Wildlife

Great Swamp and Lord Stirling

2021-06-292021-06-29Sherry Felix14 Comments

On Sunday we went with the Linnaean Society of NY to the Great Swamp NWR in Morris County, New Jersey and Lord Stirling Park in Somerset County, New Jersey. The photos signed Felix are by Marc. He found the wood frog.

Purple Martin (Progne subis), Great Swamp NWR 6/27/2021

Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) female, Lord Stirling Park 6/27/2021

Central Park with LSNY

2021-04-07Sherry Felix28 Comments

We went on a Linnaean Society of NY birding walk yesterday and took a few photos along the way. The Chickadee was so close that one could have touched it. These birds are not behaving naturally. This means some people are not respecting the park rules to not hand feed wild animals.

The USDA says, “Feeding wildlife can lead to a number of serious problems: Human food is not healthy for wild animals, and they do not need food from humans to survive. Wild animals have specialized diets, and they can become malnourished or die if fed the wrong foods.”

Also it can impact some birds migration. “Some scientists believe accipiters like Cooper’s hawks and sharp-shinned hawks forego migration in some areas due to the abundance of prey at bird feeders, a behavior called short-stopping.”

The worst thing to do is feed bread to ducks, geese, swans, and other waterfowl bread. Any bread not consumed by ducks pollutes waterways, threatening the other creatures in the ecosystem like fish, turtles, and other wildlife. There are healthy alternatives but I would recommend against it in a public park.

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), Central Park 4/6/2021

CP with LSNY

2021-03-15Sherry Felix23 Comments

It was lovely seeing my friends at the Central Park trip with The Linnaean Society of New York on Saturday. The leaders are the best and so helpful. We covered half of the Park for about 4 hours. I missed 9 of the 44 species of birds spotted. You are welcome to attend the excellent free programs and if you want to go on a trip and you are not a member let me know and you can come as my guest.

Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor), Central Park 3/03/2021

Shawangunk Landscapes

2021-03-122021-03-10Sherry Felix10 Comments

The last of the Shawangunk Grassland NWR posts are these winter landscapes. We also stopped briefly at the nearby Wallkill River on the bridge at Galeville Road and Galeville Park next to the refuge. A muskrat was out feeding at the edge of the little pond near the feeders and I spotted a few deer feeding out in the grasslands.

Hawk a CP

2021-01-31Sherry Felix28 Comments

Went to Central Park yesterday to checkout a new model of hearing aids to see how they work on bird calls. We were amused to see a young Red-tailed Hawk trying to catch squirrels at the feeders. No luck!

Immature Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), Central Park 1/30/2021

Birds in Forsythe

2020-12-162020-12-15Sherry Felix8 Comments

My main goal at E. B. Forsythe NWR was to see some Snow Geese – mission accomplished. We also saw a Snowy Owl way off in the marsh and an immature Bald Eagle. It is so relaxing to drive around the loop with my scope and camera. The weather on Sunday was shirtsleeve warm.

Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens), E B Forsythe NWR 12/13/2020

B and H Optic All Stars

2020-11-112020-11-10Sherry Felix6 Comments

These are the ones I picked to submit for 6 topics to submit for the Optic Challenge. I don’t expect to win. I enjoy seeing what other people photograph. the event is freed and a lot of fun. There are lectures and prizes. You can sign up for the Optic All Stars online event by clicking here. Check it out – you might enjoy it. I always do. In June I won $100 to spend at B&H answering a quiz at the online social during Optic 2020.