Young Peregrine Falcon picks on the wrong bird

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Chris Bosak

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.

What’s a snow day without a new junco photo?

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Chris Bosak

: Photo by Chris Bosak
Dark-eyed Junco during Jan. 2014 snowstorm.

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?

Young Peregrine Falcon in flight

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Chris Bosak

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.

Good news from Connecticut DEEP’s waterfowl survey

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Chris Bosak

Here’s a copy/pasted release from Connecticut DEEP on the 2014 Midwinter Waterfowl Survey. I don’t particularly like using press releases on this site, but as many of you know, I have a soft spot for waterfowl, so any news on that front is worth getting out there. Plus, the results were particularly good this year. At least the photo is mine!

Photo by Chris Bosak
American Wigeon in Norwalk, CT.

Staff from Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) conducted the annual Midwinter Waterfowl Survey on January 8 and 9, 2014. The survey is conducted throughout the Atlantic Flyway, and is used as an index of long-term wintering waterfowl trends. The Atlantic Flyway is a bird migration route that generally follows the Atlantic Coast of North America and the Appalachian Mountains. In Connecticut, the survey is conducted from a helicopter and a census is obtained from the coast, the three major river systems, and selected inland lakes and reservoirs.

Survey conditions for the 2014 Midwinter Waterfowl Survey were excellent, with Continue reading →

CT DEEP commissioner Daniel Esty talks about climate change

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Chris Bosak

A little off topic, but not really considering the link between climate and birds — and all wildlife (including humans.) I

I covered the Norwalk Land Trust’s Annual Meeting on Monday (Jan. 13, 2014) and the guest speaker was Daniel C. Esty, the commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. He had some very interesting things to say about climate change and how to combat it and adapt to it. Here’s an audio clip of Esty talking about the “game changer” when it comes to climate change.

The full story is available at http://www.thehour.com. (Search for “Esty” in the search field if it’s not still on the home page.)

Latest For the Birds column: Birding highlights of 2013

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Chris Bosak

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Snowy Owl perches on a fence post at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport on Monday, Dec. 23, 2013.

Here’s my annual look back at my own personal birding and wildlife highlights of the past year. Bonus photos, too.

Click here for the column.

The latest For the Birds Column: Counting some lucky larks

Posted on December 25, 2013 by Chris Bosak

Photo by Chris Bosak
Peregrine Falcon at Veterans Park in Norwalk, Dec. 2013.

Click below to read the latest For the Birds column, which appears every Thursday in The Hour (Norwalk, CT) and Monday in The Keene Sentinel (Keene, NH). I talk about my experiences during the Dec. 15 Christmas Bird Count. Those are some lucky larks!

Click here for story.

Oh, and Merry Christmas, everybody.