Bald Eagle
This Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) was one of 36 migrant Bald Eagles recorded at the Boothe Park Hawk Watch on September 20, 2015, breaking our previous daily record of 22 that had been set on September 14, 2014. The next two days in the record books were of 20 Bald Eagles apiece, making it an especially strong Sunday. We have been off to a difficult start considering the record-shattering heat in September, but Osprey have been abundant – in fact, we soared by our yearly record of them already! Bald Eagles have also been strong in numbers overall as both formerly endangered...
Read MoreBoothe Park Hawk Watch 2015 Season
We are now well into the fall hawk watch season as sites across the country are staffed by citizen scientists engaged in counting raptors heading south for the winter. Various hawk, falcon, vulture, eagle, and kite species plus birds like the Osprey, Northern Harrier and even some owls can be tallied on conducive flight days at migratory hotspots often situated along ridges or at the edge of a body of water. Counting these birds helps keep track of raptor populations on an international scale, gauging the health of these important predator species that have often been threatened by human...
Read MoreSleepy Snowy Owl
I recently found this Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) taking a snooze on a cloudy and dreary sort of morning, sitting in the snow in some grasslands, blending in well with its surroundings. This bird looks to be an adult male with an almost all-white head and body. Despite how sleepy it was it stayed on guard, a silent and barely-moving sentinel occasionally turning its head to check something out with eyes still nearly entirely shut. There are still plenty of these visitors around, and soon enough they will be moving back to the north. Get out and find one! Scott Kruitbosch Conservation &...
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 MoreRed-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)
Have you seen any more Red-breasted Nuthatches than usual at your feeders or in your area? I have not seen many as of yet this fall, and this photo is from a previous winter. It seems unlikely that we will have more than average in many places in the Northeast this autumn and winter, and we will be without an irruption. During some of their major movements there are often birds heading south middle of the summer, even July, with the returning earliest warblers. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
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