Stopped in to look at some ducks today (26JAN2014) with excellent results. Right off the bat I had a close encounter with an American Coot that really hammed it up.
The next think I noticed was a possible melanistic female Mallard. That light patch of solid color above the eyeline and on the throat is not supposed to be there. Neato!
As I scoured the raft of ducks in front of me for any rarities or anomalies in plumage of the regular customers, the most beautiful Northern Pintail Drake came out of nowhere and really worked the camera for a minute. What luck!
I've seen a lot of Northern Pintails this winter, but none had ever come this close to me. I was really just reveling in the good fortune I was having on a random outing when it suddenly went silent. That's when things got real. In a lightning flash the raft to the right of me exploded into a flock. A juvenile Red-tailed Hawk came in at a real nice clip and actually stooped on a Mallard about 10 feet in front of my eyes. It was such a fantastic spectacle that it honestly took my breath away. I had to remind myself to exhale after the Hawk landed on a branch right above my head. I even had to take a few steps back to grab some stills. This might be my favorite photograph I've ever taken of a Red-tailed Hawk.
The Red-tailed Hawk did not disappoint. I'm going to call her a "she" because of the sheer gargantuan size. She actually jumped off the branch and stooped right over my head after another duck. The duck was no fool and tucked down as low onto the water as she could instead of flying up in the air and was spared for the day. The Hawk took off into oblivion leaving me awestruck and adrenaline filled. She didn't even act like I was there. Unreal.
It just couldn't get any better! No. It got better. She flew off into the direction of the nest she was previously raised in. I had discovered the old nest earlier in the Fall, and since I always stop by every large nest I know about in hopes of Great Horned Owls moving in, I decided to follow up. Today was my lucky day! This beautiful Great Horned Owl was staring me right in the face as soon as the nest came into view. I almost couldn't believe it. I looked around the base of the tree and was greeted by the complete lack of human footprints or owl pellets. That meant that she was undiscovered and probably on her first day or so of claiming the nest. I've been very careful not to disclose my location in this post because it is vital she stay as undisturbed as possible in the first few weeks. Once she has her Owlets fledging from the nest around May I might make the location known so birders can come in for pictures when the owls are more used to the people and location there. I can't stress enough how important it is to keep this nesting site a secret for now. If you happen to locate the nest using my pictures or detective work, please do not spread the word. Droves of people showing up could force her to flee the area and find another nesting site. A losing situation for everyone. Without further adieu, the reason I go birding:
It just couldn't get any better! No. It got better. She flew off into the direction of the nest she was previously raised in. I had discovered the old nest earlier in the Fall, and since I always stop by every large nest I know about in hopes of Great Horned Owls moving in, I decided to follow up. Today was my lucky day! This beautiful Great Horned Owl was staring me right in the face as soon as the nest came into view. I almost couldn't believe it. I looked around the base of the tree and was greeted by the complete lack of human footprints or owl pellets. That meant that she was undiscovered and probably on her first day or so of claiming the nest. I've been very careful not to disclose my location in this post because it is vital she stay as undisturbed as possible in the first few weeks. Once she has her Owlets fledging from the nest around May I might make the location known so birders can come in for pictures when the owls are more used to the people and location there. I can't stress enough how important it is to keep this nesting site a secret for now. If you happen to locate the nest using my pictures or detective work, please do not spread the word. Droves of people showing up could force her to flee the area and find another nesting site. A losing situation for everyone. Without further adieu, the reason I go birding:
I've included a gallery of additional pictures from the day, and until next time...
Bird hard and lifer,
Rick Bacher
Bird hard and lifer,
Rick Bacher