I was walking a trail when the Juvenile Bald Eagle flew past and, as I found shortly thereafter, landed among a cluster of trees about 100 yards away. Very soon thereafter, the adult Bald Eagle flew into a nearby tree and began to call. The juvenile ignored the cries of the adult.
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Raptors, i.e. birds of prey, are always interesting to me. They present grace, beauty and power even though they can be intimidated by the smallest of birds chasing the raptor away from their nests.
If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.
Barred Owls are very common in the Atlanta, Georgia area. I am sharing 2 perspectives on this one, very cooperative, owl that I took a few weeks ago. I think it was just showing off the bug it caught.
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Barred Owl with Prey – Close-up; Island Ford, Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; MAY 2023
Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.
If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.
We had a skirmish in our backyard. We had a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks attempt to make a nest in the backyard. We were excited. It would have been interesting to watch some baby hawks grow up. But our crows were strongly opposed to that move. It was a loud skirmish with crow caws and hawk shrieks but the crows won. In one of the battles, the crows chased a hawk away and formed a perimeter in 3 trees between the hawks and the nest. We’ve seen the hawks since that battle, but they’ve not attempted to complete the nest.
Please click on caption to see images at higher resolution.
If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.
If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.
I’m sharing these pictures because of an interesting relationship.
I took the image of the Spotted Owl about 9 years ago. I believe it is especially poignant because the owl is on a Coastal Redwood.
This Owl was placed on the endangered species act in 1990 because of habitat loss. It lives in old growth forests like the coastal redwoods of California and Oregon. It sparked a battle between conservationists and the US Government against Loggers who wanted the right to log old growth forests. The Spotted Owl and its habitat won the battle. However, the Spotted Owl may be losing the battle; its numbers have not grown since it was placed on the endangered species list. One possible culprit is the Barred Owl; is encroaching on the Spotted Owl’s habitat and driving it out.
Notice how similarly they look.
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When I saw this Red-tailed Hawk I immediately thought of a stodgy, nerdy, middle-aged human male just hanging around. It made me chuckle. But, very quickly, it showed me its true nature as it jumped into action.
Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.
If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.
Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.
I am sharing images of 3 raptors, i.e., birds of prey. Take note of the image of the White-tailed Kite in the air. It was kiting, its characteristic behavior of hovering over potential prey before it drops down to catch it.
Please click on caption to see images at higher resolution.
This spring, a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks gave birth to a pair of chicks at Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Sacramento. Hawk babies are often born at the center. What made this remarkable is they nested at a place where you could see them well enough to photograph them. Today, I am sharing some baby pictures.
The first image is one of the adults at the nest. I do not know if it is the male or female. I don’t know how to tell them apart, except that the female is usually larger. After that image we entered the period of stay-at-home, so I missed a few weeks of photographing the nest. When I returned the nest appeared empty. But, as I watched, I could see a small crest of white down peeking above the rim of the nest. On my next weekly visit, there was no activity at the nest. But, the next week, I saw an adult and 2 babies; one beginning to have feathers, the other still in down. The following week, the older of the 2 had more well-developed feathers and was branching, i.e. climbing out on nearby branches. The smaller had its first feathers also. An adult was perched on a nearby snag calling out and the older baby was returning the call.
In the past 2 weeks, there has been no activity in the nest. Both babies should have been large enough to see even if sleeping. In fact, they should have both been branching. I am hoping that at least the older one has fledged but I don’t know. I will probably never know the outcome.
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Here are a few raptors, birds of prey, I’ve photographed over the past year.
The Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks are members of the Buteo family. They forage in more open areas and prefer small rodents. The Goshawk and Sharp-shinned Hawks are members of the Acipiter family. They are built to forage in in forested areas and prefer birds. The Merlin is a small falcon. Though they have there preferences, they’ll eat whatever they can catch.
Note: Please click on caption to see these images at higher resolution.
Earthwatcher 