An "Owl" Kinda Day

I monitor the bird activity at many of the local parks and natural areas on the "ebird" app.  It's a great resource to clue me in on what birds have been spotted around town.  I'm always eager to capture some of the more unusual birds with my camera lens.  Late last March someone posted a photograph of a nest containing two great horned owlets spotted the nearby nature park.  I knew I had to find them.

Barred owl sleeping in a tree

My buddy Kim is always up for a walk in the park, so she and I teamed up for an owl hunt.  From the ebird image one could tell the owl nest was sited atop an unusually curved tree trunk.  Kim and I were frequent visitors of the nature park's trails and knew the place pretty well.  That tree shouldn't be too hard to identify, we reasoned.  Little did we know.......

Who-o's there?

Kim and I started on one end of the park, and began combing its trails.  Not far down our first path we came upon a lady with a long lens pointing upwards.  She informed us there was a barred owl sleeping on a branch above our heads.  Although not the species of owl we were seeking, any kind of owl sighting is marvelous, so I followed the direction of her lens and soon spotted a lovely brown and white owl snoozing in a nearby tree.

I found the Great Horned owlets!

I spent at least 20 minutes watching and photographing the barrel owl.  In time, our voices woke the bird and he gave us a few surly glances, annoyed we'd disturbed his nap.  This was our cue to move on.  We had baby owls to find!

These guys look like muppets

Kim and I ended up walking a large circle, exploring nearly every trail in the nature park, with still no sign of the little owls.  We were next to the very last trail, ready to give up, when a man passed by, and noticing my big lens, asked us if we'd seen the owl nest yet.  When I replied that we'd been searching for it all afternoon, the man told us where to find it.  And of course the nest was on the only trail we'd yet to cover.

Mama owl in a nearby tree

After hustling down this last trail, a crowd of people looking into the forest clued us in that we'd finally found the spot.  And there in the thicket of trees and bushes high in the crook of a large fir tree was the nest.  Lucky for us, the two baby owlets were awake and peering out at the onlookers.

Only one owlet when I returned a few days later

The gray, fluffy babies were cute!  They kind of looked like muppets, with fierce stares.  There was no sign of either parent the entire time.  After a half-hour photography session, the day was getting late and the light had begun to fade, so Kim and I reluctantly left.

Mother owl giving me the stink-eye

Jazzed by this very exciting baby owl encounter, I couldn't stay away and returned just a couple of days later.  This time, the mother owl was perched in a nearby tree, asleep on a branch, and only one of the owlets was in the nest.  Another photographer who happened to be there at the same time as I said she heard one of the owlets had already fledged.  Wow, so soon!  The owlets didn't look old enough to fly yet.

First trillium of spring!

But just two days later I learned via another local photographer that both owlets had indeed left the nest.  I felt lucky to have been able to photograph both babies when they not quite ready to fledge.  It's not everyday one sees an owl in the forest, and spotting a nest with young ones is even rarer.  

Spotted Towhee striking a pose

I'd close this post with a couple photos of other spring finds in the nature park.  Like the season's first trillium bloom and a beautiful Spotted Towhee striking the perfect pose for my camera.  And a shy pond turtle peeking his head up from the water's surface.

Pond turtle

Spring is such a wonderful time of year!  The flowers are blooming, trees are bursting with vibrant green leaves, and the birds are singing happy songs.  And if you're lucky you might just spot a few nests with youngsters in them.  

More Drama at the Duck Pond

Are you all ready for part two?

I often take walks around a local suburban park hoping to see aquatic birds fishing for dinner.  In case you missed my last post, I shared photos captured at this neighborhood duck pond of two cormorants fighting over a fish one of them had just caught.  

This little Pied-billed grebe caught a large carp

A couple weeks after my first photo encounter, I was back again scanning the pond surface for diving waterfowl.  I spied a Pied-billed grebe near one end and began to watch the little guy repeatedly dive and surface.  I hoped he'd eventually come up with a fish.

Trying to swallow the fish....but it was too big

After about 5 minutes, my patience paid off.  The grebe surfaced with a good sized carp in his beak.  He swirled it around in the water, and then tried to swallow his catch.  But it appeared the fish was too big for the little grebe's throat.  The grebe hoisted the fish into his beak again and again, but to no avail.

Then two cormorants tried to take the fish away

Now for the drama.....two cormorants suddenly appeared out of nowhere and began to harass the grebe.  They wanted his fish.

Lots of mayhem ensued!

But the little grebe wasn't giving up without a fight.  He swung his fish-laden beak around and around, and swam as fast as he could hoping to evade the thieves.

The grebe tried in vain to evade his attackers

When he wasn't dodging his attackers, the grebe tried desperately to swallow his fish, hoping to get it down before it got taken away.

