Category: Hawk

Hawk, Peregrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcon, Point Reyes National Seashore

Peregrine Falcon, Point Reyes National Seashore

Female Peregrine takes wing with its prey.

As I was leaving Point Reyes a few days ago I noticed this female peregrine perched on a fence post with her recent kill. I pulled over and photographed her as she alternatively plucked feathers and fed. After several minutes she decided it was time to go. She flew right over me, but I had too long a lens to photograph her once she left the post. Point Reyes is a good place for seeing not only elk and other mammals, but also various birds, including birds of prey.

Hawk

Cooper’s Hawk; Petaluma, California

A Cooper's hawk stands by its kill.
Avian Predator

I looked out our dining room window the other morning and saw this cooper’s hawk eating a mourning dove.  I grabbed my big lens and tripod and stationed myself about 10 feet back from a sliding door.  The hawk was about 30 feet from the door on a fence.  First, I shot a few images through the side of the door that has no screen.  Once I had a few of those shots, I kept my body hidden as I made my way to the sliding door and, exposing my arm only, I slowly slid open the glass door and then the screen door.  It was dark and raining on and off.  The light was very poor.  I started shooting at 1/200 second at ISO 10,000.  By the time I took this shot the light was good enough to get the ISO down to 1,000.

It’s hard to tell a cooper’s hawk from a sharp-shinned hawk because their markings are basically identical.  They both prey mainly on smaller birds.  They often occur in residential areas and have the same habit of keeping an eye on bird feeders.  We don’t have feeders, but some of our neighbors may.  In any event, we have birds in our yard regularly.

How have I concluded it’s a cooper’s hawk and not a sharp-shin?  I’m not a bird ID expert.  According to my Sibley bird guide, the cooper is 16.5 inches in length and the sharpie is 11 inches in length.  A mourning dove is also 11 inches in length.  This bird was much longer and larger than a mourning dove so I concluded it was a cooper’s hawk.

Some crows found the cooper and started pestering it, hoping to steal a meal.  The cooper finally tired of the harassment and took off with its meal.  Fortunately, it spent an hour on our fence before the crows drove it off.

Hawk

American Kestrel, Point Reyes National Seashore

Kestrel, Point Reyes National Seashore
A female kestrel perches on a fence post in Point Reyes National Seashore.

With a break in the wet weather, I headed out to Point Reyes yesterday afternoon.  It turned out to be a good day.   I saw and photographed several bobcats and coyotes.

I also photographed one of my favorite hawks, the American kestrel.  It’s the smallest member of the falcon family and the most colorful bird of prey that I know of.

Point Reyes has a good population of kestrels.  If you visit the seashore, look for them on fences and bushes.

Hawk

Osprey, Yellowstone National Park

Photo of an osprey taking flight above the Gardner River Canyon.
Ready for Takeoff!

It’s hard to write a blog while visiting Yellowstone in the spring because there is light until 9:00 p.m. and it takes an hour to get back to Gardiner where I’m staying.  Then there is dinner and downloading images.  I’m writing this while my car gets an oil change.

When people visit Yellowstone they’re looking for mammals, especially bears and wolves and they large herbivores they prey on.  But the park has a lot of interesting smaller animals, including birds.  I found this osprey in the Gardner River Canyon.  I’ve checked on four active nests in and around the park.  No eggs have hatched yet.  I haven’t seen any nests near the Gardner River.

Birthing among the mammals is well underway.  I’ve seen a few baby pronghorn.  Yesterday was the third day in a row that I’ve seen and photographed an elk calf in its first day of life.  I stopped at the Mammoth Visitor Center yesterday and there was an elk calf being born right next to the building on the lawn.  It stood up 45 minutes after being born.  I’m looking forward to seeing my first bighorn lambs of the year.

Badger, Bobcat, Coyote, Hawk, Other Mammal, Owl, Tule Elk

Best Photos of 2011

I learned about Jim Goldstein’s blog project some time in 2011.  To learn more about it click here.  Basically, you do a blog about your best 10 or so photos of the year and Jim will link your blog to his list of blogs that participate.  I recently looked at some of the 2010 participants’ “Best 10” blogs.  It’s a great way to find good nature photographers you weren’t aware of.

