Happy Eclipse Day, and a few bird highlights

Happy Eclipse Day for those in the path of totality. I will be out there observing birds to see if and how they may react to the sudden darkness during the day. Here in NYC, we expect to see about 90% coverage of the sun, so it should be a good experience.

Back in 2017, I tried my hand at photographing a partial eclipse and I plan to do so again today.

In the mean time, please enjoy a few more recent bird highlights from my photo backlog.

Fish Crows flying in front of the moon:

Christo, our local male Red-Tailed Hawk, spent a recent evening hunting for pigeons on a rooftop.

In the end, he didn't catch anything and moved on to try something else.

This is another hawk seen soaring over Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.

Bald Eagle:

Male American Kestrel:

Osprey:

In special Osprey news, Iris, one of the oldest living Ospreys in the world (25+ years old), has returned to her nest in Montana. You can follow her activities and get updates on the Hellgate Osprey Cam. She is an amazing creature.

Chipping Sparrow:

Yellow-Rumped Warbler:

Pine Warbler:

Snowy Egrets:

Juvenile Little Blue Heron:

Immature Brown Pelican:

I was waiting for a bus on Jamaica Avenue in Brooklyn when I saw this incredible sight: thousands of Brant migrating north. These geese fly all the way up to the Arctic Circle and beyond for the breeding season. This photo was just a small portion of the spectacle - I estimate there were 5000-8000 in the sky at once.

Northern Harrier seen at Jamaica Bay with Manhattan in the background:

More to come.

Recent Birding Highlights

My favorite thing to do is be in the field photographing wildlife, but between that, and work, and life, I don't get enough time to process photos. The result is a huge backlog that grows by the day.

Below are some highlights from a number of bird outings over the last several months. These were all photographed up and down the East Coast.

Crested Caracara:

Western Cattle Egret:

Female Hooded Merganser:

Northern Shovelers:

Ruddy Duck:

Male Northern Pintail:

Immature White Ibis:

Osprey:

Northern Harrier:

Male American Kestrel:

Purple Gallinule:

Red-Throated Loon:

Male Yellow-Rumped Warbler:

Male Eastern Towhee:

Male Canada Warbler:

American Woodcock:

Male Great-Tailed Grackle:

Glossy Ibis:

Forster's Tern:

I have a gazillion more photos I haven't yet shared, so I hope to be able to post more soon.

Florida Scrub-Jay

I recently made a special trip to see some Florida Scrub-Jays (lifer birds for me), which turned out to be one of the most fun birding experiences I've had. These birds are so charismatic and captivating!

The jays are a vulnerable species due to habitat loss caused by human development and fire suppression. They are extremely particular about their environment, which consists of scrubby oak and vegetation no taller than six or seven feet. When the trees grow too tall and dense, the birds can no longer live there. Biologists have learned to manage the jays' habitat with periodic controlled fires to keep the brush down.

These birds are very social and live in family groups. I visited a couple of reserves where the families were closely monitored and every individual was known.

As I knew the jays are a sensitive species, I took care to be very quiet and tried not to cause any disturbance when I entered their territory. I was worried I might not see any as the weather wasn't that great, but little did I know that they would find me.

As it started to rain, I got out a plastic bag to cover my camera. The sound of a crinkling plastic bag is the universal alert for humans with food.  I did not have any food, and I was definitely not going to offer up any snacks (never feed wildlife!), but the birds obviously recognized that sound and sought me out immediately.

This is the look of How dare you not bring me peanuts?!?

The adult birds were all banded and were anything but shy.

This one talked—or scolded—me for several minutes. Their calls are similar to our local Blue Jays, but not as harsh and have a more melodic question-like inflection. You can listen to one here.

And, these birds are beautiful - they are blue on their heads, back, wings, and tail, with a little blue "necklace" on a soft white throat and chest. The blue feathers have a subtle shimmer.

The bird pictured above is presumably a youngster who has not been banded yet. It hung out on a trail with a companion, who was also unbanded, and followed this armadillo around as it dug up tasty treasures in the sand.

If you ever have the opportunity to meet these birds, definitely do it. They are like no other.

Dinner with Christo

Christo, the resident male red-tailed hawk of Tompkins Square Park, keeps a schedule. He has always been an orderly individual, keeping a routine and being organized. I most enjoy watching him hunt for the evening meal because he's like clockwork, and he's extremely good at what he does.

Last night, pigeon was on the menu. Christo was perched atop the cross of St Nicholas of Myra church on Avenue A & East 10th Street when he spotted his target well inside the park. In a flash, he was off like a rocket and came zooming in from over a block away to grab the pigeon. It never saw him coming.

Once the meal was secured, Christo took it to a high tree branch to prepare.

Pigeons require plucking, an added step of work that is not required for rats, so I've always been curious why the hawks make the choice to go for pigeons over rats (they seem to eat both in equal amounts). I've never eaten either myself, so I don't know if there's a difference in taste. It seems the amount of meat on each creature is about the same.

As Christo plucked the pigeon, he called to his mate, Amelia, to announce dinner was imminent. When he was ready, he flew the pigeon to another tree, where he ate part of it before delivering the rest to Amelia.

A few days earlier, I found Christo in a tree with a very large rat. You can see its tail hanging down in this photo.

Another smaller rat:

Below are just a few random shots of Christo doing his thing.

I'm not forgetting Amelia, but she's been less visible than Christo recently. A good place to see her is when she perches on the roof of the Christodora building (always the north end). I think she must enjoy the sun and view from up there.