Posts in Category: Wildlife

Photos, stories and ‘how I got the shot’ about birds and animals in the wild

Wood Ducklings

On June 15, 2021 - Wildlife, Wildlife Photography

Sunday morning found this family of wood duck ducklings out and about. Mom was nowhere to be seen, but seven ducklings went about their business. 

They explored around the brush lining the edge of their pond. 
They foraged in the shallow water and picked insects off the brush.
We’ve nabbed some clear-winged insect….
They were finding a variety of insects along the way. Sometimes the insects are in easy reach…
…sometimes they’re on the top shelf. 
You can see the terrain their camouflage is designed for. 
Even ducklings have to put up with the flies. 
This little duckling tried some sort of salad, it chewed on it for a bit before deciding it wasn’t very good. 
Ducklings are masters of disguise. When they sense a threat, they rapidly disappear into and under the brush. 
After a bit, the ducklings crawled out on a log to preen and stretch. And I paddled off to see who else was out and about.
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Tree Swallows Have Four Eggs, June 13, 2021

On June 13, 2021 - Tree Swallow Cam

Another day, another egg for our tree swallows. 

Swallows Have Three Eggs, June 12, 2021

On June 12, 2021 - Tree Swallow Cam

Our swallows now have three eggs. Mrs. Swallow spent much of her morning in the box. When she ventured out for brunch, dad popped in to count the eggs.

Dad spent much of his morning perched on his ‘deck’ – the perch I clamped to the hummingbird feeder for the hummers. We had a nice conversation while I had my breakfast this morning.  Here’s mom fidgeting in the box for a bit. 

Tree Swallows Have Moved In! June 8, 2021

On June 8, 2021 - Bluebird Cam

A pair of tree swallows appeared last week and checked out both our camera equipped nesting boxes. The bluebirds, who we have had only glimpses of since their chicks fledged, reappeared to explain that the box to the north was theirs. The swallows settled on the other box. Which promptly attracted at least one more pair of swallows interested in the box. One pair has claimed it and started building. Hopefully the bluebirds will return for another brood in their box. 

We’re getting a kick out of them. The box is about 15′ from where we sit on the deck. In front of the deck, we’ve got a humming bird feeder with a stick clamped onto the hook to let the hummingbirds rest. The stick is only about 10′ from my chair on the deck. I’m not surprised that the hummingbirds don’t care. But, I am a little surprised at how comfortable the swallows are sitting there as we come and go. The swallows and the dogs had a few conversations; Dexter gave them a good woofing, but they held their ground and chattered back at him. Now they all ignore each other. 

Here’s their progress as of this morning. 

And, We’ve Got An Empty Nest, May 25, 2021

On May 25, 2021 - Bluebird Cam

And our second chick heads out to explore the world. 

Go ahead and bookmark my blog. I’ll have occasional updates and more critter pix. 

https://youtu.be/0yn6mR1J9vo

First Chick Has Fledged! May 25, 2021

On May 25, 2021 - Bluebird Cam

Our first chick took the plunge and left the box about 1015 this morning. Mom and dad have been perched on the deck roof calling to the chicks most of the morning. At 1230, the second chick is still in the box. He’s looking out regularly, but has yet been brave enough to go. 

We’ve Still Got Bluebirds, May 24, 2021

On May 24, 2021 - Bluebird Cam

They chicks are still in the box. They’ve made several feints towards the door, but have always backed down. 

Bluebirds Still With Us, May 23, 2021

On May 23, 2021 - Bluebird Cam

Our chicks we’re very active peering out the box’s entrance much of the morning. The wind picked up about noon and we’ve had intermittent heavy showers. That seemed to lessen their interest in the outside world. They’ve more or less settled in the box since midday. Mom and dad were calling from the yard this morning, but are making more frequent trips in with food this afternoon. 

