapes like I encountered today.  First of all, manual focus is usually the way to go.  Auto focusing will be tricky when you are photographing a light colored subject against a white background.  In the case of these birds, many were dark enough so that I could use spot focusing in the auto mode to get a decent image, but manual was much more reliable.  Also, when shooting from a vehicle, make sure to turn the engine off! Even at idle, the motion of the engine can give you enough shimmer to cause the image to appear out of focus.  Finally, with bright sunlight against the white snow, you'll have more than enough light. So, use aperture priority and set it for f/8 or f/11 to give you decent depth of field.

Winter at the Grasslands

     Ever noticed how on the evening of a forecasted huge storm, every parking spot at the local market it taken?  People are in panic mode thinking they may get snowed in for the next 10 days and better have a full pantry before the storm hits.  I really think birds sometimes have the same reaction to an oncoming noreaster or hurricane.  The birds seem to be in a hyperactive state as low pressure approaches.  They, like we humans, seem to be in panic-mode making sure their bellies are full before the food sources are covered with snow.

      Well, for whatever it's worth, the owls at the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge were certainly in that hyperactive state yesterday evening.  As we prepare to head south for the winter, Sharon and I figured we better get up to the refuge to get our year Short-eared owls since winter storm Grayson was forecast for today.  We wanted to get up there around 3:00 PM to be on-site before the action started a little before sunset.  Well, the owls decided not to wait for the sun to go down and were already on the hunt within 15 minutes of our arrival.

       Our first sighting was a single owl cruising just above the level of the grasses on the far side of the field.  We could easily see the bird with our binoculars and when he landed in a lone bare tree, he was easily visible.  The weather could not have been better for this time of year.  At 27 degrees, it was almost balmy given the fact that it's been almost 2 weeks since we've seen temps above freezing. The sun was radiant and the winds were calm.  The several photographers on the scene were all commenting about the fact that it was a rare day when you had such ideal conditions for capturing images of these beautiful birds of prey.

     Before long, there were at least 5 Short-ears hunting the grasslands together.  For whatever reason, there were several interactions between two of the birds which could have been territorial disputes, courtship displays, or simply play.  With loud audible calls, the birds would soar above our heads and dive at one another.  The display would last anywhere from several seconds to a minute or more before the owls would split up and resume their soaring just above the grasses.  On one occasion, a Northern harrier entered into the owls territory and was likewise escorted out to the edge of the fields.  

     Every so often, an owl would come in to a nearby post to take a break from all this activity.  The bird would rest for a period of up to 5 minutes and then take to the air only to return a short time later.  The hunting, the aerial "combat" and the periods of rest on the post continued for the next 45 minutes and beyond, but as the sun got lower and closer to the horizon behind us, viewing and photographing the birds became more and more difficult.  We had hoped to find the reported Rough-legged hawks as well as the owls, but my only possible sighting was of a lone bird at a great distance.

     Eventually, we had to concede that the show was coming to an end.  A beautiful sunset in the west was a fitting conclusion to a spectacular show at the Grasslands.  We will be forever grateful to the hard work of Ralph Tabor in being instrumental in reestablishing this area as one of the regions best birding venues year-round.  We know for a fact that the birds all appreciate it!

     Tech tips of the day - Capturing the owls in flight was pretty easy today given the optimal lighting conditions.  When shooting flight sequences, you have to keep the shutter speed up around 1/1000 sec or higher.  These shots were at 1/1250 sec.  The lighting was so good that I was able to keep the ISO or "film speed" down around 160 to 200, so the images are not grainy.  Finally, it's wise to slightly overexpose birds against a bright blue sky since the camera's meter will be measuring the brightness of the sky as well as the bird.  These shots were made with an exposure compensation of +.3.  Again, I would normally set the camera to overexpose even more, but the ideal lighting of the day did not mandate that.  Great day with great birds and superb conditions for photography.

     

A Fine Beginning to the New Year

     January 1st, 2018 began with a chill in the air...well, more than a chill.  As I arose this morning, the temperature (not counting the wind chill) was 11 degrees.  We have not seen temps above freezing for over a week now and, ice is beginning to form on the Hudson.  The lakes and the streams are all but frozen solid which generally is a harbinger of an influx of new birds to the valley.  Already, reports of Ross's geese, Red-breasted mergansers, an Iceland gull, and now even an American coot are circulating.  And so, in spite of the bitter cold, it's time to get out and "chase" some of these reported birds.

     The most rarely seen in these parts has to be the Iceland gull.  I've already made several attempts -all in vain.  Yesterday, trying to score the gull as my final bird of 2017, I was on site at the Newburgh Waterfront with multiple layers of protection from the frigid wind.  Eventually, I had to leave the area as I had an engagement at home.  Naturally, within 10 minutes of my departure, the gull made its appearance.  Murphy's Law.  Undaunted, I decided to try again and make this my "glamour-bird" of the first day of the New Year.

     When I arrived, several of my fellow birding buddies were already on-site. No sign of the bird as of yet.  But it did not take long before as if on command, the Iceland gull made its grand entrance.  This bird is normally found well to our north, rarely south of the Canadian border and even then, mostly along the Atlantic coast.  But here it was.

     The bird is easily distinguished from the hundreds of other gulls (predominantly Ring-billed gulls) by its white wing-tips.  It remained perched within easy photographing range for about 10 minutes before taking flight and moving just a short distance to our south.  As we watched it depart, we noticed a lot of movement of the omnipresent pigeons along the waterfront.  Quickly the reason for their uneasy demeanour was evident.  A Cooper's hawk flew over us a alighted in a nearby tree.  In spite of the waning light, we were able to capture an acceptable image as our final shot of the day.   All in all, we had these sightings as well as nice looks at a nearby Common merganser, an American coot, Ring-billed gulls, a Great black-backed gull, swarms of Mallards, and Canada geese, A fine beginning to the new year for all of us along the waterfront.

Today's "tech-tip" - I always make an attempt to wait and try to capture my subjects in a pose that is not static.  Rather than shoot and be happy with the bird sitting placidly on the dock rail, I put him in the view finder and waited for him to change position.  It only lasts for a second or two, but to my mind makes for a more dynamic & thus more appealing photo.  In the shot of the gull I have used here, it is easy to see the pure white wing-tips which were not quite so evident when the bird was resting quietly on the rail. Note however, that the hawk was not as cooperative, and the best I could do was to get him in the "classic" perched view.  Sometimes, you take what you can get.