Then the grebe tried desperately to swallow his catch

Sadly, the fish was too big for the grebe's mouth, and try as he might, it wasn't going down.

Another frantic swallowing attempt

After about about 5 minutes of commotion, one cormorant was able to swoop in and grab the grebe's fish, and immediately gulp it down.  The entire thing happened so fast, and was so unexpected, I wasn't able to capture it with my camera. 

In the end, the cormorants made a successful steal

Defeated, the grebe dejectedly swam away, to begin diving for another (hopefully smaller) fish.

And a blue heron coming in for a landing

And just as I was ready to head for home, a blue heron flew across the pond, and landed on a nearby rock.  Since my camera was still set from the fishie drama, I was able to catch him in flight.

Hope you've enjoyed this installment of "drama at the duck pond!"

Drama at the Duck Pond

Time for a few wildlife photos!

As I've mentioned in prior posts, there's a neighborhood park close to my home with a large pond.  This water body is home to all types of waterfowl.  Since ducks are there year-round, long ago my family nick-named it the "duck pond."  But not only ducks, this suburban park is home to all types of feathered fauna.

A cormorant caught a nice fish

During winter months, cormorants and pied-billed grebes dive for fish that live in the pond.  I enjoy strolling around the pond with my camera, in hopes to catch one of these birds with a fish in their beak.

Flipping his catch around

Every once and awhile I get lucky.  One day in mid-January I was watching two cormorants as they dived underwater.  After several minutes of observation, one of them came up with a good-sized bullhead in his beak.  

Catching the fish in his mouth

This was the photo op I'd been waiting for.  Training my lens on the bird, I fired off multiple shots.  The cormorant didn't eat his catch right away.  He flipped the fish around and dipped it in and out of the water.  I think he was positioning the fish for ease of swallowing.

Another cormorant tried to steal the fish

Suddenly another cormorant burst out of the water and tried to steal the fish from his buddy.

The first bird beat a hasty retreat

Lots of wing flapping and splashing ensued.  Luckily, I had my lens focused on the birds, and furiously snapped away. 

"Stay away from my lunch!"

The first cormorant tried to get away from his aggressor.  With some quick swimming moves, and a bit more flapping, he beat a hasty retreat. 

Quickly swallowing the fish 

With the second bird in hot pursuit, the cormorant had no choice but to hastily swallow his catch to prevent it from getting stolen.

An amused blue heron looks on

What a great bit of drama to capture!  I've discovered the more I visit the duck pond, the greater my chances are of catching these waterfowl in action.  

And that's not the only excitement I've recently witnessed here.  Come back for my next post and I'll share photos from another encounter with my feathered friends.

The Green Heron Nest

 As I mentioned in a previous post earlier this summer, our local duck pond had a green heron couple build their nest in a tree right next to a very busy walking path.  Although the tree was partially suspended over the water, this nest was a mere 10 feet away from the path.  Of course, everyone using the park noticed and photographers began to stop by in hopes of photographing the babies.

Mama in her nest giving me the evil eye

Of course, I included myself in the group of hopeful photographers.  In late July, every time I visited the duck pond, I made sure to walk by the nest at least twice.  First all I could see was the mother green heron sitting inside, incubating eggs (we all surmised anyway.)  Mama GH wasn't too pleased with all the attention, giving me the stink-eye every time I pointed my lens her way.

Can you see the baby directly below it's mother?

Then one day near the end of July, I noticed something in the bottom of the nest.  A tiny eye surrounded by a bunch of downy fluff.  A chick!  The eggs had finally hatched!

The chicks are starting to grow

Word got out quick amongst the birding and photographic community, and soon the heron nest was getting lots of visitors.  At first we only got tiny glimpses of the babies, and no one was sure how many were in the nest.

A week later they are perching on adjacent branches

A week later while making the rounds at the duck pond, I found four green heron babies perching on tree limbs above the nest.  Those little guys were growing fast!

"Mom!  You're back!"

Although the mother was absent at first, within five minutes she returned to the nest.  All four babies rushed to her, hoping to be the first one fed.

"Feed me, mama, feed me!"

The fastest baby pestered his mother, opening up his mouth and stretching it towards mom.  After a few minutes, she gave in and quickly shoved her bill down the little guy's throat.  It all happened so fast and there were so many leaves in the way, I wasn't able to get a good photo.

Waiting for their mother to return

After feeding one of the youngsters, mama GH left again, probably in search of more food to feed her demanding chicks.  

This guy looked like he was burping

The four babies settled in on their branches, awaiting her return.  One little guy opened his mouth and I caught him on camera.  Looks like he's burping!

Siblings sparring

It didn't take long for the natives to get restless.  I observed two of the siblings begin sparring with their beaks.

Big yawn!

And I caught another little guy mid-yawn.  So stinkin' cute!

