Check this out!!!

Ever see an Eagle swim before?

Not much to look at

Yesterday, I couldn't help but look around the reservoir and tannery dam between classes. With the weather that we are having, clear and sunny, the migrant waterfowl are coming early. But, with the weather that we are having, clear and sunny, the migrant waterfowl are not getting pushed down onto the local water bodies. This is making it difficult for me to get ticks for my year list in the waterfowl and waterbird area.

Mallards at the Tannery Dam

When I arrived at the DuBois Reservoir, there really wasn't much going on. Though I did see a Double Crested Cormorant take off of the water, but when I snapped a photo, I caught a bit of an electric pole and wires...

Double Crested Cormorant at the DuBois Reservoir

There weren't many songbirds either, other than a few black-capped chickadees. Which I can never seem to get a good photo of..

Black-capped chickadee

There were spring peepers making lots of noise at the reservoir too.

Spring Peeper

Spring Peeper

When I got home I thought that I would go behind my house in Brockport where there are fields that raptors hunt frequently. The first thing I saw was this American Kestrel attacking a Red-Tailed Hawk. It was a pretty good fight, but the red-tail eventually flew off.

American Kestrel attacking a Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Turkey Throw Down!!

Here is the video of the gobblers that I filmed tuesday on wilson road. Sorry for the low video quality and horrid calling, I didn't have my camera or turkey calls with me. Enjoy the match!

Verdict Spring.

There are signs of spring all around us. Spring peepers peeping, flowers poking up through the earth's surface, and birds, birds calling everywhere. The past few days I have taken a couple trips out to the DuBois Reservoir, Kyle Lake, Sabula Lake, and around my property in Brockport with my camera. Nothing too serious, just out for a few strolls. I have been hearing American Woodcocks in flight displays, turkey gobbling, and lots of other bird calls. On two consecutive trips to the reservoir a ring necked pheasant was on the road side while I was passing. the first time I did not have my camera, but the second time I was ready. I jumped out of the car to chase the bird, and try to get a photo. The brush was thick, and the rooster was fast, leaving me with this one photo.

Male ring necked pheasant........'s hind end

Here are a few more photos that I have recently taken.

Common "Bronzed" Grackle

Common "Bronzed" Grackle

Mourning Dove Male

Eastern Bluebird Female

Eastern Bluebird Female

American Robin

American Robin

This photo, compared to the next, shows the uncovered eye of the bird.

American Robin

In this photo, you can see the bird's nictitating membrane, which is a third eyelid in some reptiles and birds that moistens, and protects the eye allowing the animal to maintain visibility.

Song Sparrow

This evening I had my hair cut by my aunt, and while on the way home saw some turkey crossing the road. One was a large gobbler strutting. On impulse I grabbed for my camera, which wasn't in the passenger seat where it usually is. So I went for the next best thing, my trusty iPod. When I pulled off the road, I noticed a second gobbler also strutting in a yard to my right. I let out a few yelps and the tom answered with a strung out gobble. The gobbler crossing the road also gobbled, then sprinted towards the second gobbler, now this was getting good. I turned the video camera on my iPod on and got ready. The two toms squared up in the yard, and started putting and purring at each other. I conntinued to yelp and put, the best to my ability without a turkey call, because it really seemed to get these birds going. By this time the six or seven hens that were with the birds had flown into roost to watch the throw down. I tried for about 22 hours to post the video....no go. I'll keep working on it..

March 2 2012

Two WEEKS ago, yes, two weeks, I birded around DuBois for a couple hours before class to clear my mind, I had a math exam in the afternoon. I took notes on observations like always, and just came across them tonight while thumbing through my field book. So, I went throught my computer and dug up a few of the photos that I took that day. It was a pretty good day, I got a new tick at the DuBois reservoir when I spotted a female common goldeneye. She wouldn't allow a photo opp. though. I have been keeping an eye in the air while scanning water and picking through flocks of bay ducks for Golden Eagles, so far no luck. I did catch an immature Bald Eagle, 2nd or 3rd year, flying over. It was hard to age the bird because of the brightness of the sun. I watched the Canada Geese for a while at the reservoir, canadas are very territorial this time of year, they are finding mates and pairing up, getting ready for nesting. These two canadas were EXTREMELY territorial. One of the birds has a leg band, while the other had white eyebrows!

A pair of canadas at the DuBois reservoir

A pair of canadas at the DuBois reservoir chasing away the competition

Everytime I see canadas acting so territorial it reminds me of when my brother and I were little and my dad would take us to Pymatuning State Park in Northwest Pennsylvania fishing. The amount of waterbirds and fowl up there is outstanding. Anyway, at the Linesville spillway on the Pymatuning Reservoir you are "allowed" to feed the waterfowl. The geese would not hesitate charging a 7 year old holding a slice of bread. Used to scare us to death....... Here's some photos of ring-necked ducks, redheads, and a couple male buffleheads I took at the DuBois Reservoir.

Ring-necked ducks at the DuBois Reservoir

Ring-necked ducks and Redheads at the DuBois Reservoir

Male Buffleheads at the DuBois Reservoir



A few new ticks

The area got pounded by a sleat/hail/wind/thunder storm last night. This morning I saw a string of what I assume were Tundra Swans flying over, and saw this pair of Northern Cardinals near my feeders.

Male Northern Cardinal

Female Northern Cardinal

So after class  I went birding, hoping that the weather pushed some birds down on the surounding water. I figured I would run to Sabula, Lake Bimini, and the DuBois Reservoir, and maybe Kyle Lake if there was time. I wanted to go to Bimini to check for the Tundra swans, but after spending a little more time than I thought I would watching ten swans at Sabula along with some Lesser Scaup I didn't think that there would be enough time.

Tundra Swans at Sabula Lake

Hooded mergansers and lesser scaup, the hoodie in the bottom of the photo has a fish!

When I arrived at the reservoir the first thing I saw was a raft of ducks right next to the causeway, a mixed group of lesser scaup and redheads!

Ring-necked Ducks at the DuBois Resrvoir

Lesser Scaup Female, Redhead male at the DuBois Reservoir

Lesser Scaup with Redheads at the DuBois Resrvoir

Redheads at the DuBois Reservoir

Redheads at the DuBois Reservoir

Lesser Scaup with Redheads at the DuBois Resrvoir

Redheads at the DuBois Reservoir

Redheads at the DuBois Reservoir

Redheads at the DuBois Reservoir

Redheads at the DuBois Reservoir

Redheads at the DuBois Reservoir

Redheads at the DuBois Reservoir

As you can see, I took alot of photos today. Although the lighting was horrible, I had alot of fun photographing these ducks. Bay ducks are really fun to watch. It can be hard to count these guys because bay ducks feed from the bottom. While dabblers such as mallards and pintails "tip" to feed from the bottom in shallow water, bay ducks like ring-necked ducks, redheads, and scaup dive under water and pick things up off of the bottom such as shellfish and molusks. This is where a bird's gizzard comes in handy. Birds collect and swallow fine gravel and grit which meets food in the gizzard, a very strong muscular organ that crushes and grinds the food of choice to aid in digestion. Though the weather was rough, the birding was smooth! I guess I'll have to go to Lake Bimini and Kyle Lake another day.