Spirit Hawk

From internet history this hawk is at least 10 years old. Native people in this area considered it a Spirit Animal. The logic being that since it stood out so much and was so easy to track and kill, that it represented the essence of the animal, almost like an avatar and was not to be hunted or ever fucked with. For me, I had tried to see this bird for the past 5 years (since moving to NJ). Today I found it on a remote foot path on the Rutgers Campus, just after it caught a robin. It was too busy wolfing it down to notice my approach. As soon as it was done, it looked directly at me and flew up and away!

Fall Birds

Getting some great looks recently. Gorgeous Eastern Bluebird. Melodic Carolina Wren. Shy field sparrow. Look out everybody, thess guys are around too!

Waretown Mississippi Kites

Although confirmed this year, they have probably been nesting in NJ for a few season now. In any case, this was my first successful trip to see these normally southern nesters in Waretown, NJ. Incredible birds!

Ocean County Big Count

First ever BC in OC, also corresponded to WSB so there was good reason to try to rep my section which was Lakewood, Jackson and New Egypt. Day was very birdy but conditions after lunch were not ideal. Still not bad for the first time out of the gate with this project. Great Blue Heron 3 Green Heron 1: Black Vulture 2 Turkey Vulture 20 Wood Duck 1 Mallard 20 RSH 2 at Metedeconk Preserve RTH 7 Wild Turkey 1 Killdeer 1 LAGU 1 Rock Dove 20 Mourning Dove 20 YBC 1 Chimney Swift 4 Ruby-throated hummer 1 Belted Kingfisher 1 RBWP 10 Downy 2 Northern Flicker 3 East. Peewee 2 East. Phoebe 2 East. Kingbird 2 GC Flycatcher 1 Blue Jay 20 American Crow 7 Tree Swallow 20+ at CM BCC 20+ Tufted Titmouse 20+ WBN 2 BG Gnatcatcher 20 Veery 1 Hermit thrush 1 American Robin 20+ Gray Catbird 20+ Northern Mocker 10 Brown Thrasher 1 Euro Star 20+ a note here is that they seem to be expanding quite a bit in my part of OC. They had taken over all the nest boxes that I saw at CM. Northern Parula 6 Yellow 1 Chestnut-sided Warbler 1 Cape May 1 YRW 20 BTG 1 Pine Warbler 20 Most numerous at CM, many nesting! Bay-breasted 1 Blackpoll 1 B&W 2 American Redstart 5 Overbird 20 also very numerous at CM with many singing. Scarlet tanager 2 eastern towhee 2 chipping sparrow 20+ field sparrow 5 grasshopper sparrow 2 song sparrow 2 wts 5 northern cardinal 5 rwbb 2 common grackle 20+ orchard oriole 1 baltimore oriole 2 house finch 2 goldfinch 10 house sparrow 20+

Free Willy (or at least leave him alone)

I managed to catch up with the Bottle-nosed Dolphin that made its way up the Raritan Bay to Old Bridge, NJ. It looks as if the BND is sick and is seeking refuge in the isolated waterways that have fish concentrations. None of that stopped the Baykeepers from harassing the animal in a misguided attempt to drive it back to the ocean. Maybe one day we will have enough understanding of animals to know when to intervene and when to leave well enough alone. I discussed this topic with many of the young people on the Bridge who came to see the spectacle for themselves. Hope this all turns out ok. Received and update and apparently the dolphin died on Saturday. RIP BND.

Wild Hawk Nest

They have at least one chick, about 3 weeks old up there. Mom is still super protective!

Great Blue Heron Rookery

This one in Ocean County Park wasnt too hard to find...I just followed the dozens of herons that stalk the marshes out here. To be fair, there are probably a few in some hidden corners of NYC but out here they have the unspoiled and primeval appearance. At this one alone there are about 50 pairs, each producing from 1 to 3 young. Mortality is fairly high but the parents are very involved...reminding me of raptors the way they take turns caring for the young. Speaking of raptors...these guys should have a hatch soon too!

