Blog Archives
Redtails and Redwings
Friends, this young red-tailed Hawk is perched on a birch tree branch in Crex Meadows. This is about as close as you can get to these birds when they are in their natural environment. I also have images of him from the front and you can see his white bib and splotched belly band that marks him as a red tailed. We had some frost last night and temperatures down to 25 degrees F, so fall is technically here. Below is an image of the red-winged blackbirds gathering for their trip to the south. til Tomorrow MJ
Pièce de résistance- Red Tailed Hawk
Friends, this Red tailed Hawk is indeed the best of my hawk images to date. His crouched pose and withering stare show his predator character very well. You can be glad you are not a mouse or vole scurrying across an open grassy meadow where this bird can see you. From research data, it appears that these birds may be susceptible to the West Nile virus, so swat the mosquitos and save the redtails. til Tomorrow MJ
Broad-Winged Hawk
Friends, this beautiful baby is a broad-winged Hawk and they are migrating in great numbers over Hawk Ridge. The day this was taken over 5000 passed over the ridge, and on the ninth of september over 15000 were counted over the ridge. They tend to leave the nesting area in large flocks and can form “kettles” as they circle in the air. Their diet is a varied one ranging from frogs and lizards to small birds, even on occasion they may eat a large insect. They are very numerous in the air, but they rarely visit the lower reaches of hawk ridge so this was a rare treat at the educational area. Hope you enjoy this pretty bird, til Tomorrow MJ
Young Harrier
Friends, this close-up shows the juvenile Northern Harrier facial structure. He was captured at Hawk Ridge in Duluth Minnesota and banded. While the educator had him in hand, i shot his portrait. This bird has a facial disc that helps to concentrate the sounds of prey very similar to owls. His rusty coloring will change to gray as he ages. His antics around the Crex Meadows are especially evident in the fall as he hunts the migrating birds and ducks. He circles low over the cattails looking below for prey, then dives down to catch them in his talons. Below is a Harrier hunting over Crex. til Tomorrow MJ
A Double-Header
Friends, this small hawk, the sharp-shinned is a second year bird and her eyes are turning from the yellow of a first year bird to orange. The vertical strips on the front have now turned more horizontal and her cap is starting to turn from chocolate brown to gray. Below is a more mature bird with the red eyes and more gray on her cap. You can compare these more mature birds to the sharpie from yesterday’s post of a sharpie that was hatched this spring. til Tomorrow MJ
Merlin – first year
Friends, this tiny hawk is a first year Merlin, but technically he is a falcon due to his pointed wings. He was captured and banded at Hawk Ridge yesterday, a misty morning turned into a partly cloudy day by 1pm. The hawks are just starting their migration and the smaller hawks come first. This Merlin is about the same size as a sharp-shinned hawk but the first year bird has brown eyes, and the sharp-shinned hawk has yellow eyes. They both have the vertical striping on the front. Below is an image of the first year sharp-shinned for comparison, stay tuned for second year and mature sharp shinned tomorrow, til Tomorrow MJ
Hawk Ridge- Sharp Shinned Hawk
Friends, A visit today and yesterday to Hawk Ridge in Duluth Minnesota, a place about an hours drive from our home. In the fall the hawks and other large birds migrate southward along the west shore of Lake Superior and often soar over Hawk Ridge. The observatory group there counts the birds every year and they band many birds . They also educate the public about these wonderful birds that are often not seen close up and personal like this bird. An educator is holding this bird and after a chat with us, the birds are turned loose to return to their migration. This bird is a female sharp shined hawk and i was surprised by the small size. When she matures, her chest feathers will get horizontal banding, her eye will go orange then red, and her back feather will get more of a gray than the chocolate brown that she has now. til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge:Free Spirit
Friends, this red-tailed hawk posed for a short moment on his evening journey, i took a few quick shots and away he went on silent white wings back into the dark of the forest. A free spirit of the northland with sharp yellow eyes to see into the soul and inspire my spirit. Need to keep photographing and seeing what is there. The fall is coming and my inspiration is fading like the leaves. I am fighting back but feel that i am losing the battle, til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge: Wrong
Friends, I was photographing this young red tailed hawk when he rapidly left the scene. There is a recent trend to accept some bird photos as “pleasing blurs”, but i call this one the wrong shutter speed and poor panning technique, so in essence this is not a pleasing blur. I will share one of my better shots in the near future til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 