Bird Photos and their Stories
Lauren Shaffer wrote 146 posts
We’ve all seen commercials and videos recently of interesting animal buddies, but today was the first time I witnessed a doggie/deer combo myself. Although I frequent this back road often, looking for birds, I’ve never seen a dog running around loose. And this one was accompanied by a young deer. They sauntered down the middle […]
Siskins are Sassy! Their needle-sharp beaks and quick movements are good for two things: for eating you out of house and home, and for fighting off each other and their rivals at the thistle feeder. Not seen every year, these finches have an irruption year when food is scarce in the north where they usually winter. […]
How do birds find enough to eat in the winter? They are very resourceful, even though there may be a thick blanket of snow on the ground. Discovering how Horned Larks find food in the winter is both entertaining and amazing. They are ground nesters and foragers, thus a good example of adapting to the environment in […]
The Rough-legged Hawk, a gorgeous raptor which breeds in the Artic, comes south in the winter through Canada to stay in much of the U.S. in order to find food. We see them here in rural Central PA towards the middle of winter, in good numbers. They are also found in Asia, Europe and Greenland unlike our other […]
The sun finally came out this morning in rural Central Pa, so I braved the crazy 4 degrees with ear muffs, hand warmers, gloves, heavy coat and boots, and went birding! For four hours!! With the bright snow and the intense sunlight, I was less than happy with the umpteen pictures I took, but it […]
Gray Ghost, male Northern Harrier, Marsh Hawk; all names of this unique hawk which hunts low over open ground or marsh. Long and slender, with wings often held in a dihedral or V-shape, its flat head makes it look something like an owl when it flies. Another owl-like feature is a facial disk which aids […]
Photographing Bald Eagles at Conowingo Dam along the Susquehanna River in Maryland, has to be one of the most thrilling experiences of a photographer’s life. At least it is, if the eagles are there! There are no guarantees that they will show up in big numbers, or that they will be active for more than […]
The Eurasian Wigeon which breeds in Iceland, Europe, and Asia, is a common visitor to America, and is a handsome bird with its rufous head and pinkish breast. It shares some characteristics with its American cousin, the “Baldpate,” such as the cream-colored crown, white shoulder patch, and black at the back end. As stated in Audubon birds, […]
The Forster’s Tern is a beauty, unique among the terns in winter with its black eye patch rather than a cap or crown. It’s also the only tern which lives almost entirely in North America. On a recent visit to Cape May, NJ, we came upon these beautiful birds vying for a spot on the […]
Lincoln’s sparrows are always a treat to see in fall migration in Pennsylvania. Their finely streaked sides and breast, along with their buffy malar stripe and upper breast, an eye ring, and white throat and belly all combine to make for one handsome bird. s This fall I discovered some wonderful habitat for migrating sparrows […]