Osprey in Maine, May 2021

On May 22, 2021 - Raptors, Wildlife Photography

Greater Damariscotta, Maine, has been attracting bird photographers for years. Damariscotta Mills came to the attention of photographers when they restored the fish ladder on the Damariscotta River. The ladder was originally built in 1807 when mills blocked the fish’s trip up the river. in 2007 a group took to restoring the ladder which allowed the fish to run again. The fish attracted osprey and eagles. The birds attracted photographers. 

When the alewife start running, all sorts of birds and others come to feed on them. I got a couple days up that way last week. The action seemed to be better just to the east in along the Saint George River in Warren, Maine. There were a number of osprey coming and going, the most spotted at one time was six. There was also a pair of adult bald eagles and two immature bald eagles in the area as well as a large supporting cast of cormorants and gulls. 

The attraction for the wildlife is the alewife run. Alewife are marine fish that swim up rivers to breed in fresh water. They can grow to about 16″, but average about 10″. They swim upstream in large schools, with many millions of fish heading up the rivers in greater Damariscotta every year. Alewife apparently don’t appeal to humans. There are a few shops in the area advertising smoked alewife, but most of the fish caught become bait in lobster traps. 

The rivers are filled with schools of alewife.
Closer view of the alewife.
There were several flocks of herring and ring-billed gulls ranging in size from about 20 to over 50. They moved around on the river mixing then splitting up, making it hard to count. And, every time an eagle went over, the gulls would all take flight and squawk. They seemed to do their fishing around the lowest point of the tide.
When a gull managed to catch or scavenge a fish, it would be mobbed by several others attempting to steal it. 
A broad-winged hawk came by to check out the scene. The guidebooks say broad-wings will eat fish, but this one just circled overhead briefly before moving on. 
This immature bald eagle was my hero, he couldn’t go by the gulls without swooping them.
Another eagle resting on rocks in the river. The eagles seemed more interested in stealing fish from the osprey than catching their own.
The main attraction was the osprey. They fish at mid tide. The water has to be deep enough for them to dive into – they can go a couple feet down, but it seems they like the water shallow enough to keep the fish near the surface. Osprey glide in a slow circle over the water until they see an opportunity to grab a fish – or two – then dive. 
There are often multiple osprey circling over the river.
Osprey can pull up and ‘hover’ more or less in one place while they watch the action below. 
Still hovering…
Still hovering, in the “‘”angel’s wing” pose.
Still looking for a target….
The best part of watching them is the dive and climbing back out of the water.
Unlike eagles which grab fish from very near the surface, osprey dive much deeper, sometime submerging the entire bird. They make a slash when they hit!
Climbing back out of the water makes for some great pics. 
Another bird with another fish.
This guy looks kinda mad, glad I’m not a fish.
Sometimes they come up with a fish – or two – sometimes not. 
Another catch.
It was a bad day to be a fish.
After a dive, osprey shake like a wet dog to get rid of the water.
Shake it up!
After a catch, the osprey will often circle over the photographers to show off their catch.

The trip to see the fish ladder and osprey is worth it. The alewife start running in early May and go into June. The Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder is open to the public. They harvest fish a couple times a day and are very used to visitors stopping by to watch. You can usually see osprey and eagles from the road by the fish ladder. Last time I was there, a pair of seals came upstream for a snack. 

Checking In On Our Bluebirds, May 21, 2021

On May 21, 2021 - Bluebird Cam

Our chicks are beginning to show interest in the entrance to the nesting box. They’re stretching to take a peek out. Haven’t seen either hop up to stick his head out, but won’t be long now. Update: they’re sitting in the entrance, looking out. 

We’re having a hot day today. Mom has been out of the box most of the day. We’ve got a wren singing from the azaleas by the deck. Mom bluebird has been perching on the deck rail fairly often this morning. She may be letting the wren know that the bluebird’s box is in use. We’ve got another box not too far away, we’ve had both bluebirds and wrens together a few years ago. 

Here’s a clip with the chicks fidgeting in the box, Mom delivering a tasty grasshopper, and one of the chicks trying to see out.

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