Current Topic: Falcons

American Kestrel in Brooklyn

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Last weekend, I visited a park in New York City for the first time – Marine Park in Brooklyn. This park features fields and a salt marsh that provides habitat to a variety of birds. The bird that welcomed me happens to be my favorite little bird of prey – the American Kestrel. I was able to walk up close enough to finally get some decent photos of this beautiful bird.

American Kestrel

American Kestrel perched on top of a tree

American Kestrel

American Kestrel

Later on in the day, he was hovering over the fields in search of dinner. I only grabbed a couple of decent photos of this since the sun position was not ideal and he was facing away from us. Still, I was happy to get a few shots of it hunting.

American Kestrel

American Kestrel

Kestrel hovering with Brooklyn in the background

I am still working my way toward getting even better photos of this little bird. For now, these will do just fine in my collection.

American Kestrel

Two Rare Birds, One Epic Day

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Last weekend, I took an impromptu birding trip with my friends, Jon and Steve. Steve invited us along to chase a Painted Bunting that was just over the Pennsylvania border in Andover, New Jersey. A beautiful male life bird at a private feeder that can be viewed from a public trail? Sounded like a plan! We had vague plans afterward to go to Wallkill New York for some field birds. We had no idea what the day would end up being as epic as it was.

When we arrived at the location for the bunting, it started to snow. Thankfully, the bird had been hanging out in a tree right before we got there. After a nice scope view, he flew to the feeder.

Painted Bunting

Painted Bunting on a private feeder

A life bird for all three of us. He flew into the brush shortly after and disappeared for some time, probably finding shelter from the weather. Satisfied enough, we left and made our way to Wallkill, New York.

On the way up, we drove through some farmland back roads and said hello to various local cows. We found a large flock of Horned Larks feeding on the melted parts of the field. Every time they would get close, a car would pass, so I did not get any good photos of them.

We arrived in Wallkill almost two hours later. We made our way through the marked paths, even though the snow was a foot or more deep. The first owl was spotted in the distance, followed by another who wanted the perch. We saw several Rough-legged Hawks flying around and perched in trees – at least six of them that we could differentiate all at once. We also saw a Bald Eagle flying in the distance and a Red-shouldered Hawk perched near the parking lot.

Rough-legged Hawk

Rough-legged Hawk in flight

We walked around the paths, through the deep snow, looking for any way would lead us to a better location. We decided to go to a hunting blind across the field where some of the owls were perched (one was ON the blind). While we were walking, most of the owls slowly made their way into a single tree stand. It was really cool to see all of them in one spot!

Short-eared Owls

Four Short-eared Owls in the trees

I also got my closest views of this beautiful bird.

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl perched

We made out way to the blind, but just as I set my camera up, the owl who was perched nearby flew off to meet the other birds.

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl in flight

We decided to settle in the blind to see if the birds would come in close. That lasted all of five minutes after I checked Facebook to see this message:

3:30 PM Saturday: Curt McDermott reports that the GYRFALCON is being seen now at Hoagerburgh Road near Bates Lane at Blue Chip Farm, Wallkill, Ulster County

That was in the exact area that we were. This Gyrfalcon was reported the day before, but they aren’t known to stick around, so we did not have high hopes of seeing it. That changed quickly! We trudged back through the snow to the car and made our way to Bates Lane. The line of cars gave the exact location away.

Gyrfalcon Crowd

This is not even a quarter of the Gyrfalcon crowd, more were in front of me

We could see the bird sitting on top of a pole as soon as we got out of the car. It stayed in the same spot for the entire twenty-or-so minutes that we hung out until a Red-tailed spooked it off. It was nice to watch the flight too!

Gyrfalcon

Gyrfalcon iPhone-scoped

Scope views were beautiful. This was not my lifer Gyrfalcon – I saw one at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge a couple of years ago, but I did not get these same killer looks at it for this long, let alone decent photos, so this was a real treat.