Brick Eagles

Now that I've spent time outside of the City for a couple of years, its clear that much of what I learned from watching hawks and falcons also applies to other raptors such as eagles and owls. One difference though is that the eagles and owls nest much earlier...about 6 weeks by my count. So while hawk watchers await the hatch of another round of urban raptors, here we await the fledges. I caught up with the venerable pair of Bald Eagles atop a cell tower in Brick, NJ. Standing guard much like their city cousins, they also presented fresh fish and tried to lure the youngsters out. It'll be great fun watching these guys over the next weeks!

Catching up with the Owlets in Rehab

I paid a visit to Tom's River Avian Care to check on the owlets progress. Turns out they are doing well and should be releasable by the end of summer. The littlest one had a broken leg from his fall but its all healed and now he just needs to exercise it. The eldest is mostly flighted and has a great mistrust for people which is great! I also got to visit a few of their other charges such as this adult male Great Horned Owl which was hit by a car. They also had an osprey which had been electrocuted by landing on a high tension wire. TRAC is the only raptor rescue center south of the Raritan and serves all of Central and South Jersey. At their peak they get over 1000 birds a year, many of them birds of prey. If you have a sick or injured bird, please give them a call!

Great Horned Owlet Rescue Part 2

So the eldest chick had been doing great all by himself. Strong enough to cling to branches there was enough space to hold on. As it has grown though it had started branching a bit and two days ago I had hard time finding him cuz he was out on a limb huddled next to mom. In the morning light this was the best pic and getting another angle proved impossible. Ever since I got the youngest baby mom has not been as relaxed around me so I left in order not to stress them. The problem was that when I returned in the late afternoon, everybody was gone! Turns out the little bugger decided to fledge a tad early! It took about 2 hours of scouring the woods but finally there he was, back in the woods by the stream! We scooped him up as he is still too young to fly. There's no doubt he can jump/flap but without any developed tail feathers this guy would be easy prey for a fox. Hopefully we can release him and the other owlet in about 2 weeks time.

Superb Owls

Im going for the Seattle Seahawks because they have a red-tailed hawk as their mascot and sometimes fly him at home games. Technically I would have thought an osprey was closer to their logo and the fact that they hunt at you know, sea but Ive never seen a tame osprey. So they went with redtailed hawk, so in honor of all the hawks, I went to check out some crazy raptor action in NY and the Meadowlands. Kicking it off in Central Park was this off-season Baltimore Oriole, #75. Followed by a winter safety, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, #76. I made a Hail Mary for the LEO just before half-time, but was over ruled by the referee. Heading out to Jersey, there were two peregrines (41) and two adult bald eagles at the rest stop along I95. The peregrines were flanking the road and the eagles were in a tall tree out in the wetlands. Im guessing these are the same birds that nest along route 46. They seemed to be at a detente, sort of letting each other know that the other was nesting nearby. Regardless, it was quite the half-time show. However, I didnt start the second half so great. The windy, poor conditions are not easy to navigate and WAZE seemed to think my car could float. Anyway, after some careful play-calling I was within field-goal range. To my amazement there were 2 Northern Harriers (74) and two Short-eared Owls #77, scrumming it up along the ridge! Short-ears are also a lifer for me. I watched their graceful routes as they moved from various perches. It was clear they had two different offensive styles. The harriers layup and then go in feet first. The SEO's like to wind around and then go into the endzone head-first! They are very beautiful in flight but the frigid temps made long looks impossible. Heading out, I checked the bleachers and found this guy lurking in the lower decks. Not my best Cooper's pic, but its a full adult with red eye so Im counting him as #78. Sadly I didnt get any love on the rough-legged hawks, but after following an agitated red-tailed hawk in a nearby field and I found this beauty high atop the stadium lights! My first Snowy of 2014 and #79. As an extra point Im counting black-capped chickadee at #80 cuz I already have carolina chickadee from Cape May. All the birds were great sports and the best thing about it...no commercials!

