This Week at Heinz NRW

Plenty of signs at Heinz NRW that Spring is finally well entrenched. Waterfowl - except for the nesters - have moved on. Plenty of song activity from the residents or early arrivals, plus returning passerines present. A few images ...

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Palm Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warblers were not singing during mid-day, but were finally sporting their breeding finery ...

Yellow-rumped Warbler

The nesting Bald Eagles have hatched. This adult took off from the nest and flew overhead en route to the marsh and estuary for foraging ...

Bald Eagle

 This Carolina Wren was in a song duel with another nearby male ...

Carolina Wren

Mallards were on the nest. Most other ducks were gone, except for a few pairs of Green-winged Teal and a pair of Blue-winged Teal ...

Green-winged Teal (male and female)

Along the edge of the impoundment, a muskrat was foraging, while in many locations, turtles were enjoying the returning warmth of the Spring sun ...

Muskrate

Good Birding!!

Heinz NWR - Sunday

Sunday was a gorgeous day for a bike ride and walk at Heinz NWR in Philadelphia.

Warbler Woods at Heinz (absent the warblers)

The dabbler numbers were significantly increased from my last visit a week ago.

Northern Shoveler with Gadwalls

Northern Shoveler

Northern Shovelers

 We were having a leisurely look when they all suddenly took flight. The passing eagle quickly explained their sudden panic.

Bald Eagle

There were still a few Cabbage Whites, and sulphurs (probably Clouded Sulphurs) on the wing, and around the impoundment pixie-like Autumn Meadowhawks were flying, and occasionally pausing briefly.

Autumn Meadowhawk

Wintering gull numbers are on the increase. Gulls are not a favorite of many, but I like them. Ring-bills were unusually close to the boardwalk.

Ring-billed Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Ring-billed Gull

 Several dozen Great Blue Herons were in and around the impoundment - they'll be my next post.

Good Birding!!

Cape May Hawk Watch

We did a day trip to Cape May, which of course includes a stop at the Hawk Watch. It is never a long wait for a passing raptor. During my brief stay, my passing overhead or nearby were Red-tailed, Broad-winged, Sharp-shinned, Cooper's, Peregrine, Harrier, Turkey and Black Vulture.

A few even permitted some photos.

Notice the full crop on this juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk. A good omen for its survival ... it has learned to hunt on its own.

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Bald Eagle - hatch year bird.

Bald Eagle - 1st year

 This Red-tailed Hawk put on a flying display directly over the Hawk Watch platform.

Red-tailed Hawk

Bald Eagle. 

Bald Eagle

 So many hawks migrate through Cape May, that it is common to have two or more species in the glass at one time. Next photo is the same Bald Eagle, but notice the size difference of the Sharp-shinned Hawk in the bottom right corner.

It's always good birding. In Cape May, it is almost always excellent birding.

Heinz NWR - Eagle & Shrike

Heinz NWR provided a delightful walk, but not much in the way of birds, and even less in the way of photo ops. The two photos below are strictly documentary ...

Regulars to the refuge expect the resident Bald Eagles to be incubating eggs any day now, and they hope the pair will have better success this year than last year. (Philadelphians are unhappy when their eagles don't do well.)

The female was perched close to her nest, while her mate stood watch over the Amtrak trains on a nearby pole.

Bald Eagle

This is the fifth year that a Northern Shrike has made the tidal marsh his territory - a good one in my non-avian judgment, since many sparrows feed in the reeds. I see this bird almost every year, but this is the first time I have had a photo opportunity (such as it is).

Northern Shrike

Good Birding!

Oh Yes - Check out my new photo blog - Exploring Philadelphia

Hawk Watching - Putney Mountain

The cadre of hawk watchers who keep Putney Mountain the only full time hawk watch site in Vermont have maintained their dedication and passion in spite of a dismal (to date) hawk season. The lack of any strong weather patterns has kept the hawks from concentrating along the ridge. Normally during mid-September there are days when Broad-winged Hawks are counted in the tens, and even hundreds of birds, this year they have been counted by one here - one there - one way up there. On rare occasion there have been a few more birds at a time, but not often.

That said, there have been a few moments when an individual bird has provided excitement.

Bald Eagles always stir the blood of the watchers. This first year bird did that when it circled low over the watch site. A few minutes after this bird appeared, four adult eagles passed by, close, but not camera close ...

Bald Eagle (1st year)

The owl decoy has attracted the attention, and enmity of an occasional young Merlin, Cooper's Hawk, and Sharp-shinned Hawk ...

Merlin

Cooper's Hawk

Cooper's Hawk

Sharp-shinned Hawk

 This American Kestrel hovered briefly over the owl decoy, then thought better, and flew on ...

American Kestrel

While hawk numbers have been slow to accumulate, there is always plenty to been seen, and good naturalists to see it with. Just a sampling ...

Tiger Moth Caterpillar

Black-capped Chickadee

Red-eyed Vireo

Great Spangled Fritillary

American Lady

Good Birding - or whatever else you may be doing!!

The Universe is Unfair ...

... and nice guys don't always get the girl, or win the prize, or whatever. Today I took a 20 minute detour on my way to Putney Mountain in order to get cider donuts for the stalwart hawk watchers. I was being a good guy.

I arrived at the hawk watch site 2 minutes after the hawk watchers watched a Peregrine Falcon dive into the woods, then reemerge with a Blue Jay in its talons and begin eating on the wing. So no photos of the drama. Alas!

So today I had to be content with a few medium height hawks (out of photography range), and a family of ravens playing on the wind.

Common Raven

Yesterday (Sunday) was a bit better. The second season of hawk watching is underway with the accipiters beginning to come in numbers. And they do so with attitude. Our plastic owl attracted the attention of several birds, almost always young, inexperienced birds ...

The Plastic Owl

This Sharp-shinned Hawk made a close pass at the owl ...

Sharp-shinned Hawk (hatch year)

... while this young Cooper's Hawk made repeated attacks ...

Cooper's Hawk diving at the owl

Cooper's Hawk - note the full crop

Cooper's Hawk - compare head size with the Sharp-shinned Hawk

In addition, Bald Eagles continued their steady run, while song birds occasionally are found in the edges around the watch site or in the woods on the walk up ...

Bald Eagle - not yet a full adult

 Good Birding!!

Broad-winged Hawks - Putney Mountain

The Broad-winged Hawk flight exploded over Putney Mountain on Saturday (1100+), then continued on Sunday (1300+) and today (800+ when I left at 4:30).

A few images from the last three days at Vermont's only full-time hawk watch ...

Hawk Watchers count a kettle over the Connecticut River Valley

A small kettle of "broadies" - 20 birds ride the thermal up

Broad-winged Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

While the flight of "broadies" continued to be impressive today, the highlight for the day was the passage of five Bald Eagles in a 15 minute period - 4 adults and one hatch year bird ...

Bald Eagle

 It's still too early to be counting Turkey Vultures as migrating. They roost in Brattleboro and Bellows Falls then wander north, south, south, north, or wherever. But these masters of the wind currents are always fun to watch, and today they were flying low ...

Turkey Vulture

Good Birding!!