Hovering Kingfisher

 A series of photographs showing how well a Belted Kingfisher can hover in place. They do this when hunting for fish. Notice the trees in the background which show just how motionless the bird was (other than the wing beats of course).

Lots of Baby Birds!

After a disappointing spring in terms of warbler sightings (something I look forward to every year), it became a remarkable time for baby bird sightings!

In my neighborhood there are three main places where I go to photograph wildlife.  They are all in a row:  an English college; a cemetery; and a French college.

In a tall conifer on the front lawn of the first college, a pair of Merlins raised a family of four chicks; in a large maple tree in the cemetery, a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks raised three chicks; and on the beautiful façade of the second college's main building, five Raven chicks were raised.

These created wonderful opportunities to photograph and watch the development of these beautiful (and vocal!) young birds.

MERLINS

Mother on the nest with her chicks

Three of the chicks still sporting some of their downy feathers

Out of the nest for a short foray to another branch

A young Merlin trying out his wings

RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS

Mother

Father

Two of the young hawks

RAVENS

The mother is in the middle

The five chicks waiting for food

Playful young Cooper's Hawks

 

As in previous years, a pair of Cooper's Hawks raised a family in a nearby cemetery.  The nest was not well situated to get shots of the nestlings but as soon as the four young hawks were flying about, they have been giving me many photographic opportunities – especially when on the ground and being playful.

I have been entertained by their antics: running around a small tree and "ambushing" each other; throwing leaves up in the air to pounce on; sneaking up and pulling each others' tails; etc.  I was lucky enough to get a two minute video of the four of them playing around a small tree.  

You can watch it here:  young hawks playing

Enjoy!

Enraptured by Raptors

 

Turkey Vulture

Bald Eagle

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Cooper's Hawks

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Merlin

Kestrel

All these birds were photographed within or passing over college campuses a few minutes walk from my home. I am amazed every day by the variety of birds in this small green space – one of very few that has so far escaped development.

 

 

Moths

 

The languid flight

in summer night

of a graceful moth.

Its patterned wings –

exquisite things –

soft like velvet cloth.

No need for flash

or dazzling hue –

subtle panache

bewitches too.

2019

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

Another Nest!

 

The Cooper's Hawk couple has returned to the cemetery to start a new family!  This is the third year now that I have been privileged to witness their domestic activities.

Here are some photographs (with captions beneath each one).

Such a handsome bird!

The nest is well developed.

Here's the male flying with a twig for the nest.

You can see the nest at the top left and the female hawk at the bottom right.  Unlike the earlier nesting sites, I think that once the leaves come out, I may not get much of a view of the nestlings.

The famous hawk stare!

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet

 

This tiny bird was a great delight for me this spring.  I saw them everyday for at least three weeks and although they are very fast and flighty, I was able to capture them better than any other time in the past.

Here is some information from Cornell University: 

"A tiny bird seemingly overflowing with energy, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet forages almost frantically through lower branches of shrubs and trees. Its habit of constantly flicking its wings is a key identification clue. Smaller than a warbler or chickadee, this plain green-gray bird has a white eye-ring and a white bar on the wing. Alas, the male’s brilliant ruby crown patch usually stays hidden—your best chance to see it is to find an excited male singing in spring or summer."

Here are some of the photos I managed to get between the end of April and the end of May:

Various Birds In The Area

Aside from the Cardinal and the Warblers (see previous posts), various other birds have graced the area where I bird-watch.  Here are many that I was happy to see during these last two months.

Chipping Sparrow, spizella passerina

Hermit Thrush, catharus guttatus

Brown Creeper, certhia americana

Eastern Phoebe, sayornis phoebe 

Brown Thrasher, toxostoma rufum 

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, sphyrapicus varius

White-throated Sparrow, zonotrichia albicollis

White-crowned Sparrow, zonotrichia leucophrys

Canada Goose, Branta canadensis

Downy Woodpecker, dryobates pubescens

Least Flycatcher, empidonax minimus

Blue-headed Vireo, vireo solitarius

Rose-breasted Grosbeak, pheucticus ludovicianus

Red-eyed Vireo, vireo olivaceus

Baltimore Oriole, icterus galbula