Monthly Archives: May 2012

Yellowthroat Feeding Cowbird


August 2006, George Clark was showing me some nice spots to bird in Vermont. In Hartford near its border with Pomfret we spotted a small bird feeding a much larger chick. It was a common yellowthroat working overtime trying to satisfy a young cowbird. Since there have been related discussions recently on the local listserv, I decided to post photos of this interaction here. A sequence showing their interaction follows.

BD238-Common-Yellowthroat-with-juvenile-Brown-headed-Cowbird.jpgBD241-Common-Yellowthroat-with-juvenile-Brown-headed-Cowbird.jpgBD242-Common-Yellowthroat-with-juvenile-Brown-headed-Cowbird.jpgBD243-Common-Yellowthroat-with-juvenile-Brown-headed-Cowbird.jpgBD244-Common-Yellowthroat-with-juvenile-Brown-headed-Cowbird.jpgBD247-Common-Yellowthroat-with-juvenile-Brown-headed-Cowbird.jpgBD248-Common-Yellowthroat-with-juvenile-Brown-headed-Cowbird.jpgBD249-Common-Yellowthroat-with-juvenile-Brown-headed-Cowbird.jpgBD251-Common-Yellowthroat-with-juvenile-Brown-headed-Cowbird.jpg

Posted in Birds | Tagged , | Comments Off

Great Blue Heron

While trying to photograph something else recently, several Great Blue Herons put on a show. For years I tried to get decent photos of GBHs, mainly from our canoe as Jann and I paddled local lakes and rivers. I got a few, not many,  and burned a lot of  slide film  in the process. Then we traveled to Florida and found the GBHs there quite used to people and very easy to photograph. I quickly realized the world had more GBH photos than it could reasonably absorb. Nonetheless, when the opportunity presents itself I still photograph this large and interesting  bird.

Here is a brief sequence of an approach and landing on a nest.

DI201E.jpgDI201G.jpgDI201I.jpgDI201J.jpgDI201K.jpgDI201L.jpgDI201M.jpg

And here is another heron who decides it is time to give its feathers a good fluffing.

DI205A-.jpgDI205B-.jpgDI205C-.jpgDI205D-.jpgDI205E-.jpgDI205I-.jpgDI205L-.jpgDI205N-.jpgDI205O-.jpg

Posted in Birds | Tagged , | Comments Off

Great Horned Owl Chick

Dave Merker alerted me a an owl nest not too far from where I live. So I had to go and check it out. One very cute, but not all that active, great horned owl chick was present in what looked like a very ample nest, perhaps one built by a great blue heron. Here are some photos from late in the day yesterday and early this next morning.

DI184.jpgDI188.jpgDI190B.jpgDI190A.jpgDI190F.jpgDI192F.jpg

Posted in Birds | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

Windsor Warblers and Red-tailed Hawk Nest

A trip to Marton Road in Windsor yesterday yielded some colorful warblers, but no golden-winged. Heading home along County Road I spied a hawk nest with at least two chicks. The arrival of a parent confirmed they were a red-tailed hawks. Here is a brief slide show with two photos of each species: blue-winged, magnolia, black-and-white, and red-tailed. You might be able to see the food in the mouth of the second blue-winded warbler.

DI163A.jpgDI163D.jpgDI171AA.jpgDI171C.jpgDI172L.jpgDI172O.jpgDI176B,177M-Pair-of-Red-tailed-Hawk-Chicks-on-Nest.jpgDI176A-Red-tailed-with-chicks-.jpg

Posted in Birds | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off