Feathers on Friday for 5/27

Red-Winged Blackbird

It's been a long week and half since my hard drive died on my laptop.  I'm finally up again though I did lose some pictures.  I guess the lesson is to backup your computer more often.  

I was visited by this male Red-winged Blackbird at one of the Bald Eagle nests last weekend.  He was really showing off his red wing probably to attract a mate.  In the first shot, he is calling and puffing out his feathers for all to see.  

Update: If you have read the blog for a awhile, you know I have a nesting pair of Red-shouldered Hawks in the woods behind my house.  It looks like one eyas has fledged.  I witnessed a noisy soaring lesson between one adult and one juvenile over my house this week.  I'm hoping I can get a shot of the juvenile soon.  Happy Memorial Day weekend and Happy birding!

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

 

More Birds are Returning

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

This beautiful Red-breasted Grosbeak showed up two weekends ago.  There is at least two males and two females around my yard right now.

Here is a shot of one of the females getting a bite to eat at one of my feeders.  The Ovenbirds have returned too and are filling the woods with their unique song.   I was unable to get a picture of it but I had a Baltimore Oriole in my yard last week.  Happy Birding and enjoy the new arrivals!  

Feathers on Friday for 5/13

Tufted Titmouse

Happy Friday the 13th!  I got some shots of this Tufted Titmouse taking off from a tree and perched.   These guys are frequent visitors to my feeders and they stick around year round with their cousin the Black-capped Chickadee.  Have a great weekend and Happy Birding!

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

Feathers on Friday for 5/6

Chipping Sparrow

Happy Friday and Happy Mother's day weekend! A flock of Chipping Sparrows has been foraging in my yard for a few weeks now.  I was able to get some shots of them.  We'll see if they stick around or continue heading north on a longer migration.   Have a great weekend and Happy Mother's day to all the moms!

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

Look Who is Back!

Cooper's Hawk Hunting

I haven't seen much of the Red-Shouldered Hawk pair in the past few weeks.  I do hear them quite a bit back in the woods.  This is probably a call for food for the little one(s) in the nest.  While they have been busy with raising their young, the Cooper's Hawk has taken advantage and started hunting in my backyard.  

This one actually stayed long enough for me to get a shot of it.  I believe it is a female from it's rather large size.  She tried unsucessfully to catch either a chipmunk or small bird before this shot.  Then she perched above fallen tree where the lucky almost prey was able to hide from her till she flew off.  

The male Red-Shouldered Hawk hunting in my yard back in late March.

I noticed more evidence of the Cooper's Hawk hunting in my yard when I noticed a pile of Morning Dove feathers near one of the my feeders.  The Red-Shouldered Hawks haven't taken a dove that I have seen so I think it was the Cooper's Hawk work.


I guess it is the way of nature of the birds of prey.  When the Red-Shouldered Hawks aren't defending their territory, other predators like the Cooper's Hawk will encroach.   

Read More about the Two Different Hawks Here:

The Tale of the Squirrels and the Hawks

The Tale of the Squirrels and Hawks Part 2

Birds of Prey

Birds of Prey Part 2

The Happy Pair

My First Ever....

Green Heron

It was uneventful weekend at the Bald Eagle nests this past weekend.  I guess that is a good thing for the growing eaglets.  I did see my first ever Green Heron in the wild on the way to one of the Bald Eagle nests.  What a cool looking bird! Its' coloring is subtle but also very striking. It was wading in a small pool of water near the edge of the Hudson River.  

Here is another shot that shows its' blueish head.  Happy Birding!  Read the first two post on the Bald Eagle nest season first here and second here.