Return to Cape May

It is always a wonderful experience to visit this place. There's just so much here that's awesome, its hard not to be impressed. What enthralled me most was the fragrant smell from all of the wildflowers in bloom. Subtle and sweet, it left me almost drunk like a bee. Not many people were birding along the nature trail. There were a good number of colorful birds to go along with the many colorful dragonflies and butterflies. Deep in the underbrush many red-starts and yellow warblers were feasting on the bugs. There was also this guy and another warbler which I think was a Magnolia Warbler. Also lurking were marsh and carolina wren and thrashers in the bracken. Up in the crowns were the juveniles of many species all chasing each other around. That included orioles, Kingbirds, and this Blue Grosbeak who rose up to exert his dominance but was trumped by a fiesty RT Hummingbird. But the mockingbirds eventually won the day through sheer persistence...here staring down a rough-winged swallow. But the real ruler of the marsh was this clumsy Cooper's hawk. Also seen were this Great Crested Flycatcher, and a mute swan. On the ocean side the sun was setting on a huge colony of Black Skimmers! An Osprey hovered long and low along the beach like a good night kiss. And even some Bottlenose Dolphin were fishing close to the beach. An interesting note is that the 4x4 riding guy said the Skimmers are here almost two weeks longer than last. This corresponds with the 2 week late Spring that we had this year. At least the dolphins seem ok, phew!

Island Beach State Park

Its been a busy summer work-wise and Im also gearing up for my next Ecuador adventure in the Fall. As a result, I havent been as active on the photography as I would like. This weekend I was able to venture out to Island Beach State Park and was rewarded with a gorgeous day full of amazing birdys. The most amazing thing about this place is the sheer number of Osprey. I stopped counting after 24, which included many juveniles, no doubt a result of the 8+ nesting platforms erected around the Park. I guess if you build it, they WILL come! One downside was the inordinate amount of biting flies which at one point had me completely covered, Africa-style. But without them as the cornerstone of the ecosystem, there would not be so many dragonflies, swallows and every other manner of bird. That is why I am against aerial spraying, despite the public's call for it. Putting that aside, the management of the Park has an Osprey nestcam which draws a huge NYU-hawk like following. Here's my first shots of the day from that spot. Dad bringing fresh flounder to the nest! Mom arriving at the nest to supervise. At the visitor's center, more Osprey! And this fascinating whale jaw. Lots of sandpipers, dunlin, plover and other peeps on the Beach. On the Bay side, many passerines hiding in the scrub due to the presence of Cooper's hawks and Northern Harriers. These finches came out when they heard the peregrine calling. It was a juvy hovering on the wind, harrassing the Osprey and harriers. Also tons of waders like Great Egrets, Glossy Ibis, and a very beautiful bird, the Tricolored Heron. On the Bay side is a wonderful blind where I was able to get this video of two young Osprey begging for food. On a more serious note. Yet another dolphin washed up on the Jersey Shore this weekend. That makes it about 3 dozen here in NJ and another 2 dozen or so out on Long Island. What's killing the dolphins is a type of pneumonia that is commonly found. Some theories suggest something in the water is surpressing their immune systems and making them vunerable. Here's some recent press on the issue.

Cape May, NJ

I have always been told that Cape May, New Jersey is The Bird Mecca of the continental US, and now I know why. In reality, it is a combination of all of my favorite places to bird, for it contains: The lighthouse of Fire Island, the low scrub pines and grasses of Jones Beach, the profusion of shorebirds as in Jamaica Bay, the passerines of Central Park and of course, my personal fave: the Raptors of Hawk Mountain! In the space of a few hours I was immersed in the richness and bounty that is still to be found on the East Coast during Spring and Fall migrations, as birds of one sort or another move on to wherever it is they go.
A meandering Osprey.





A Broadwinged Hawk emerged out of a kettle of Turkey Vultures!

One of a number of American Kestrels.

Peepers in the thousands!



Bluebirds


Nesting in an old woodpecker hole, at the edge of the grasslands.

And as always, the wandering Osprey...birds of my dreams!