Always look up! Bald Eagles
You do not have to be “birding” to find and enjoy birds! One of the first things I tell new birders is that our avian friends are three-dimensional…huh? I mean that birds are not simply in the bush or tree in front of you or scratching at the earth below us, nor do you have to be at a special location to see spectacular birds in the air. If you remember to look in every direction, especially up, you will find some rare and wonderful things flying by when you least expect it. This is a good time of year to do so and find random Bald Eagles, like this overhead young bird and...
Read MoreMerlin (Falco columbarius) HD video
This migrant Merlin (Falco columbarius) was found taking a short rest in this tree during a very windy day – all the more conducive to fly with! Whenever I get the chance to observe one individual like this for a prolonged period I inevitably wonder where it has been and where it is going. I wish I knew where this bird was now… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreHappy Halloween!
Happy Halloween! I do not have any cute kids in costumes so I thought I would share my Shetland Sheepdog, Zach, looking the most serious he ever has in his life. That playful boy will be three years old next week and he is a hardcore birder, conservationist and biologist. He was raised as a puppy on hawk watching, waterbird monitoring and waterfowl hazing. He learned to always look up and enjoys watching doves flying around the neighborhood, sparrows scratching at the grass, ducks and geese swimming offshore, gulls feeding on the rocks and raptors screeching by. He has a heck of a life list...
Read MoreMigrating Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)
Here’s an adult Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) that I recently photographed in the middle of migration, passing directly overhead from our hawk watching position. It is looking straight forward while powering down the coastline on a stiff northwest wind. Perhaps it will spend part of its journey or the winter using a bird feeder as a hunting area. While this may not be what many birders like to read these raptors are hungry birds, too. Young hawks have very high mortality rates and 8 or 9 out of 10 birds will die in their first year with migration, starvation and even...
Read MoreHunting Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
This Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is on the hunt and you can tell this is the case by seeing where its head and eyes are pointed – straight down. It is also holding its wings and tail in positions for a lazy, floating flight. While it is not hovering it is using the wind to slowly comb over the landscape in search of small mammals. Even if you are far from the bird, like I was in this photo, you can often still see the distinctive “belly band” of dark splotches across the white undersides. We are about to hit the peak of their migration in the Northeast so be on the...
Read More