We started the day with a rare bird from the southern US and ended the day with a rare arctic visitor. In-between these two amazing birds, we saw six Rough-legged Hawks and seven Short-eared Owls – two species that the three of us enjoyed very much. This day easily completes with the top birding days of my “career!”

BirdSpotter 2013 Winner!

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I often participate in Project FeederWatch’s BirdSpotter photo contests, keeping in mind that my chances of winning were probably were low. The main reason why I submitted photos was to hopefully get recognized, like I did last year when my colorful backyard bird photo made it on Cornell’s Facebook page and caught the eye of an editor from the National Wildlife Magazine. That photo ended up getting published in the NWF Magazine.

This past December, I had another photo recognized as an Eyecatcher by Cornell with the theme of Natural Foods.

American Kestrel eating a crab in Cape May Meadows, New Jersey

American Kestrel eating a crab in Cape May Meadows, New Jersey

Later that month I submitted a newly captured photo for the theme Hints of Red. I was surprised that it won first place for the week!

House Finch looking in

House Finch looking ay my camera at the right moment

Last week, voting took place between all twelve winners for the grand prize, which includes a three-day trip to Oregon. I was convinced that there was no way I could win it because some of the other photos seemed a bit more “fun” than mine.

It turns out that I was wrong! My little curious finch WON!

BirdSpotter Grand Prize Winner

This is the first time one of my photos won anything! I aim for getting unique photos that show emotion rather than photos that are perfect in a technical sense, and I think that is exactly what this photo shows.

Complete results can be found on the BirdSpotter 2013 website.

Looking Back at 2013

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I started my blog in February of this year so this will be my first “new year” with an audience. I am taking this opportunity to do what many others do this time of year – reflect on my year, with a focus on my best birds and experiences. Personally 2013 brought many changes to my life – I started the year in New York and am ending in Pennsylvania. As far as birds go, I got 36 life birds, a great oppurtunity to be a part of the birding community and unforgettable trips with friends.

I started out with a bang doing New Years birding with my friend; the first bird we spotted together was a life bird for me – the Northern Shrike. This bird eluded me any time I would look for it during the previous season. The scope views were great, but he was too far for good photos.

Documentation shot of the Northern Shrike

Documentation shot of the Northern Shrike

Halfway into the month, my friends and I went up to the Cayuga Lake region to search for a Townsend’s Solitaire that had been reliably seen. We searched for two hours and never found the bird. Of course, the bird was spotted about ten minutes after we left – go figure. As we were making our way back down the lake I received an email about a juvenile gray-morph Gyrfalcon that was spotted at Montezuma NWR. A Gyrfalcon?? We turned right around and chased this bird which would have been a lifer for all three of us. We had our sights on a bird that we thought was the Gyrfalcon, but it was too far even for scope views and concluded that it was a Rough-legged Hawk (shadows played tricks on us). We went to another area to get a better view and the bird we were looking at was, indeed, the Gyr. It was a great turn-around to our otherwise disappointing day!

I promise you that this is a Gyrfalcon

I promise you that this is a Gyrfalcon

This month was the start of my interest in falconry. My friends caught and hunted with a handsome male Red-tailed Hawk who they named Rusty.

Rusty the Red-tail Hawk

Rusty, my friend’s Red-tailed Hawk

I watched birds hunt for the first time at the New Jersey Falconry Club Annual Meet. I hope to have the time to hunt with birds one day in the future. For now, I will follow around my friends and photograph them with their birds.

Rogue, my friend's Harris's Hawk

Rogue, my friend’s Harris’s Hawk

January was also the start of my Redpoll invasion that ran well into February. I had over 100 birds at my feeders – they cleaned me out, but it was a great experience. Within the Common Redpoll flocks, I also spotted a couple of Hoary Redpolls.

Common Redpoll

Common Redpoll

Hoary Redpoll

Hoary Redpoll

The winter months bring tons of waterfowl to the finger lakes. This year was my first time seeing rafts of ducks swimming close together – this raft included great views at a life bird, the Eared Grebe.