I photographed a lot at Point Reyes National Seashore in 2011 so I decided to use Point Reyes wildlife photos that were in my blog in 2011.  I want to say at the outset that I never really photographed much at Point Reyes before 2011 and I was very surprised at how good wildlife photo opportunities are there.  I’m a big fan of Yellowstone, but Point Reyes is almost the equal of it and in some ways it’s better.  For example, I’ve never seen a single bobcat in Yellowstone and hardly ever fail to see one at Point Reyes.

So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite Point Reyes wildlife photos that were in my blog in 2011.

Photo of long-tailed weasel peering out of a burrow.
Long-tailed Weasel, Point Reyes National Seashore

Long-tailed weasels are one of my favorite animal subjects at Point Reyes.  Unfortunately, they are hard to find.  I saw four last year in Point Reyes, but this guy is the only one I was fortunate enough to get close photos of.

Photo of a bobcat daydreaming.
A Bobcat Daydreams, Point Reyes National Seashore

Bobcats are a lot easier to find, especially in the winter. This male lived on one of the ranches along Pierce Point Road.  I saw him a lot last winter, but he disappeared in the early spring.  I’m not sure what happened to him, but I think a pack of coyotes got him.  I saw them pass through the open area he used to hang out on.  I think he could have held his own with one coyote, but I doubt he could do so with two or more.  There were no trees or other means of escape anywhere near where I used to see him.   I photographed him a lot and miss him.

Photo of a coyote looking back at sunset.
Coyote at Sunset

Point Reyes has a healthy population of coyotes.  Like the bobcats, they are easiest to find in the winter when they spend more time out during daylight.

Photo of a badger after it awakens from a sunbath.
American Badger, Point Reyes National Seashore

Point Reyes has a good population of badgers, but they are somewhat hard to find because they are such nocturnal critters.  In 2011 I photographed two single adults plus two females in the spring with two cubs each.  This is one of the single adults.  I found this individual a couple of weeks ago.

Photo of a 7-point bull bugling during the rut.
Tule Elk Bugles During Rut; Point Reyes National Seashore

Of all the wildlife Point Reyes has I think the species people think of first is the tule elk.  They are fairly easy to find and photograph at Point Reyes.  Needless to say, this photo was taken during the rut.  With his angry-looking eyes and wide-open mouth he looks pretty fierce.  Every time I see how big his mouth is I picture four canine teeth in there and wonder what life would be like if elk had canines.

Photo of peregrine falcon eating its prey.
Peregrine Falcon Holding Its Prey

Point Reyes has some resident peregrine falcons.  They are often seen from Chimney Rock to the Point Reyes Lighthouse.   This one decided to dine in ranch country.

Photo of a male california quail.
Overseeing His Covey

California quail are quite common in the Seashore.  When things are slow they can save the day.  I think the peregrine above was feeding on a quail.

Photo of an osprey perched on a dock.
Osprey; Tomales Bay, California

There are several ospreys that live and nest in and around the Seashore.  This one decided to perch on a dock in Inverness which is just over the ridge from the Seashore.

 

Red-tailed Hawk, Point Reyes National Seashore

Photo of a red-tailed hawk.
Red-tailed Hawk, Point Reyes National Seashore

Red-tailed hawks are common at Point Reyes, especially in the winter.  They are probably the raptor seen most often in the Seashore.

Photo of a great horned owl sitting in a barn window.
Great Horned Owl in Barn Window

Great horned owls are also common, although you don’t see them as often as their numbers would suggest because of their nocturnal ways.  Find any good sized clump of trees, though, and odds are good that you will find one or more great horned owls in there.  Pound for pound they are about the most deadly bird in North America.  While they normally prey on mammals and birds smaller than them, they have been know to prey on such things as house cats, canada geese and even bald eagles.  Field Guide to Owls of California and the West, Hans Peeters, at 191.

There are a lot of other wildlife species at Point Reyes , many of which I blogged about, but it’s time to stop.  If you’d like to see some more images from Point Reyes or elsewhere you can continue viewing my blog or you can visit my website, www.jimcoda.com.

Happy New Year to All, and thank you Jim Goldstein.

Hawk

Peregrine Falcon, Point Reyes National Seashore

Photo of peregrine falcon eating its prey.
Peregrine Falcon Holding Its Prey

I went out to Point Reyes yesterday for the first time since I left for Yellowstone in early September.  I’m still trying to get some good images of elk during the rut.  Thanks to heavy fog around Pierce Point, I didn’t have much luck in that regard.  I was lucky, though, to spot this peregrine feeding on some prey while perched on a fence post.