A Few More Birds from Dunkirk Harbor
White-winged Scoter
By: Pat Coate
The pictures in this post were taken at Dunkirk Harbor this past winter.
In our area, the white-winged scoter winters on Lakes Ontario and Erie. It is becoming a bit more common due to the invasion of the zebra mussels, as mussels (and clams) seem to be one of its favorite foods.
Dunkirk Harbor
Gulls
By: Pat Coate
During our unusually harsh winter in Western New York open water for ducks and gulls was hard to come by. Dunkirk Harbor on Lake Erie usually has a good bit of open water due to warm water discharge from the nearby power plant. But with the prolonged cold spell even the harbor had very limited open water this year, making competition for food fierce.
Brecon Beacons, Wales
Brecon Beacons
By: Pat Coate
Brecon Beacons is a national park on the border of South Wales and Mid Wales. Its highest peak, Pen Y Fan (2907′), is also the highest mountain in southern Britain.
Long-eared Owl
Long-eared Owl
By: Pat Coate
This long-eared owl was another life bird added to my list with grateful assistance from Jim Adams (http://ayearinoatka.blogspot.com/). The owl was seen at Oatka Creek Park, Monroe County, NY.
The prominent ear-tufts give the long-eared owl a similar appearance to the great horned owl, though its tufts are more towards the center of the head than the great horned owl. Also the long-eared owl is much smaller (15 v. 22 inches) and has a more slender build.
Virginia Rail
Virginia Rail
By: Pat Coate
Many thanks to Jim Adams (http://ayearinoatka.blogspot.com/) for recently helping me add a couple life birds to my list. One was this Virginia Rail, seen at Mendon Ponds Park near Rochester, NY.
Normally a secretive bird, this one was easier to find than usual due to a shortage of open water this winter. Virginia Rails feed by probing shallow water and mud for insects, fish, frogs and other aquatic animals. The small area of open water where it was forced to feed is near a hiking/cross country skiing trail in the park which allowed for unusually good views.
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Some birds of St. James’s Park, London
White Pelicans
By: Pat Coate
While in England traveling with my daughter we spent a day in London. We took the train into Waterloo Station and spent the day walking all over taking in the sights – Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, The Eye, Piccadilly Circus, the National Gallery, and Trafaglar Square. Despite a February visit, London was filled with tourists and vacationing English families (schools were on break). Despite the crowds, London’s parks were full of wintering waterfowl side by side with the captive exotic waterfowl. These pictures were all taken at St. James’s Park.
King James I, in the early 1600s, was the first to keep exotic waterfowl in the park. White Pelicans arrived in 1664 as a gift from the Russian ambassador. The pelicans are looked after by wildlife specialists, receive a daily feeding, and are quite friendly. Other exotic waterfowl we saw included Black Swans and Red-crested Pochard.
In Search of Robin Hood…Robins and a couple other birds of Sherwood Forest
Robin
By: Pat Coate
Had a marvelous opportunity to spend two weeks in Great Britain traveling with my daughter. One stop was in the Sherwood Forest/Nottingham area – the land of Robin Hood. Whether fact or fiction, we had lots of fun walking through hallowed Sherwood Forest, visiting Nottingham Castle and Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, and checking out Edwinstowe where legend has it Robin Hood married Maid Marion.
Though certainly not a main purpose of the trip, there were many wonderful birds along the way and it would have been a shame not to try to capture a few photos. One bird we saw throughout was the Robin – a very cheery, friendly bird. It is much smaller and daintier than our American Robin.
Rough-legged Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
By: Pat Coate
Besides the Snowy Owl, we have another Arctic bird of prey wintering in our area – the Rough-legged Hawk. These birds breed in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of North America, Europe and Asia. In Europe and Asia they are known as Rough-legged Buzzards.
Snowy Owl Harassed by Common Ravens
Snowy Owl being harassed by Common Ravens
By: Pat Coate
I recently sat in my car with the window down observing and photographing a snowy owl perched on its usual utility pole. I heard and saw a lone raven flying from the north, quorking (one of the common raven’s vocalizations) as it flew. The snowy owl seemed to hear the raven too as it immediately flew directly over my car and landed on the ground along the driveway at the gravel pits.
Another car drove into the gravel pit driveway spooking the owl which then flew off across the frozen quarry.
Snowy Owls
Snowy Owl
By: Pat Coate
As we all shiveringly know there has been an amazing influx of frigid Arctic air this winter, reluctantly causing us to add the phrase “Polar Vortex” to our vocabulary. But, thankfully, the Arctic region has provided us with more than just frigid temps this winter – it has also provided us an influx (or more appropriately an irruption) of one of its stunning birds of prey – Snowy Owls.
A Couple of Backyard Birds
American Goldfinch
By: Pat Coate
The American Goldfinch is a common visitor to our backyard, visiting both the sunflower and nyjer seed feeders. And goldfinches never come alone, seems there is always a minimum of three when they show up and often many more. Their song, which they chatter quite effusively, seems so cheerful that I think they must be very happy birds.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Female Wild Turkey with her brood
By: Pat Coate
Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving, enjoying family, friends and football!