Eared Grebe

Eared Grebe

In March, my friends and I did a winter big day where we found a flock of Red Crossbills at a residential feeder. My next lifer was seen on the very next day – a Lapland Longspur within a flock of Horned Larks.

Red Crossbill

Red Crossbills

Later in the month, after multiple attempts at finding Short-eared Owls both locally and further north, we finally had one fly over low as the sun was setting. I didn’t even lift my camera for it, because I did not want to lose this beautiful sight by playing with settings and focus.

My biggest highlight this month was not an actual bird – earlier in the season, I submitted a photo to Project Feederwatch that was recognized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology on their Facebook page. An editor at National Wildlife Magazine saw this photo and asked me if she could use it in an article. The magazine arrived in my mail box on March 15th. I was published in a national magazine for the first time!

National Wildlife Magazine

My photo in National Wildlife Magazine

April brought another really great life bird – the Bohemian Waxwing. A friend and I went up to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to photograph birds. As soon as we parked the car, I received an email that the Waxwings were nearby. We packed back up and headed to the location. We ended up getting permission to go in private woods and were surrounded by these beautiful birds!

Ithaca, New York

Bohemian Waxwings

May was highlighted by The Biggest Week in American Birding. Back in February, I volunteered to be on the events blogging team. I ended up getting a bit more involved than last year, met many new friends and walked away with a lot of great memories – and 12 life birds.

Long-eared Owl seen by many off the boardwalk

This Long-eared Owl was the most unexpected life bird at Magee Marsh

Cape May Warbler from the boardwalk tower

Cape May Warbler at Magee

Things slowed down in June and July. We did, however, get to see the return of a local family of Barred Owls. At about the same time, I also had a guest Great Horned Owl in my own woods. All of these birds proved to be great subjects and were fun to watch.

Young Barred Owl on a nice perch above the bog

Young Barred Owl

Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owl

In August, I added some more really good life birds – An American White Pelican who was out of range at Montezuma NWR and some Least Bitterns that I was able to self-identify in the field. A Black-billed Cuckoo also flew into my yard – this was a very unexpected visitor!

Black-billed Cuckoo

Black-billed Cuckoo

Then came September and our annual trip to Cape May. For me, this trip started last year and both visits were beyond my expectations. While the morning flight at Higbee was not as great as last year, we still went on a good day and saw many birds zip by.

Cedar Waxwings morning flight

Cedar Waxwings morning flight

I finally saw a Marsh Wren – a bird that I had previously only heard… many times… many many times.

Marsh Wren

Marsh Wren

We also found out where the Black Skimmer flock likes to hang out during the fall – a beach near the 2nd Avenue jetty. I was in Skimmer heaven!

A beach full of Black Skimmers

Black Skimmers

Endless Black Skimmers

Endless Black Skimmers

I moved to my new house in Pennsylvania – this was a big change for me. Leaving New York was difficult, but it had to be done. Before I left, however, I was given the opportunity to hold my favorite bird, the American Kestrel, for the first time thanks to my friends.

Me with an American Kestrel

Me with an American Kestrel

Birding slowed down for me in October. I spent a lot of time settling into my new house and only went birding once with a new friend. Other than that, I watched as migrants passed through my yard. In November, this same friend also brought me to Barnegat on the coast of New Jersey – a first for me. The trip yielded five life birds including the Harlequin Duck – our target bird.

Harlequin Ducks

Harlequin Ducks

We stopped by Sandy Hook Gateway National Park to check in on some Snowy Owl sightings. Just as we were about to give up, a fisherman told us where to find the one of the birds on the north beach. The photo op was unbeatable. This was one of the earlier Owls from this years irruption.

Snowy Owl

Snowy Owl

Last week, my best Christmas present was in the form of votes – I won week 7 of Project Feederwatch’s BirdSpotter Contest. This was completely unexpected since I never asked anyone for votes – it just happened!

