ONE MORE SHRIKE

I stopped at 5-Rivers on the way home from work. It was a fantastic late winter day. Mild, sunny and just a slight breeze. I spotted a Northern Shrike not far from the main parking area and was lucky enough to get some great looks at it. At this time of the year there is no doubt that this bird is heading back north. I knew this would probably be the last one I would see until next winter. Below are some pictures I managed to get of this bird as it hunted from a couple of perches.

NORTHERN GOSHAWK

It was a sunny, late-winter day, so after work I decided to take a short hike and see if the Northern Goshawk that I had run into a couple of days ago was still there.

I've done a lot of snowshoeing this winter and it is a very enjoyable way to bird. I still use a traditional pair that I bought years ago. They're a pair of modified "bear paws" made by Iverson. Much quieter and buoyant than the new neoprene and aluminum shoes out there.


It didn't take long for the bird to find me. It's obvious at this point that it has set up a territory and plans on sticking around.

Judging by the size and coloration of this bird, I'm guessing that it's a male. The flight feathers are dark (almost black) and the upper coverts are lighter giving the uppersides of the wings a two-toned appearance.

One look at the powerful legs and talons of this bird and you realize that once prey finds it's way into this hawk's grasp - It does not escape!

The clear blue sky today and the late afternoon sun made for some great pictures.

The red eyes put a nice touch on this fierce predator.


Some more vocalizing and then I figured it was time to leave.


This is a Goshawks territory.


As I left the woods and the sun was setting, I had a feeling I'd be back here quite a bit this spring.

SIGNS OF SPRING?

We still have quite a bit of snow on the ground. It's amazing how long it takes for for a snow pack of 5 feet to melt. Winters in this neck of the woods can be long and I have found that the best way to survive them is to stay busy and use the snow and cold to ones advantage. I really enjoy snowshoeing and this has been a great year for it. Not only is it great exercise, but it's actually much easier to get around the woods when there is a thick blanket of snow on the ground. All that underbrush that one gets tangled in during the summer is half buried and a lot easier to walk over. I picked a very remote area in the town of Berne today to do some snowshoeing. It's an area that I rarely visit and thought it would be fun to explore.

I was a couple of hours into my journey and so far things had been fairly quiet. I was moving along the edge of a stand of conifers and thought I caught a glimpse of something quietly moving through the trees. Whatever it was, it was shadowing me along my right side. I finally stopped and was able to get my bins on who was watching me.

It was a Northern Goshawk! Whoa.... Not everyday that someone gets a good look at one of these birds. They're not all that uncommon up here during the winter as a few usually decide to stop and hang around as they were migrating south from their more northern environs. Usually they give just brief views as they fly from a perch on the side of the road or are spotted flying overhead.


What happened next really surprised me. The bird flew closer, perched overhead and started vocalizing. They sound a lot like a giant, hen Wild Turkey. A loud, squeaky "Kek, Kek, Kek, Kek...".

It soon became apparent that this bird was not at all happy that I was there. Goshawks are know to be very territorial and this bird was showing all the signs of it.


They also really fluff up there undertail coverts during the breeding season as is shown well in this photo.

The vocalizing continued and it was obvious that this bird had no intentions of going anywhere. A nesting Northern Goshawk in this area is fairly uncommon. To find a territory and then a nest is even rarer.

I had to remind myself not to think too far ahead as so far only one bird has been spotted, and just because a bird is being territorial does not mean that it has found a mate or has decided to nest. I will certainly be stopping back in the future.


Later in the day I took a ride down to check on the Common Raven nest. The female was still on the nest incubating the eggs. All the snow and cold weather that we have been having have not slowed them down a bit. Some great signs (albeit small) of spring today.

MERLIN AT 5-RIVERS

I stopped by 5-Rivers this afternoon after work. It was an incredible late winter day. Not a cloud in the sky, mild temperatures and a light breeze. As I approached the Sunfish Pond I spotted a bird that was a little smaller than a crow sitting on a dead snag. It was a raptor with long wings and it certainly had my attention. I was looking right into the sun and couldn't get a real great look at it. It finally turned it's head and gave away it's identity. It was a Merlin. Now the question was if the bird would sit still until I walked around the pond and got my back to the sun. It did.

