Palm Beach County Vacation

I just returned from a week down in Palm Beach County Fl, and while I only added 1 new species to my photographic tome I got a lot of great photos of species I've seldom seen.  More importantly however I was able to really immerse myself in nature and marvel at a pint sized Green Heron fishing feet from my kayak or sit still as a gator basked itself along the banks of a canal soaking up the Florida rays.

I'll start this blog post off with the only new species I nabbed - the Red-headed Woodpecker.  While this bird does live in New York and has been seen on Long Island, it's a rare event.  I was fortunate enough to have three of these birds actively looking for food in midday at Cypress Creek Park.  The photos of course didn't come out too well thanks to that sun but I'm happy none-the-less.

Pelican's were everywhere - as were Osprey.  It is funny how a species that is so coveted (the Pelican) in New York as a fall rarity is so prevalent a few thousand miles south and how quickly one becomes bored of photographing them.

While kayaking the Loxahatchee River at River Bend Park, I encountered a Green Heron, Limpkins and a juvenile Little Blue Heron in the white plumage which I'd never had the pleasure of photographing before. It was astonishing how close approach the birds allow.  I could have reached out and touched any of these birds - and they were all photographed with my 18-200mm lens instead of the usual 500mm focal length of my other bird images.

At Arthur R. Marshall National Wildlife Refuge (the eastern fringe of the everglades) I was there at midday which wasn't best for birds but there were still a few around including Little Blue Heron, Limpkin, Pied-bill Grebe and some raptors (Northern Harrier and Red-shouldered Hawk of the florida race [lighter colored plumage than other RS Hawks).

The last bird of note was a Cooper's Hawk who I spotted briefly after the Red-headed Woodpecker and whose presence was given away by an incessant Blue-jay alerting the whole neighborhood.

On the non-bird front I was surprised to not see any snakes but there were plenty of other reptiles including Turtles (not sure on the species) and the big and always intimidating, American Alligator whose presence was made known at several spots.

I missed out on River Otters (but hey, they're always tough to find), Spoonbills, Woodstorks and any of the Kite species but there is always next time and it gives me something to really look forward to.

If you are interested in the birds of Florida, or are headed down there in the near future, check out this book: National Geographic Field Guides to Birds: Florida (National Geographic Field Guide to Birds)

Peregrine Falcon

It was a cold morning at Jones Beach and the birds were few and far between. The "hedgerow" at the Coast Guard Station was all but dead when the sun rose but after a while some birds moved in - though mostly junco's as seen below. I moved on to try and photograph raptors in this favorable wind though I only expected Sharpies and Cooper's Hawks because of how late in the season it is. A couple sharpies went by quickly but didn't hang around long enough for photos then out of nowhere (well, from the West anyway which is unexpected) this Peregrine Falcon came within feet of me. My reflexes weren't fast enough to get "the ultimate shot" but I came away with some good ones none-the-less.  (Note the blood that can be seen on the underside and the talon)

And here is the junco that a Peregrine would love to have as a snack:

If you like raptors as much as I do check out this book by Jerry Ligouri: Hawks from Every Angle: How to Identify Raptors In Flight

Injured Northern Saw-whet owl

This morning my co-worker who lives in Speonk on a wooded parcel told us he found an injured Screech Owl in his garage yesterday after he finished mowing his lawn (the garage door had been open and he finished around dusk).  He put it in a crate and brought it to work the next day assuming one of his co-workers would know what to do with it.  I went out to view the owl and took a few photos with my cellphone and shared them with Anthony Graves who realized it was not a screech (I've never seen a Screech or a Saw-whet in person) and rather a Saw-Whet which was confirmed by Sibleys.  Someone who has experience with injured wild animals offered to take it to a nearby animal hospital where it would be treated for a broken wing and either released or brought to a facility such as Quogue Wildlife Refuge if it could not be properly rehabbed.  It seemed to be in good health (aside from the wing) when brought to the vet and was hoping around and readily ate a mouse that was provided to it.

Fortunately the bird was found in the garage and was brought to the right person within a decent time frame and will have a second chance at life.  For those of you who don't know what to do when you find an injured animal, never hesitate to contact the Hampton Bays Wildlife Rescue Center  (located at Munns Pond Preserve County Park in Hampton Bays).  They can be reached at: 631-728-4200.  If they cannot pick it up they will be able to tell you what to do with the animal (be it a raccoon, deer, opossum or bird) and where to bring it.