House Finch looking in

My winning House Finch photo

We visited Barnegat again in December with another friend to show her the Harlequins. Once again, the trip did not disappoint us. Not only were we rewarded with great views at Harlequins, we also had up-close looks at Northern Gannets and an unexpected visit from two Razorbills off shore.

Northern Gannet

Northern Gannet

I look forward to seeing new birds in new places for 2014. Every year keeps getting better as I add more places to visit. More trips to Cape May are already planned, the Biggest Week is already in discussion and we are even considering going to the Rio grande Birding Festival this year. Perhaps my post a year from now will be even better than this one!

Ruby-throated Hummingbird female

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

NYSFA 2013 Annual Field Meet

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Early this month I went to my second falconry field meet and met some pretty awesome birds (and people!). For this meet, I was able to photograph more birds around the headquarters. This will be a photo-heavy post with little words. The beauty of these birds will do the speaking…

I saw a couple of great Falcons:

3/4 Gyr + 1/4 Saker Falcon

3/4 Gyr + 1/4 Saker Falcon

Barbary Falcon

Barbary Falcon

Peales Falcon, a subspecies of the Peregrine

Peales Falcon, a subspecies of the Peregrine

And my first Goshawk! Too bad I couldn’t count her as a life bird.

Norterh Goshawk

Northern Goshawk

Someone had a Golden Eagle that I could get close to near the weathering yard – this bird is massive!

Golden Eagle

Golden Eagle

I watched multiple Red-tailed Hawks hunt…

Nikita, my friend's Red-tailed Hawk

Nikita, my friend’s Red-tailed Hawk on the lookout

Meallan, my friend's Red-tailed Hawk

Meallan, my friend’s Red-tailed Hawk

Including my friend’s adult Red-tail that I also saw in the beginning of the year. She successfully caught one squirrel and we tried to get another.

Isis, protecting her kill

Isis, protecting her kill

Isis, my friend's Red-tailed Hawk

Isis, my friend’s Red-tailed Hawk on her lure

Once again, I watched my friend’s Harris Hawk, Rogue, hunt. This time, she hunted with other Hawks that belonged to new friends.

Harris's HawksHarris's Hawks

Group hunting with Harris’s Hawks

My friend's Harris's Hawk

My friend’s Harris’s Hawk

I also had the pleasure of seeing my favorite little raptor, the American Kestrel.

Hank, my friend's American Kestrel in flight

Hank, my friend’s American Kestrel in flight

Hank, my friend's American Kestrel on his lure

Hank, my friend’s American Kestrel on his lure

Clover, my friend's American Kestrel

Clover, my friend’s imprinted American Kestrel

Clover and Sid my friends' American Kestrels

Clover and Sid my friends’ American Kestrels, hunting together

To end this post, I’ll share some mug shots of three different Red-tailed Hawks that were in the weathering yard. It’s amazing how different they can look!

Red-tailed Hawk with transitioning eye color

Red-tailed Hawk with transitioning eye color

A darker Red-tailed Hawk

A darker Red-tailed Hawk

This Red-tailed Hawk looks like it has puffy cheeks

This Red-tailed Hawk looks like it has puffy cheeks

Downtown Falcons

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Bringing binoculars and a long lens into the heart of a small city can raise some questions. “What are you taking photos of?” “Are you looking at birds??” are some questions that I am most always asked when I bird in downtown Binghamton, New York. There really isn’t much to see there aside from Pigeons and Sparrows, right? “There are Falcons here – look – one is perched right on top of that building.” Many people get an “a-ha!” moment when they realize that those Falcons are the reason that there are Pigeon and Sparrow wings scattered around the sidewalks. Some non-birders already know about these Falcons and love the fact that they keep the Pigeon population in tact. The young birds are loud and make their presence known. They train, hunt and eat in plain sight. This year, four birds successfully fledged.

Last week, I went out to find the recently fledged Falcons with a friend. We started on the top of one of the garages to get a higher view than from the streets. Three Falcons were found – two kids and one adult – all distant.

