Photo by Chris Bosak
A Red-tailed Hawk perches on the top of a tree in Stamford, Conn., July 2014.
This Red-tailed Hawk perched in the backyard during a recent steamy day in southern New England. I like the way it is showing its feathers while perched on the top of a recently cut-down tree.
Photo by Chris Bosak
Piping Plover at Coastal Center at Milford Point, Conn., April 2014.
My latest For the Birds Column focuses on the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, or in other words, volunteering to monitor Piping Plovers, Least Terns, American Oystercatchers and other shorebirds. The program is important in order to help protect these threatened birds. (See the column here.)
To give you an idea of the challenges faced by volunteers in finding Piping Plovers, here’s a fun little quiz for everybody. When on the beach you really have to look for motion in order to find the birds most of the time as they blend in so terrifically with their beach surroundings. With that in mind … the task of the quiz is simple: find the Piping Plover in the above photo.
Let me know how you did. I’ll post the answer later this week for those who can’t find it.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A baby mallard stays dry during a rainfall by huddling under its mother’s wing.
Here’s one of my favorite Mallard shots. The chick with its head sticking out was one of several tucked under the mother’s wing during a light rain. Even common subjects such as Mallards have their photographic moments. Happy Easter weekend from http://www.birdsofnewengland.com
Photo by Chris Bosak
Horned Grebe at Cove Island Park in Stamford, CT, April 2014.
While watching a small flock of Ruddy Ducks at Cove Island Park in Stamford, CT, a Horned Grebe made an appearance. The grebe was in a transitional plumage and will look quite different a few weeks from now.
Most of our “winter ducks” have flown north already, but some still linger. The Ruddy Ducks were a good sighting and there are still several Red-breasted Mergansers around. Soon, It will be mallards and black ducks for southern New England.
The Ruddy Duck photos are below:
Over the years I’ve taken tons of Hooded Merganser photos. I just love those little ducks and find them infinitely interesting.
So this weekend, what did I do? I took more Hooded Merganser photos, of course. About five males and four females were utilizing a small pool of unfrozen water on an otherwise frozen lake at Sellecks/Dunlap Woods in Darien, Conn. The males were not displaying, but that time is coming soon. (A video I took last winter of their breeding display behavior is included at the bottom of this post.)
Here are the latest. (Remember, you can always send me your bird photos and I’ll include them on my “Reader Submitted Photos” page. Send me your photos at bozclark@earthlink.net.
Now for those hoodies:
Photo by Chris Bosak
Hooded Mergansers swim in a small unfrozen section of water at Selleck’s/Dunlap in Darien, Conn., in Feb. 2014.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Hooded Merganser swim in a small unfrozen section of water at Selleck’s/Dunlap in Darien, Conn., in Feb. 2014.
More photos below …
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Carolina Wren holds onto the bottom of a suet cage during the February 13, 2014, snowstorm.
Photo by Chris Bosak
An American Tree Sparrow perches near a feeding station during the snowstorm of Feb. 13, 2014.
It was a busy day at the feeder on Thursday as snow fell hard and steady in the morning and afternoon in New England. It was a beautiful scene and I’m sure it played out at many feeding stations throughout the region.
I had the juncos, White-throated Sparrows, cardinals, and Mourning Doves I expected, but I didn’t see a single chickadee, titmouse or nuthatch. Very odd for winter snow day. Starlings and House Sparrows also paid a visit.
The biggest surprises were a Carolina Wren (actually, not too big of a surprise, but a welcomed sight for sure) and an American Tree Sparrow. Tree Sparrows come down to southern New England in the winter, but they are not often seen at feeders. This guy made a few brief visits, but never got real comfortable and was easily chased away by other feeder birds.
Many people are sick of the snow, I’m sure, but I love it when it comes to birding.
All in all, a good day at the feeders. How did you do with your feeders? Post a comment, or better yet, send me a photo to bozclark@earthlink.net and I’ll use it in the “Reader Submitted Photos” page on this site.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A young Herring Gull chases away a young Peregrine Falcon at Holly Pond in Stamford in Jan. 2014.
The distance and quickness of the event yielded an admittedly lousy photo, but it’s good enough to show that this young Peregrine Falcon has a lot to learn about what prey to target.
I was at Holly Pond in Stamford, Ct., trying to get some photos of a Hooded Merganser pair swimming in a small pool of water surrounded by ice. Suddenly the entire huge flock of gulls (Ring-billed, Herring and a few Greater Black-backed) that had been resting peacefully on the ice rose into the air started making a racket. I assumed at first that someone nearby had a bag of bread to offer the birds, but they all stayed above the water.
Then I noticed that a young Peregrine Falcon had swooped in on the flock. At this point the falcon was trying to single out individual gulls to pursue. Each chase was short-lived as the falcon quickly realized it was smaller than the birds it was trying to take down. Birds of Prey taking down larger prey is not unheard of, but this falcon did not yet have the strength or experience to handle a gull. It tried on three or four bird, got scolded and chased away, and eventually gave up and perched in a nearby tree.
Hey, you can’t blame the falcon. It was hungry and tried for a big, fat meal. Besides, if you don’t try, you’ll never succeed. The falcon learned a lesson and gained some experience. That’s always good in life.
When the snow flies — as it has done often this winter here in New England — you can be sure the Dark-eyed Juncos will come visit. Normally accompanied by at least a few White-throated Sparrows, juncos are typically found under bird feeders looking for fallen seeds. This snowstorm, however, I had juncos on the suet feeder, on the platform feeder and on the ground. So, of course, I had to break out the camera. What’s a snow day without a new junco photo?
iPhone photo by Chris Bosak
Mallards rest on the ice as a small group of Hooded Mergansers swims in the background along the Norwalk River.
Not having my “real” camera with me this morning as I walked into work, I used my iPhone to capture this moment of Mallards resting on the ice near a small pool of unfrozen water on the Norwalk River. A small group of Hooded Mergansers swims in the open water. The rest of the Norwalk River is frozen, a somewhat rare occurrence.
Send me your bird and nature photos for my “reader submitted photos” page, which is updated often. Check it out here.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A young Peregrine Falcon flies overhead in Norwalk, CT, Dec. 2013.
I spotted this young Peregrine Falcon flying around Veterans Park in East Norwalk a few weeks ago. It had a half-eaten prey (a crow, I think) in an open part of the park about 100 yards away, but kept circling around the parking lot where I was. It even has blood on its hooked bill. As many of you know, I’ve been photographing a few Peregrine Falcons along the Norwalk River where I work. (With limited success, admittedly.) This rare and close opportunity was certainly welcomed considering the distance from which I normally have to try to photograph them. Notice the brown plumage of this youngster, as opposed to the blue-gray of the adult.
I have some more photos of this beauty in flight that I will post later.
Birds of New England.com 