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Posts Tagged "movement"

Snowy Owl irruption…underway? Again?!

Posted on Nov 10, 2014

Snowy Owl irruption…underway? Again?!

Yes, my friends, here we are again! Is a Snowy Owl irruption into the southern parts of Canada and the lower 48 states already underway? The answer certainly looks to be a firm yes considering recent list serv reports. The eBird Snowy Owl map below highlights sightings from August 1, 2014 through November 9, 2014. It also says yes… Remember that sightings in the last 30 days are in bright orange. Look how far south some birds have already been spotted! Now let us remember that a certain number of Snowy Owls move to the south every winter. If you live near a major migratory corridor or...

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Northern Saw-whet Owl movement continues

Posted on Nov 5, 2014

Northern Saw-whet Owl movement continues

If you are anywhere in New England or the Mid-Atlantic it is a great time to be watching for Northern Saw-whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus). You will not likely find them like this as it is a photo RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser took while netting and banding more of the species on the move through New Jersey. Nevertheless, you cannot win if you do not play! Take a look at any dense vegetation you come across as they are often near our eye level. They frequently choose evergreen trees to roost in and will stay buried between thick branches or near the trunk. Of course you can always rely on...

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Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) invasion

Posted on Nov 1, 2014

Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) invasion

A Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) invasion is underway with birds expanding across a sizable swath of the United States. On some conducive flight mornings it is hard to go outside without seeing or hearing some flying south! Have your feeders been swamped with hungry new arrivals? If you do not have them yet you may soon.

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Hunting Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Posted on Oct 29, 2014

Hunting 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...

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Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

Posted on Oct 26, 2014

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

Here’s one of the what feels like thousands of Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) that I saw this weekend. It’s incredible to see how much they vary from individual to individual, subspecies to subspecies, when you get to see so many migrating through the area. There are apparently 24 recognized subspecies and 52 described forms of Song Sparrows! I wish I had more time to be able to learn how to readily tell them some of them apart. Like that Red-shouldered Hawk this bird thought hiding in the shaded branches of an oak tree would make it invisible to me. Close enough! Sparrow...

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