Finding Peregrine Falcons in Downtown Binghamton

Finding Peregrine Falcons in Downtown Binghamton

It was hot and the birds were not moving around much so we decided to walk around at street-level to find the other birds. It wasn’t long before they started flying around.

Let the playing begin...

Let the playing begin…

Two of the young chased each other around, locking talons a couple of times. In the three years of seeing Falcons here, this was my first time watching them actually play.

Sibling Falcons chasing each other

Sibling Falcons chasing each other

Sibling Falcons chasing each other

Sibling Falcons chasing each other

They would rest on top of the preferred perch – the Lady Justice that stood on top of the courthouse.

A preferred perch of the Falcons - Lady Justice above the courthouse

A preferred perch of the Falcons – Lady Justice above the courthouse

Another Falcon joins its sibling on Lady Justice

Another Falcon joins its sibling on Lady Justice

They didn’t perch for long though.

Taking a dive off of Lady Justice

Taking a dive off of Lady Justice

Eventually three of the young were chasing each other around (I failed to get a photo of all three in one frame).

Two siblings chasing each other

Chasing each other past Lady Justice’s base

One day I hope to see them actually catch a pigeon or exchange food. For now, watching them play was enough fun.

One of the recently fledged Peregrine Falcons

One of the recently fledged Peregrine Falcons

Already Thinking About Next Year’s Biggest Week…

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I still have my mind on the Biggest Week in American Birding. It was an unforgettable experience that will be tough to top. I saw 150 species of birds and had twelve – yes TWELVE – life birds. Last week, I wrote a post about some highlights from my trip. This week, I will continue by sharing some photos to show you what can be expected if you decide to attend next year – yes – I am already thinking about next year…

This Clay-colored Sparrow was a life bird!

This Clay-colored Sparrow was a life bird!

Birds, birds and more birds

Beautiful birds are everywhere you look!

Cape May Warbler from the boardwalk tower

Cape May Warbler from the boardwalk tower

Baltimore Oriole near the boardwalk parking lot

Baltimore Oriole near the boardwalk parking lot

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher taken from the boardwalk tower

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher taken from the boardwalk tower

You will see more than just birds

Aside from birds, you can see some cute mammals, rare snakes and many turtles.

This Raccoon was playing peek-a-boo with me

This Raccoon was playing peek-a-boo with me

Do not let the crowds scare you away

Crowds will form where there are good birds – the good thing about these crowds is that someone in it will see a good bird so no bird goes unseen. When they spot a bird they will let you know what they are looking at and help you find it. I took some photos with my phone of the crowds, both what I saw…

What's that? A Golden-winged Warbler?

What’s that? A Golden-winged Warbler?

And some viewpoints from the birds…

A bird's view from the ground

A bird’s view from the ground

A bird's eye view of the boardwalk

A bird’s eye view of the boardwalk

There are other great spot to visit

If the crowds are too much for you, there are quiet spots both on and off the boardwalk to visit. You do not have to even stay at Magee Marsh – you can also go to the trails at Maumee Bay State Park, take the auto tour at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, go for a day trip to Oak Openings, watch birds from the Windows On Wildlife at Pearson Metropark, look for waterbirds at Metzger… there are so many great hotspots!

Red-bellied Woodpecker at taken from the "Windows on Wildlife"

Red-bellied Woodpecker at taken from the “Windows on Wildlife”

Beautiful view from Oak Openings

Beautiful view from Oak Openings, taken with my phone

Hard-to-see birds will be in someone’s sights

How many times can you say that you’ve seen a Whip-poor-will perched in a tree??

Other birders directed us to this Whip-poor-will

Other birders directed us to this Whip-poor-will

You can test top-of-the-line scopes and binoculars at Optics Alley

I think this photo speaks for itself…

The scope line-up at Optics Alley

The scope line-up at Optics Alley

Bird by day, hang out by night!

Birds & Blooms hosted a karaoke night. I did not sing, but those who did gave a great show!

