Posts in Category: Raptors

A Busy Week for the Critters

On May 24, 2026 - Foxes, Game Birds, Herons, Loons, Raptors, Shorebirds, Wildlife Photography

With a week with mostly nice weather, I was able to get out and visit both the Middletons and Westons as well as the heron rookery and a couple fox dens.

This week, you’ve got two chances to see my slideshow, Travels with Ian 2025, with some of my favorite images from last year. We’ll see lots of wildlife around New England and lots of brown bears from Alaska – including Brown Bear no. 925 who made ursine history last year. There are even images of a steam locomotive working in the incredible scenery along the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway.

The first show will be at the Bugbee Center in White River Jct. Wednesday May 27 at 1:30 pm. The second presentation will be at the Blake Memorial Library in Corinth, VT Friday May 29 at 6 pm. The Library would appreciate an RSVP sent to khotellingbml@gmail.com. Both are free and open to the public.

And I’ll be exhibiting at the Berkshires Art Festival in Great Barrington, MA on July 3, 4 and 5. I’ll have note cards and prints large and small for sale. Please come by and have a look.

A week ago Saturday, I called on the Westons. One was feeding at the south end of the pond, the other turned out to already be sitting on the nest towards the north end of the pond. I wandered off to see who else might be around.

About the only excitement – if cormorants can be exciting – was this double-crested cormorant who finished breakfast and departed.

Both loon parents share sitting on the eggs. Our off-duty loon finished at the buffet and headed towards the nest for a shift change. This turned out to be Mom. Dad is banded and I could ID him when he came off the nest.
Dad is hidden in the brush. His head is the dark spot in the brush above mom’s head.

Mr. Weston came off the nest and stretched as Mrs. Weston settled in on the nest.

A friend tipped me off to a fox den, I headed down Monday morning to see if I could find it. There are supposed to be seven kits. Mom has been busy. So far I’ve found five of her holes. Without knowing where anyone was, I sat and watched the wrong hole for a time. This guy popped out of one of the holes down the field, and I gave up on what may have been an empty hole.

This sibling joined the first kit and both stretched out to enjoy the sun – after moving far enough back in the brush to keep me from getting more photos.

Tuesday morning, I was on the road early to visit the heron rookery. I missed when they started sitting on the nests. I was hoping for chicks. No such luck, the latest they should hatch is early this week.

It was a warm morning and most of the herons on nest duty were standing up in the nests. Both heron parents take turns sitting on the nest. The last time I visited, the bird on duty at dawn was still on duty when I left about 9:00.

This morning, all of the off-duty birds returned early to relieve their partners. The shift change comes with a “nest relief ceremony.” The partners stretch their necks and/or raise the plumes on their crest. They may preen each other and sometimes exchange sticks. But, the bird that’s just been relieved doesn’t stick around long.

This heron’s mate has just returned to the rookery and is perched in a tree to the left of the nest. The birds stretched and clapped their bills at a distance before a quick exchange at the nest.

The birds reporting for duty all spent several minutes tidying the nest.

When the nests are in order, the birds settle in and catch up with their neighbors.

On the way home, I stopped to visit the foxes again. They weren’t to be found.

The next morning I headed out to see what the Middletons were up to. They’re sitting on their nest. They’ve moved from where the nest has been for several years. They’ve found a new spot on a hummock deep in the brush and are well hidden. I didn’t see the nest until Mrs. Middleton relieved Mr. Middleton.

As Mr. Middleton left his cove, a pair of Canada geese flew into the pond and landed not too far from the loon’s nest. That pair of geese was rapidly challenged by another pair of geese that flew across the pond to object to the newcomers.

The newcomers objected right back and went after the second pair of geese.

It was a serious fight, with geese biting and striking with their elbows – the joint in the wing.

In the midst of the fight, Hank Herron flew in right where the geese were fighting and staked out his position.

One of the geese chased Hank off his log into the brush nearby. Then appeared to go over and converse…..

Mr. Middleton returned, keeping low in the stalking pose. He’s checking the battlefield – notice Hank in the back right.

Mr. Middleton went over to see what Hank was up to. One of the pair of geese got out of the water and stood on the log near where the whole shebang started. Mr. Middleton dove…..

I’m not sure if Mr. M actually goosed the goose, but he made it clear that the goose had to go.

Hank seemed unfazed by the hullabaloo and went off to see what was for breakfast.

There didn’t seem to be anything appetizing nearby, so Hank waded off.

After some more skirmishing, one pair of geese convinced the other to go away. Quiet returned to the cove. Mr. M headed back out to get busy with his day.

And Hank took up position waiting for a meal to swim by. I headed home.

A chilly Friday found me paddling down the Waits River before dawn.

Where I met Mrs. Mallard and her brood paddling upstream.

I had to make way for ducklings as she lead her brood past.

A large flock of sandpipers – called a fling, a bind, a cluster, or a contradiction of sandpipers – was spread along the banks and islands. Most of them were least sandpipers with others mixed in.

Sandpipers eat insects and their larvae, small crustaceans and other invertebrates like snails. They forage in and near the river, happily poking their bills into the muck to find the tastiest snacks.

They forage with rapid movements. And often seem to think the menu is better somewhere ‘over there.’

Here I found a few least sandpipers – the bird on the right – foraging alongside a spotted sandpiper.

One of the least sandpipers heading to the next bit of mud to check out what’s on the menu there.

An osprey circled overhead a few times before looking like he’d spotted his meal below.

