close encounters of the bird kind

We were out on a birding trip and I spotted this bird flying. I called out to the group leader, "Jim, Black Vulture overhead!" He made the call of a rabbit in distress and the bird landed right in front of us. I thought this guy was the Beastmaster or something. Jim then explained that it was a human imprinted bird from the local wildlife rehabilitation center. While he has learned to find food and survive in the wild he still visits humans occasionally.

Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware

One of my favorite places to visit is Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge near Smyrna, Delaware. I have visited there a few times now and always see something new. The spring brings with it the mating season for Red-Fox and many species of birds.

Just south of the refuge is Port Mahon Road which hosts one of the many beaches where the Horseshoe Crab lays its eggs. The eggs are the main food source for shorebirds migrating from the Artic to their South American wintering grounds. Many species of shorebirds including the endangered Red-Knot are drawn to this place as a essential pit stop to refuel on their long, long journey.

If you see the crabs flipped over. Don't be scared to give them a hand. They do not sting and you just grab them on the left and right side of their shell and flip. You will be helping preserve a species. The Red-Knots will thank you.

Massive amounts of Snow Geese winter over here along with Tundra Swan, Northern Pintail and many other kinds of waterfowl. If you have never witnessed the flight of 100,000 or more geese flying at sunset or sunrise it is truly a spectacle to behold.

This refuge is truly diverse in the species seen here. I am hoping to return soon and photograph the Northern Harriers and Owls along with the spring fox. I will keep trying and one day luck will be on my side. If only I could live here...

The Raptor Conservancy of Virginia

The Raptor Conservancy of Virginia was at a local festival today here in Winchester, Va. With the help of many volunteers they rescue hundreds of raptors a year. Often as possible the birds are rehabilitated and released back to the wild. The raptors you see here are in some way not suitable for return to the wild such as bad eyes, wings, etc. They do however serve a very important purpose in education. What magnificent creatures! It was a pleasure to see these wonderful birds. Thanks to Mr. Knowles, Liz and all the RCV staff for doing what they do. For more information check out their website. RCV

Hawk Mountain

My wife and I visited Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania this past weekend. It was a bit crowded but a good day for a diverse group of raptor sightings. We saw Sharp-Shinned, Red-Tailed and Cooper's Hawk, Merlin, Kestrel, Turkey vulture and Osprey.

Many classes are offered at Hawk Mountain from elementary level to college credited courses. We sat in on a 25 minute class on basic raptor identification which was helpful to us being new to raptor watching. After this basic class we went from not being able to identify much at all to easily narrowing it down to families in most cases. I never knew the differences in the families but it isn't as subtle as I had once thought. I can see that it will take much more practice when it comes to distinguishing the differences in similiar birds within families but with time I feel confident we will get it.

We were here for only a couple hours and while some birds came fairly close I didn't get good pics of them. I am a bit rusty of my bird in flight shooting. If I had been here about 6-8 hours I am sure that my keeper rate would have improved.Next time...

Thanks to all the staff and volunteers at Hawk Mountain for a great experience. The staff at the North face were very helpful and identification. With their help we were able to confirm 8 species otherwise we might have not been sure of. Merlin was a first for me so I was very thrilled with the help. The intern which led the class in raptor ID was great as well. I picked up a raptor flash guide, Hawk Mountain patch and Hawk Mountain sweatshirt at their giftshop/ vistors center. There is something there for all ages. If you are thinking of a visiting, check out their website at http://www.hawkmountain.org/

Cape May birding

We birded Cape May this past weekend and it was good but I felt like the beach traffic slowed us down a great deal. Now I know what to expect and might avoid the busiest holiday of the summer.

At the nearby Meadows we caught up to many Mute Swan. I found it interesting how domesticated they seemed. They weren't scared of us at all. They started hissing as we walked by reminding us this is their home.

Laughing Gull in fall plumage near the beach entrance at the Meadows.

At Edwin B. Forsythe NWR the Forster's Tern put on quite the show of spectacular dives and aerial maneuvers.

This is definitely a great place for birding but not so much for bird photography. Most birds are very far away and a scope is definitely needed here.

We lucked out and caught up to the Roseate Spoonbill that has been hanging out with the Egrets this week.

The shorebirding here was good and a few Black Skimmers thrown into the mix really made a good show.

Welcome to my blog

I started this blog after having seen several others on blogspot and thought I will give it a shot. I will be posting pics and articles of my birding adventures. I have started visiting many wildlife refuges in the DelMarVa area as well as NJ and PA. Check back for updates and pictures soon.