Reader Liz Strahle contributed a batch of bird photos; her IDs and notes are indented.
Attached are the wildlife photographs that I took in the last few months. These are mostly from the winter but there are a couple in the beginning from late fall. Most of these were taken in NJ. There are a few from CT and NY. These were taken with the same equipment (Canon T6i and the 250mm lens). I didn’t edit them. I only cropped them.
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens):
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura):
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus):
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) and Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus):
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis): [JAC: the goose is slipping as it tries to walk down a snowy slope covered with ice]:
Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos):
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris):
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis):
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos):
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor):
Bald Eagle, juvenile (Haliaeetus leucocephalus):
Most of the favorites, and I love the action shots – the Canada Goose is the most interesting action shot
The mourning dove is a beauty.
Very interesting! this is a very good set of pictures, and every one is appealing.
Not a juvenile… this is over one year old.
Two things:
1. Note the Osprey-like face with the white over the eye. This was thought to be an older plumage, like three years or so. But not so any more. Can occur on a younger bird.
2. The set of three brown blunt tipped feathers are new, adult type, from a recent, first molt.
For juvenile feathers: see the shorter pointed interior secodnaries. The next molt will change these out for longer blunt ones.
Given the location(s), this is likely a 2017 hatched Bald Eagle.
Thank you!
Love the one of the goose slipping down the hill!
The number of ospreys in Connecticut are skyrocketing, thanks to the ban of DDT and cleaner waterways. Goes to show that the environmental movement from the 1970s does have its fruits.
https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-ospreys-on-the-rise-20190306-nao7sxquu5ht3i4p4cteimnnp4-story.html
Yes, the same in Minnesota as well. And in mid-Minnesota (Twin Cities) generally, with increased woodlands and the the stopping of the Silent Spring pesticides in the 70s, we now have far more birds and far more species than I grew up with the 1970s.
I never saw a cardinal in MN until I was 22. I never saw a blue bird. I never saw an indigo bunting. These are all now common. Cardinals and blue birds are incredibly common around us now.
We have ospreys nesting in the park directly behind our house every summer. We see Bald Eagles and Red Tailed Hawks and Cooper’s Hawks nearly every summer day.
Daily visitors to our suet log (besides the d#*&ed squirrels!) include: Pilleated Woodpeckers, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Downy Woodpeckers, White Breasted Nuthatches, Black Capped Chickadees.
I much appreciate these shots. Each one shows an interesting action or gesture. The hooded merganser is one of the most beautiful ducks and a favorite of mine.
Very nice photos Liz! Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful photos! To me, the first 3 are the cutest, though the others are more impressive.
Exceptionally good photos!
Thank you Liz. The ring-necked duck looks like he’s just remembered he left the chicks at the Mall.
Looks very fluffed up, as if it were taking a bath. Is there maybe some insecticidal benefit to the whiff of these conifers?
Whoa, these are excellent. Thanks.