Kim Kaufman killed it on the karaoke floor

Kim Kaufman killed it on the karaoke floor

There are other great events during the day

While we were making our way out of Magee Marsh, we stopped at the visitor center and were surprised by some live birds of prey from Back to the Wild. These birds were injured and cannot be returned to the wild, so they are now used for educational purposes. It was nice to get some photos of more cooperative birds. And further down the road at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, they were banding wild songbirds – they had a Northern Waterthrush when we were there.

This young Peregrine Falcon was flapping around

This young Peregrine Falcon was flapping around

This Bald Eagle was hit by a train and is now blind in one eye with an injured wing

This Bald Eagle was hit by a train and is now blind in one eye with an injured wing

My favorite little raptor, the American Kestrel

My favorite little raptor, the American Kestrel

I hope to see a Barn Owl in the wild some time soon

I hope to see a Barn Owl in the wild some time soon

This Barred Owl was keeping an eye on us

This Barred Owl was keeping an eye on us

The Great Horned Owl was not as angry as he looks

The Great Horned Owl was not as angry as he looks

You will make new friends

It was great birding with friends who we met last year – even after seeing them a year ago at 2012’s Biggest Week, we connected like we see each other all the time. We also met many new friends along the way. Everyone, from the bloggers to the guides to visitors on the boardwalk were pleasant to be around and we could not ask to be around a better group of people!

Kim Kaufman's sand art

Kim Kaufman’s sand art

Did I mention that there are lots of great birds to be seen?

Magnolia Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

American Bittern out in the open on the Magee causeway

American Bittern out in the open on the Magee causeway

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

American Woodcock right next to the boardwalk

American Woodcock right next to the boardwalk

And most of all, you can gain…

Life birds, life friends and life experiences

New Jersey Falconry Club Field Meet

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Last weekend, I had the pleasure of photographing some of my friends’ birds. It was great to be able to be so close to such beautiful raptors and watch them in action.

On both days, we hunted with Rogue, a young Harris Hawk. Rogue is a very ambitious hawk who goes after prey that is larger than herself. She caught her second turkey within a month and even went after a Great Blue Heron! We were all happy that she did not catch up to the heron who hurried away.

Rogue the Harris Hawk

Rogue, a young Harris Hawk still in juvenile plumage.

Rogue the Harris Hawk

Rogue on the lookout for prey.

Rogue the Harris Hawk

Rogue taking off from a fence post.

Rogue the Harris Hawk

Rogue had the catch of the weekend – this turkey was flushed out accidentally and Rogue pursued her. We eventually caught up a half hour later to find that Rogue had killed the turkey on her own.

Two new friends that I just met had Red-tail Hawks. Even though we did not catch any prey with these birds, they gave us quite a show!

Nyx the Red-tail Hawk

Nyx, a young Red-tail Hawk, in search of prey.

Isis the Red-tail Hawk

Isis, a year old Red-tail Hawk posing for the camera.

Isis the Red-tail Hawk

Pauline and Isis across the field.

I still have yet to see Meg, a Gyrfalcon+Saker Falcon hybrid hunt, but I did watch a few training flights. This beautiful falcon got her name from how large she is, because she is, indeed, a Meg[a] Falcon!

Meg the Gyr/Saker Falcon hybrid

Meg, a beautiful Gyrfalcon/Saker Falcon Hybrid.

Meg the Gyr/Saker Falcon hybrid

Meg taking flight as sunset approaches.

Meg the Gyr/Saker Falcon hybrid

Meg in flight.

Meg the Gyr/Saker Falcon hybrid

Meg going after her lure during a training session.

My friend who introduced me to the world of Falconry recently caught her Hawk, Rusty. I did not see Rusty fly during this event, but I did meet him a couple of days before during a training session.

Rusty the Red-tail Hawk

Rusty was also at the meet, however, this photo was taken a couple of days before it.

Rusty the Red-tail Hawk

Rusty giving me a silly bird-face.

After chasing wild birds all the time, it is great to see and photograph some raptors up close. I even held a Merlin for a while. The bird is so tiny that holding her for over an hour was not tiring at all.