Osprey season

Here in NYC, I consider my first Osprey sighting in spring to be the official end of winter. They migrate north for the breeding season and spend the summer around Jamaica Bay.

Each year, I also have to talk up Cornell's Hellgate Osprey cam. It stars Iris, a female Osprey who is nearly 30 years old, and her nest in a parking lot in Missoula, Montana. She's experienced some drama the last few years and this season, it looks like she may have a new male suitor. Tune in and fall in love with her.

Meanwhile, I love photographing Ospreys because they are active and often make eye contact as they hover overhead.

You looking at me?!

More often than not, they're looking down as they search for fish.

More than any other raptor, they will fly towards me, presenting a lot of good photographic opportunities.

This one has a fish. Part of the fun of observing Ospreys is trying to identify the fish they catch. 

If I could spend my days flying, fishing and enjoying sunsets, I'd be a happy bird.

Spotlight on Ducks

First, a quick hawk update: Amelia and M2 in Tompkins Square have 3 chicks. They are currently very small and extremely hard to see, but I will have updates later.

For the best real-time look at what goes on in a hawk nest, I recommend tuning in to Cornell's Red-Tailed Hawk Cam, featuring parents Big Red and Arthur. At the time of this posting, they have one chick, one egg, and a hatch in progress.

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I've not given ducks much attention on this site, but they deserve some love. 

Just look at this female Ring-Necked Duck happily bathing in a wetland.

Two females and a male:

A lone male:

In this photo, a male Ring-Necked Duck tags along with a male Redhead.

This is a female Hooded Merganser showing us her wonderful hairdo:

Her male partner:

I found this Black Scoter pair (female and male) hanging around Coney Island.

Two males:

A female Surf Scoter up close:

A distant male:

American Wigeons can be found along the Brooklyn waterfront in the winter months.

Two female Common Mergansers seen in Central Park:

This is a female Red-Breasted Merganser, seen in the harbor.

 

A male Greater Scaup:

This is a Common Loon transitioning into its breeding plumage. Its head will eventually be all black.

A pair of Wood Ducks (female and male):

A female Northern Shoveler in Central Park:

A male:

A flock of Shovelers fly across the reservoir. They're some of my favorite ducks, and they gather in large numbers in Central Park in the winter. Right about now, they're on their way through northern Canada and Alaska, making their way to their breeding grounds.

Rare White-Morph Reddish Egret

One of my favorite birds is the Reddish Egret. They can be found along the gulf coast and the ones I've seen have all been in Florida. This is how they normally look:

They are tall, with a mauve head and neck, gray wings, and bluish-gray legs. They are most recognizable by their foraging behavior, which includes prancing around in shallow water, dashing back and forth, raising their wings, and darting after fish and other prey.

The above egret was photographed a couple of years ago at Fort De Soto Park at the south end of the Pinellas peninsula. I recently returned to the same spot, hoping to get another sighting of a Reddish Egret because they're so fun to watch. The park had been closed for several months due to damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton last September/October. The lagoon where I saw the egret is no longer there as the landscape has changed, but there was a shallow waterway in the same area.

 

In the water, I saw what I first thought was a Great Egret, but something wasn't quite right. Why was the egret running around and acting so crazy? Great Egrets normally stalk through the water or marsh, creeping up on their prey. This bird was dancing around and flapping its wings like those inflatable car lot guys.

This was no Great Egret after all, but a Reddish Egret, and a rare white morph.

I was so excited to see this bird, and wasn't sure if I'd ever see one again, so I stayed with it as long as possible as it excitedly hunted for fish in the shallow water.

Caught one!

As the park had just re-opened after being closed for so long, there were a lot of people enjoying the beach, but the egret didn't seem to mind all the human activity.

After catching several fish, the egret flew around a bend and out of sight. This observation was the highlight of my day, and one of my favorite sightings of all time.

 

 

Swamp things

I've had a good time photographing wetland and swamp wildlife recently. It's nice to get a break from my hectic neighborhood and spend some time in a totally different environment.

That said, this American Bittern was spotted right here in the city - in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. 

This is an immature Little Blue Heron. When they're young, they're white.

This one is molting into its adult plumage, as you can see by the dark gray-blue feathers growing in on its face and body.

Black-Crowned Night Heron:

Green Heron:

And a baby Green Heron!

There are two young herons in this photo. The sibling on the right is hiding behind some leaves.

Mama Mallard and her duckling:

A Common Gallinule:

Check out those toes!

Baby Gallinules care cute little floofballs.

Western Cattle Egret:

A pair flying across a marsh:

Tricolored Heron:

White Ibis:

Immature Ibises have brown wings and a smudgy head and neck.

Great Egret:

I never tire of looking at Anhingas. I think they're some of the coolest birds around, so there will be more photos of them coming.

You can't have a swamp without a king/queen, and this American Alligator was definitely the top of the food chain in this habitat. I was actually pretty far away when I took this photo and turned tail and cut the hike short that day.