Bird Photos and their Stories
Lauren Shaffer wrote 146 posts
Virginia Rails are very secretive marsh-loving birds which are rarely seen. In fact, in 30 years of birding, I had never seen one until last year. I had heard them giving their kid-ick, kid-ick call, but had never laid eyes on one. Last year I was determined to add this bird to my life list, […]
Two lovely Canada Geese are peacefully swimming on the still waters of Lake Chillisquaque, when out of nowhere comes the Evil One who flies in, making his presence known with great squawks and tongue protruding. He is announcing to all that this is his territory and others are not welcome here. That show of offense didn’t dislodge […]
Snowy Owls are still in the news, with some being seen south of us in Lancaster, and other places, too. So, I decided to add one more post (at least) with photos of the “Dark One” that I described in my last post. It is so dark, that it is easily identified as a […]
Snowy Owls have been the most exciting thing to happen to our little farming community in years; bringing together curious neighbors, bird clubs, famous ornithologists, photographers, and the Old Order Mennonite farmers with their large families who have been hosting them for more than two months. At the peak of their appearances, at least 4 or […]
Hooded Mergansers: Identification Hooded Mergansers are my all-time favorite duck, and always a thrill to see during migration for ducks and geese in March. Such a dapper little duck in a tux, and a real attitude to go with it! Allaboutbirds.org describes them briefly as follows: “Hooded” is something of an understatement for this extravagantly […]
Red-necked Grebe Red-throated Loon, Ross’ Goose, many Red-necked Grebes, White-winged Scoters, various other ducks, as well as thousands of Snow Geese and Canada Geese were spotted by the members of a recent Pennsylvania Society of Ornithology (PSO) field trip. Because Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area above Lancaster, PA was frozen over, the trip became a Susquehanna river […]
Project Snowstorm According to the All About Birds blog by Cornell, The massive Snowy Owl irruption going on this year—the biggest in decades—is captivating birders and nonbirders alike with unexpected glimpses of an avian superstar with hypnotic golden eyes. But this winter’s phenomenon is also an opportunity for science to learn about the lifestyle […]
Identification of the Snowy Owl As the photos show, Snowy Owls can be very lightly barred or almost white if they are adult males, and more moderately or darkly barred if they are juveniles or adult females. In our area, we happen to have all three! Here is a great infographic put out by Nature | PBS. […]
Identification of the Red-Tailed Hawk Red-tails are easily seen from the highway, perched in trees, telephone poles or even wires, and sometimes soaring in the air with their rufous-colored tail shining brightly in the sun. When perched, their bright white breast glows, and a belly band of dark streaks is usually visible. Their […]
Identification of the Ring-Necked Pheasant and its Story It’s hard to mistake a Ring-Necked Pheasant running across a back road, with its gaudy colors and long striped tail, for any other bird. The female is a drab brown without the long tail, but the male sports irridescent blue, green, gold, and rust along with […]