Friday, April 29, 2016

Feathers on Friday for 4/29

American Robin




Happy Friday!  April is almost over.  It really "flew" by with many interesting visitors to my yard.  The American Robins are now out foraging for worms every day.  I snapped a few shots of this female this week.  She posed nicely while the male wasn't so cooperative.   Happy Birding and have a great weekend!


More Feathers on Friday Post:


Prairie Birder


Bird Boy


Birds in Your Backyard


Wolf Song Blog


Another Day in Paradise


A Day in The Life

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Drama at the Bald Eagle Nest

Defending the Nest


The day started off pretty routinely at one of the Bald Eagle nests.  The male and female at this nest were busy finding food and feeding their two growing eaglets.  The male was doing the hunting and the female was feeding/watching over the hatchlings.  This is a shot of the female before the drama started.



Here is the female stretching her wings and taking a quick flight around before returning back to the nest.

Then another eagle flew near the nest.  At first, I thought it was the male returning with some more food for the eaglets but the female was visibly upset and was blocking the eagle from landing on the nest.  The intruder was a subadult Bald Eagle and was probably around three years old.  It takes 4-5 years for a Bald Eagle to reach adulthood and to have the distinct markings that it is known for.

The female continued to call for the male and defend her young in the nest.  She finally made a choice and flew at the subadult.  She warned the younger eagle with her massive talons and took a swipe at it.  It flew off landing in a nearby tree.


Here is a shot of the intruder perched in a nearby tree.  The female continued to call her mate back to the nest.  It felt like forever but actually was only a few minutes before he arrived.  The male quickly took up the task of chasing off the intruder.


Here is the male chasing off the intruder.


The chase continues as the male makes sure the subadult is removed from the area.  The rest of the time at the nest was routine and the threat was over.  Subadult Bald Eagles are notorious scavengers.  They are always looking for an easy meal.  They are still learning to hunt and fish.  Luckily, the nesting pair worked well together and defended the nest and the eaglets from harm.   Stay tuned for more Bad Eagle stories as the season continues.  In case you missed the first installment, you can read more here.

Happy Birding and don't forget to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.


Friday, April 22, 2016

Feathers on Friday for 4/22

Canada Goose


Happy Friday! This guy came to visit when I was watching one of the Bald Eagle nests last weekend. I love the early morning light that shows off all the detail of the feathers.   Have a great weekend and Happy Birding!


More Feathers on Friday Post:










Monday, April 18, 2016

Hatchlings are Arriving!


This is one of my favorite times of the year.  Spring has arrived and so have the eaglets.  Both of the Bald Eagle's nests that I visited this weekend had at least one hatchling each.  Right after I took this picture, the female flew off and I saw a little fluffy head pop up.  It is always exciting to see the next generation of hatchlings.  The activity at the nest will pick up now with the parents starting to feed their offsprings.  The eaglets will grow fast and the demand for food will grow too.

You can experience it too with the technology of nest cams.   The popularity has exploded for nest cams.  Here are some you might want check out:


Sauces Bald Eagle Nest

Decorah, IA Bald Eagle Nest

Minnesota Bound Bald Eagle Nest

Avon Lake, OH Bald Eagle Nest


Happy Birding! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Friday, April 15, 2016

Feathers on Friday for 4/15

Ring-billed Gull


Happy Friday!  I took this picture of (I think) a non-breeding adult Ringed-billed Gull on the Gulf Coast of Florida near St. Petersburg in November.  Have a great weekend and Happy Birding!

More Feathers on Friday Posts:


Prairie Birder

Bird Boy

Wolf Song Blog

Another Day in Paradise

A Day in the Life

Friday, April 8, 2016

Feathers on Friday for 4/7

Black Vulture


Happy Friday!  I got this shot of a Black Vulture at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Shores, FL.   The Black Vulture use to be southern bird mostly but now it's range has expanded to the north.  There are a lot of sightings of the Black Vulture around here in the Capital Region of New York.  They like to hang out with their cousin the Turkey Vulture so, the next time you see a vulture you may want to double check to see if it has black head.


More Feathers on Friday Post:


Prairie Birder

Bird Boy


The Cats and the Birds


Another Day in Paradise


Happy Birding this weekend! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.




Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Snowy Start to April

First Eastern Phoebe of the Season


Today, I saw the familiar tail bob of a common flycatcher to my yard every spring.  The Eastern Phoebe was back but unfortunately for him the weather had taken a weird turn and we had gotten our biggest snow storm of the year on Monday.  It was in no way a blizzard but 4 or 5 inches of snow and temperatures well under freezing can make life challenging for a bird that feeds on mostly flying insects.  He did his typical behavior of perching on a branch or bush while bobbing his tail and then taking off in search of flying insects.  There is none that I can see.  I did some quick research and Eastern Phoebes will eat some small fruits and seeds at times.  I would imagine this would be one of those times.  Let's hope this little guy can find enough to eat until the weather gets warmer again.  


My feeders have been busy with the snow and colder temperatures.  The Northern Cardinals and American Goldfinches have been frequent visitors, adding some color to the mostly white scene.   I guess April "snow" showers brings May flowers this year.  Happy Birding in the snow for some of you! 

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.  Happy April and to spring coming soon(maybe?)!