Feeding time

A couple days later I visited again, and this time I caught an image of mama GH feeding one of her offspring.

The now-fledged green heron chicks hanging out near their nest

I got busy with hiking and other activities, and didn't return to the duck pond until mid-August.  I'd heard that all the green heron babies had fledged, but I walked by the nest one final time just to be sure.  Sadly, the rumor was true.  I found an empty nest with no green herons anywhere.  Oh well, it was good while it lasted.

Sly eye

A few steps beyond the old nest, something caught my eye in the bushes near water's edge.  I spotted a small dark lump sitting on a branch.  It was one of the juvenile green herons!  The little guy sat there for a long time, allowing me to photograph him.  Although his white, downy baby feathers were nearly gone, he still had a tiny bit of fluff on top of his head.  

Feathers are starting to turn greenish-blue

Another one of the green heron's nest-mates flew into a nearby branch.  The little guys were still hanging out close to home.  I watched them for several minutes, before wishing them good luck in life on their own.  That was the last time I saw them.

What a fun spring and summer I've had photographing the bird life at the local duck pond.  Seeing the green herons hatch and grow up were undoubtably the highlight of the season.  Maybe some of them will return next year?  I sure hope so.

Happenings at the Duck Pond

I'm lucky that the town where I live has plenty of natural areas to observe and photograph wildlife.  Throughout the spring I made a regular circuit of these parks, trying to get photos of the latest feathered arrivals.  But the one park I had the most luck spotting birds was the most unlikely place of them all.

It was a "Cedar waxwing eating berries" kind of day.

In a nearby suburban neighborhood lies a small lake.  This lake is ringed by homes on three sides, with a small wetland anchoring the fourth.  Created by the developer of this area, the lake was built by deepening a natural wetland and trenching its nearby creek.  A mile-long paved path circles the lake, and three wooden fishing docks extend into its waters.  There's a playground at one end, and benches and picnic tables on the shore.  Wildly popular with locals, there's always lots dog walkers, runners, and fisherman here.  When my kids were little, I used to bring them here to feed the ducks.  Thus, it became nicknamed the "duck pond."

A very talented bird!

You wouldn't think such a well-used suburban lake would be home to a great variety of birds and waterfowl.  But it is!

Gorging on elderberries

In the winter, ducks of many varieties swim in the lake's waters.  They are joined by huge flocks of Canada Geese.  In the spring, several species of migratory birds stop by on their way to summer quarters.  And of course, there are birds that make their homes here year-round.  

This one is eating the green berries

Besides photographing the cute ducklings and goslings that are born here every spring, this year I was lucky enough to catch the beautiful Cedar waxwings as they migrated through.  Several elderberry bushes were producing berries about that time, and Cedar waxwings love them.  I soon learned these berry bushes were the place to find waxwings.

Green heron catching a fish

The other unusual bird I've had luck spotting at the duck pond is the elusive green heron.  Normally a very shy, secretive bird, I've observed at least two adult green herons fishing on the lake's brushy shoreline.

Mama green heron building her nest

One mother green heron even built a nest in a tree in close proximity to the paved walking path.  She just hatched a brood of four babies (photos coming soon!) 

Newly fledged barn swallows beg their mother for food

One day I spotted a group of newly fledged barn swallows sitting on a branch overhanging the water.  Since the babies were now old enough to be on their own, the mother was trying to feed them less.  But every time mom flew by, the youngsters made a ruckus, opening their mouths and flapping wings.  Typical teen-agers!

Juvenile green heron practicing fishing

A nest of green heron babies recently fledged and could easily be found along the shoreline.  It was fun to watch their antics.  I watched one little guy practice his fishing skills by capturing leaves from the water.  The birds didn't appear to be afraid of humans, or the many photographers vying for a picture.

Juvenile green heron 

The juvenile green herons were so cute - they hadn't yet lost their baby down on top.  I loved their fluffy little heads!

I love his fluffy head!

Because of the many bird species found at this lake, it's become a hot spot for birders and wildlife photographers.  I've met several local photographers here.  People carrying cameras with huge, white zoom lenses seem to attract each other!  A few of the photographers live nearby and seem to always be at the lake.  I've come to know a couple of them - it's always fun to chat about the latest bird sightings. 

Blue heron eating a fish

Of course, watching wildlife means you will also experience the "circle of life."  Since the "duck pond" is full of fish, it isn't only the fisherman that are catching.  One day I discovered the resident blue heron with a fish in his beak.  After shaking it around a bit, he opened his mouth and down it went!  And the other day I happened to look over the water and spot a Pied-billed grebe bob up with a crawdad.

Pied-billed grebe with a crawdad

 It's been a wonderful spring and summer thus far at the duck pond.  There's always something interesting to see in this most unlikely urban water body.