Merlins are one of those birds that have become more frequent in our area during the winter months and migration. When I first started birding they were very uncommon at at any time of the year.

I was really hoping that this bird would head out to the big field and do some hunting.

A Northern Harrier was also spotted.

AN AWESOME WINTER DAY

I was over at Burnt-Rossman this morning when I spotted two birds flying through the woods. They were a pair of Red Crossbills that were unusually quiet.


The female was peeling wood fiber off of a dead limb on a Red Oak.


She was silent, intently working on the limb.

Once she had a small bundle, both birds flew off out of sight.

I had a feeling as to what was going on, so I stayed in the area to see if they returned. A short while later both birds returned and the female this time perched on the end of a branch and continued to gather material.

Once another mouthful was collected, both birds flew off again. Red Crossbills can nest at any time of the year so it was becoming obvious that the female was gathering nesting material.


The male remained within a few feet of the female at all times, occasionally preening and even breaking out into song a few times. It did not however appear to be helping with any of the nest building activities. The whole process was continued a few more times and I was able to follow them(on snowshoes) through the woods; each time a little further in the hopes of locating the nest. I think I'm zeroing in on it. It's only a 10,000 acre forest.

A Northern Goshawk was spotted taking a mid-morning soar.

The bird was gaining altitude quickly.

When they soar like this, it's easy to see how sometimes they can be mistaken for buteos.

The bird did not really leave the area and just seemed to be out on a reconnaissance flight.

Later in the day, some additional Red Crossbills were found.

What a winter it has been for these birds.

A Common Raven flew overhead. The sign of an awesome day!

SOME WEEKEND RAPTORS

This weekend was a real surprise when it came to the diversity of raptors that I was able to spot. It started off looking for a bird that had been reported by a fellow birder named Randy. He had reported a Golden Eagle hanging around in the Town of North Harpersfield in Delaware County. I was already over in Schoharie County doing some birding so I figured why not hop over the county line to see if I could find it. I drove up and down Rt 29 three times with no luck. After a snack break at a local store, I decided to give it one more try. I'm glad I did.

A large bird powered off the ground from a field full of saplings as I passed a farm. Even with just a quick glance while driving there was no doubt as to what it was. I was very happy to discover that my vehicle is still able to come to a very rapid, screeching stop and was out the door in an instant.

There it was. An incredible view of a Golden Eagle that was soaring around at a fairly low altitude. It didn't seem to be in any big hurry to leave the area and just soared over the road.

The low sun angle of the winter sun made the lighting less than ideal, but I was thankful just to be looking at it.

It was obvious that the eagle had no intentions on leaving the area and eventually started circling lower and lower.


It eventually wheeled around right in front of me and gave the best look yet. I was in complete awe at this point. One thing that the pictures don't do justice to is the size of this bird. It was big, real big and had quite a presence.

It then perched in the woods behind someones house. Now that's a good yardbird! Over the years I have been lucky enough to see them soaring above during migration, but this was the first time that I had ever seen one perched. They sure do blend in very well. Quite an experience.

On the way home 3 immature Bald eagles were spotted soaring.

Not quite as exciting as a Golden Eagle, but you still have to admire them.

This Rough-legged Hawk was spotted over in Rensselaerville on the way home. Not that many have been in the area this year compared to last. Probably due to rodent availability or something like that.

I'm sure they get to see plenty of Golden Eagles on their summer range.

On Sunday I headed down to the valley to do some birding. This American Kestrel was hanging out at 5-Rivers.

I was watching a Northern Harrier hunt over one of the fields down at Papscanee when it suddenly dropped to the ground.

When it didn't come back off the ground right away, I knew that it was successful. So I just stood still and let it enjoy a meal.


The harrier didn't waste any time and started devouring it's catch right away.

It looked to be a mouse or vole. There is no snow cover down in the lower elevations of our area and this has to be making things a lot easier for them.

Dinner was over in record time and then it was back to hunting.

Quite a weekend.