Friday, February 25, 2011

Eastern Bluebird

Red Tailed Hawk - Photo By Frank, Montvale, NJ

 

 

 

The Hawk returns for another meal.

Frank, Montvale, NJ

Monday, February 21, 2011

Saturday, February 19, 2011

The Great Backyard Birdcount: Feb 18-21, 2011



The Great Backyard Birdcount is an annual event in which birders count the birds in thier backyard (or while out birding) and report on the number of each species. This "citizen science" project, run by Cornell University, provides valuable information on bird population and migration.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Male Common Goldeneye trying to get the attention of a female

Common Goldeneye

Common Goldeneye

Common Goldeneye

Common Goldeneye

Common Goldeneye

Mike returned to the area of the Palo Alto Baylands where he saw the female common goldeneye a few days prior. This time, he also saw a male trying to get the females attention.


Common Goldeneyes
Common Goldeneye
Common Goldeneye

It worked for a while, but soon another male goldeneye arrived. They got into a dispute over the female. Eventually, a canvasback duck came over and chased the males away and he pursued the female for a while.
Common Goldeneye and Canvasback
Common Goldeneye and Canvasback

At the end, everyone was more interested in food.
Common Goldeneye and Canvasback

Canvasback and Lesser Scaup from Baylands Preserve, Palo Alto

Baylands PreserveCanvasback
Canvasback

Lesser Scaup
Lesser Scaup

On the way to the airport, Mike stopped one more time at the Baylands in Palo Alto. It was a little rainy, but the sun came out a few times.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Birding on Sand Hill Road In Palo Alto


Western Bluebird


Black Pheobe
Black Pheobe

Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk


Mike had a little extra time after his conference and went birding on Sand Hill Road in Palo Alto, CA. While none of these photos are worth a million dollars, he thinks the new camera was a good investment. There are supposed to be vultures on Sand Hill Road, but he only saw a hawk.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Baylands Nature Preserve: Palo Alto, California


Female Common Goldeneye

Long-billed Curlew
Long-billed Curlew

Northern Shoveler
Northern Shoveler

American Avocet
American Avocet

American Avocet
Another American Avocet


Mike took a business trip to Silicon Valley and had time to stop at the Baylands Nature Preserve in Palo Alto. The highlight was a Common Goldeneye. We've seen them occasionally in NJ and once on Lake Nelson but never got a good photo before. A better camera helps but there's nothing like sunlight.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

A Brief Visit to Puerto Rico



Red-legged Thrush
Red-legged Thrush

Pearly-eyed Thrasher
Pearly-eyed Thrasher


Gray Kingbird

Gray Kingbird

Killdeer
Killdeer

Smooth Billed Ani
Smooth Billed Ani

We went to Puerto Rico for a long weekend to escape the cold of New Jersey. We stayed at the St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort which has achieved an Audubon gold rating for its preservation efforts. Although there was an island on the resort which they bill as a birding spot, the birds really weren't plentiful, perhaps because the resort recently opened. It was nice to see the nutmeg mannikin on the property, but otherwise it was the common Caribbean birds.

While relaxing on the beach and reading a birding book, we decided to visit the nearby El Yonque rain forest, a national park known for birding and we saw several species endemic to Puerto Rico, including the Puerto Rican woodpecker, our primary quest, but also the Puerto Rican Stripe-headed tanager, the national bird of Puerto Rico. We also saw the yellow shouldered blackbird but didn't get any photos.