Eternal Flame Falls
Eternal Flame Falls (photo taken in autumn, flame lower right)
By: Pat Coate
I had heard good things about the Eternal Flame Falls hike at Chestnut Ridge Park in Orchard Park, NY. So while in the area with a little extra time I decided to check it out. Here is a description of the eternal flame phenomenon from http://nyfalls.com/waterfalls/eternal-flame-falls/:
“As you approach the falls, the smell of rotten-egg-like natural gas fills the air within the ravine. This is the result of seepage from layers of organically-rich Hanover Shale. … The gasses produced during the decomposition of the organics within the rock deposits are under pressure and push out through cracks and loose layers within the rock. One large fissure is located right within Eternal Flame Falls, in a small grotto that protects the gas seepage from the falling water and any wind, enabling it to sustain a flame when lit.”
Terns in Myrtle Beach
Sandwich Terns – Adult with juvenile
By: Pat Coate
Don’t see too many terns in my part of Western NY, so I enjoyed seeing a couple species while in Myrtle Beach. Both were life birds for me.
Birdie Blog
Tina, Brenda, Pat, Tammy, Vicki and Chris
By: Pat Coate
Just back from the annual Jersey girls’get away golf weekend in Myrtle Beach. We had good weather, good times and even managed a birdie or two.
There were lots of other birdies to be found too. Below are pictures of laughing gulls and willets. Next week will post the terns.
Wildlife Rehabilitation & Release: Red Foxes
Fox Kit – so tiny and cute, and motherless
By: Pat Coate
Over the years I have had the opportunity to meet several wildlife rehabilitators. Each one has been a remarkable, passionate person. Wildlife rehab is incredibly hard work (exhausting really). Often the animals taken in are babies and orphans, and, like newborn children, require attention nearly 24/7. The work is NOT glamorous, IS dirty (and smelly), with a seemingly endless cycle of pen cleaning, feeding, watering, and administering meds. It doesn’t pay well (if at all) and there are a lot of detractors who wonder why rehabilitators don’t just “let nature take its course.”
The payoff, that makes all the sacrifices worth it, is the moment when the animal they’ve worked so hard for is set free to live the life it was meant for in the wild. I had the chance to observe and participate in the release of three foxes – and witness the joy, satisfaction, and really the validation of all the effort, felt by the rehabilitators. Amazing!
Note: All photos from Michele, wildlife rehabilitator located in Ontario, Canada.
A Couple Life Birds
Marsh Wren
By: Pat Coate
Picked up marsh wrens earlier this year down in Delaware. These are wetland birds that are partial to cattails and whose diet consists largely of insects. They vigorously defend their territory and will try to destroy the nests, eggs and nestlings of neighboring birds. This behavior is thought to reduce competition for food.
More “Moosing” in Algonquin Provincial Park
Moose (adult female)
By: Pat Coate
I am not really sure what it is about moose, but I really like seeing them in the wild. A few weeks ago I was excited to find two moose along Highway 60, though slightly off the beaten track, in Algonquin Park (Ontario, Canada). Given the fact that the two were together in the same bog and that they headed off into the woods together made me think that they were a mother with her first year calf. Calves born this year will generally stay with their mothers for a full year or more.
Barred Owl
Barred Owl
By: Pat Coate
Barred owls are found in forests throughout the eastern U.S. They have begun to move into the Pacific Northwest where they are putting pressure on the already beleaguered spotted owl.
White-tailed Deer in the Fall
The boys of fall
By: Pat Coate
Recently I’ve observed some interesting deer behavior and learned a couple new words/terms in my readings about white-tailed deer.
Male deer tend to live in groups of three or four except in the mating, or rutting, season. We have often watched a group of males over the summer and early fall as they have fed in a nearby field. Recently this group has been seen (seemingly) playfully sparring, or perhaps testing the waters, while grazing together. Perhaps it will become more serious in the upcoming weeks as the mating season heats up, so to speak, and the group breaks up. I guess it is not too unlike a group of human male friends who become interested in the same girl and the strife this can cause.
Immature Turkey Vulture
Immature Turkey Vulture
By: Pat Coate
Vultures certainly don’t fall into the glamour bird category. Their little bald heads and hooked bills have helped them evolve into nature’s perfect clean-up crew. And though we may not like to think much about them or their jobs, in areas of the world where their numbers have significantly declined the services that they provide are now being done by rats and feral dogs. The increasing numbers of these replacement scavengers has led to increases in human rabies deaths.
The Ubiquitous Song Sparrow
Song Sparrow
By: Pat Coate
The number of song sparrows reported in the area is increasing as the southward migration picks up and the days are starting to grow noticeably shorter. The song sparrow is a common bird throughout the United States, though there are some color and size variations by region. The photos shown here depict the eastern form and were taken this past April.
Young Ones Part 2
Adult Grackle feeding its youngster (early summer)
By: Pat Coate
We are continuing to get lots of families and first year birds visiting or passing through our backyard. The more typical visitors have been purple and house finches, rose-breasted grosbeak, cardinals, starlings, grackles, mourning doves, and ruby-throated hummingbirds. The most exciting visitors were ravens – we’ve had loud begging young crows before but the ravens were a first.
White-throated Sparrows
White-throated Sparrow
By: Pat Coate
The white-throated sparrow is a handsome bird that I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with. They tend to be on the early side of migration, so I love the re-awakening of the garden and the milder weather that I have come to associate with them. Each spring they make brief appearances scratching at the dirt and leaf cover in our strawberry patch to unearth sunflower seeds other birds have carelessly tossed to the ground from the feeder above.
Mon@rch's Nature Blog 