WILLET AT COHOES FLATS

I headed down to the Cohoes Flats today to see if the previously reported Willet was still there.

Arriving at dawn, I had the whole place to myself.

I didn't take long to find the Willet. It was out on the dam with a flock of Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers.

Standing quietly on the wingwall of the dam, I was able to get some great looks at some of the Least Sandpipers feeding.

There were also some Semipalmated Sandpipers mixed in (upper right).

Semipalmated Sandpiper Cohoes Flats Aug. 27, 2011

One of the Semipalmated Sandpipers was hopping around on one leg. It seemed to be feeding O.K., however judging by the plumage, it was having some trouble preening out it's molting feathers. Looked kinda like it had a "5 o'clock shadow" or something.

Hard to say if it was actually injured or born that way.

Oh yeah, back to the Willet. It seemed to be having some traction problems as it tried to go as high up on the dam as the smaller peeps. Sometimes having a higher center of gravity can be a real disadvantage. Sure got that little peeps attention.


A young Bald Eagle flew over and everybody scattered. I thought for sure that the Willet was outta there.

As luck would have it, it circled around and landed right below me. How conveinent.
My shutter finger was busy.

The bird eventually worked it's way back out to the rocks below the dam. By then some coffee clatchers and sleepy-heads were showing up to see it also. Time for me to exit stage left.

The American White Pelican flew in from the west just after dawn as well. This bird has been putting on quite a show the last few weeks, and made quite an entrance this morning as it circled the Flats.

Burnt-Rossman SF and Partridge Run WMA

I headed over to Burnt-Rossman SF first thing in the morning to check on the Red Crossbill nest.

The female was still on the nest and you can actually see her tail hanging out in the above photo.

A little further down the road a few were found gritting in the road.

Incredible how tame these birds can be.


As I was watching the crossbills I happened to notice a large bird approaching from the south.

It was a juvenile Golden Eagle. Heading back up north on today's southerly winds.

As it came closer, the small white ovals at the base of the inner primaries were visible.

You can also see the "serrated" trailing edge of the wing. Another juvenile trait.

Back at Partridge Run WMA, I found a group of River Otters in one of the ponds that the ice was finally starting to go out on.

The fishing looked to be great and they were stuffing themselves with fish.

An adult Bald Eagle flew over as the otters fished below.

River Otters do very well in this area. It's tough to get a good look at them most of the time as they are very wary of people. These shots were fairly distant.

They also took a break to roll in a patch of snow and play around a little bit.

After their break was over, it was back into the water to do some more fishing.

They would occasionally hop back up on the ice and then slide back into the water. This one actually has some vegetation around it's neck. It sure didn't slow it down at all.

A good mammal sighting for today.

I stopped by the Common Raven nest. Sure enough, a couple of the eggs had hatched and now we have nestlings.

And then on to the Northern Goshawk nest. The nest has been under construction the last few days so I figured I'd check on it. The female was busily working on it when I got there. I watched her carefully adding another stick to it and trying to weave it into just the right position. Everything was fine until she realized I was watching her. I got the "evil eye" and I'm probably going to pay for this in the future.

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.