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!

Snowy Owl takes Flight

Here's an a flight animation from this past weekend.

Jones Beach

For the past few years I have been meaning to make it out to Jones Beach to check out the Snowy Owls that over-winter there. The main problem has always been that during the winter, no public transportation is available to that location, making a day trip more than impractical. Luckily I had access to an auto this past weekend, so I decided to see what the deal was out there. Here's some pix of what I found...
At the Coast Guard Station there were tons of songbirds in the scrub pines. They included Yellow-rumped warblers, a Conneticut Warbler, a Orange-Crowned Warbler,

many varieties of sparrow, including this poor girl who was so chilled by the steady gale that she sought refuge in the wheel-well of my car!

Plus all the regulars such as the familiar gulls, pigeons and many, many Canada Geese.


Flights of Black Ducks made their way from the beach.

Rounding the pier, I found these two plovers hunkered down on the bayside.

From across the dock, I spotted yet another black and white avian form. It seemed to be preening on a small break water. I came across for a closer look, but could not locate it. After searching the water for 10 minutes, I started back when lo and behold, this gorgeous male Long-tailed Duck was crusing in an empty slip.

It approached quite near to me, and I marveled at its beautiful coloration. In a way, it seemed tame, almost like it was asking for my attention.

Upon futher observation, the cause became quite clear...

they poor guy has a busted left wing. I'll try to contact a rehabber out on LI, but catching a skilled and still healthy diving duck in frigid water is not for the faint of heart. As you can see its diving ability was not affected by its injury.

I was able to located two Snowy Owls, one much more cooperative than the other. Word of mouth is that the shy one is a young male, while the more approachable one is an adult female. From the very beginning of the trip, signs were posted everywhere emphasizing the special nature of this habitat and how to properly care for it.

Notice the photog taking a pic of the snowy in the background. Because of this it was easy to locate this bird. The issue is that many people who use these grounds dont respect the rules...as evidence by this disturbing photo.

After frantically waving the owner and her bird-retrieving dog off the dunes we settled into some picture taking.

Suddenly another sound disturbed the Owl.

A trio of crows paid a visit, but soon departed. Also this adult female Harrier swooped over the dunes,

as did this fellow,

The White Ghost!
After all the excitement, the Snowy quietly dozed off.

And I went to warm the heck up! I returned as sunset to find her with another gaggle of admirers.

She gracefully accepted the attention,

but moved on to more fertile grounds.