A male red winged-blackbird didn’t like the osprey in the area and flew up to challenge him. The osprey spent a few minutes dodging the blackbird before the blackbird gave up. I’m a little surprised that the red wings challenge the osprey. Osprey eat almost exclusively fish (I have seen a video of one grabbing a snake from the water.) Birds usually know who is a threat and who isn’t. Loons can tell the difference between eagles and osprey at a considerable distance. They alert and call at the eagles and ignore the osprey. I wonder why red-wings object.

A common grackle joined the sandpipers looking for breakfast. I can’t identify what the grackle caught. But it wasn’t to his liking. He carried it up on the bank and abandoned it.

As I was heading back to the boat launch, I caught up with the mallard family again. Mrs. Mallard had the ducklings out of the water to preen. Dad was paddling nearby.

The ducklings finished preening and settled in for a nap.

Mom kept an eye on them as they huddled – she seems to think the little guy on the right is up to something….

An eagle appeared flying downstream. Mom gave a sharp call and the ducklings took cover under a nearby log. They hid for several minutes before remerging to huddle for their nap. I headed home.

Yesterday I headed back to check on the fox kits.

I quickly found one resting directly on top of the den’s hole.

Something caught his attention and he stood to look things over.

A false alarm! He settled back to nap in the sun.

A ways up the field, another kit was lounging near another of their holes.

This guy was laying in the brush at the edge of the woods.

Another kit was snacking on something near yet another of their holes. He’s finished and is off the the next item on the agenda. The parents will bring food to the den and if the kits aren’t out, the parent drops the food and leaves.

The clouds were moving in rapidly and the light was fading, I headed home.

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fox kits, geese, great blue herons, herons, loons

Peregrine Falcons Have Returned

On March 13, 2024 - Raptors, Wildlife Photography

Peregrine falcons have returned to Vermont and are getting ready to nest. I was able to visit a pair in Caledonia County this morning. They spent some time seemingly discussing their nest site, with one promoting last year’s site, the other agitating for a ledge a couple dozen yards to the north. They interrupted the discussion to head out for a flying courtship display. Unfortunately, the display was out of camera range.

Peregrines were extirpated (locally extinct) in Vermont after the introduction of DDT. The state started a recovery effort in 1975 and the population is increasing again. The last year I could find figures for was 2022, when there were an estimated 60 pairs nesting in Vermont.

Peregrines are thought to be the fastest animal on earth. They can dive in flight. Estimates online range from 200 to 240 mph, without my finding anyone who claims to have actually clocked a flying falcon. But, seeing one dive is indeed impressive and the estimates are believable.

When I arrived before dawn, this bird was on last year’s nest site, the other was about 50 feet to the north on a different ledge. They repeatedly called to each other, seemingly promoting the benefits of each site.

The second bird moved up to a tree more or less over the old site and the discussion continued.

The second bird swooped the first while it was on the old nest, probably the beginning of his courtship display.

Another swoop. Both birds soon flew off to trees to the south where they repeatedly called and answered. After a bit they flew, with one somewhat lazily circling while the other swooped and rolled. Unfortunately, they were too far away for pix.

After the courtship, the both settled in trees for a bit before one headed out, probably for breakfast. After a time, the bird returned to last year’s nesting site and sat for a bit.

Still sitting on the old nest site, the mate was still in the trees to the south.

Time to fly some errands, the bird headed out and off to the east and I headed off to get my errands done.

birds, Peregrine, Peregrine falcons, raptors, vermont wildlife, wildlife

Unexpected Action on the Middleton’s Pond

On May 3, 2023 - Loons, Photography, Raptors, Wildlife Photography

The forecast for this morning called for rain. I happily planned to sleep in. Owing two huskies often thwarts such plans. When I let them out, there were stars to be seen. There was a thick fog over the Connecticut River, but clear skies above. The Middleton’s – the loons that live on the pond between the other two ponds – pond is a few hundred feet above the Connecticut. Hoping for some mood shots, I packed up and headed out.

The pond had a moderate fog and flat water. I had guessed correctly.

There was no shortage of Canada geese on the pond. I noticed nine nests while I was exploring.

It didn’t take long to find the loons, they were in one of their favorite coves. And sleeping in.

After a time, they began to stir. They both did a very quick preen and stretched their legs.

Before giving a good wing stretch to get things going.

Loons on this pond have often nested in this cove. Two years ago, they relocated the nest. This morning, they took a quick tour around the old nest site, poking into the brush and hooting to each other.

When loons are courting, they’ll swim quickly along side each other, softly hooting to each other, and they’ll make synchronized dives. This morning, our pair made a quick courting display before heading off to breakfast.

With the loons off having breakfast, I spent some time exploring the marsh. Warblers are back, the pond was surrounded by yellow-rumped warblers and common yellowthroats. I saw a black & white warbler – briefly. And, the spider webs were covered in dew and standing out. Before I could concentrate on photographing warblers, bigger things were afoot.

A bald eagle that had been sitting out of my sight dove on the pond, coming up empty. I wasn’t quick enough to get the camera around for the dive. He? landed in a tree overlooking the pond and I settled in to wait for the next dive.

The osprey on the pond have returned to their nest and were not in the mood to welcome an eagle.

One of the osprey came in and dove at the sitting eagle.

The osprey came in close to the eagle. I’m glad I wasn’t on the business end of the talons.

The osprey pulled up and came around again.

The eagle was standing higher and calling louder this time. That didn’t discourage the osprey.

The osprey made five dives at the eagle. The eagle held his ground. The osprey headed down the pond towards the nest.

Having proved he could hold his ground (hold his tree?), the eagle sat for a time before flying off to a new perch – out of sight of the osprey. He eventually came back, dove for a fish and missed. Settling in a new tree, the osprey started in on him again.

The loons would be rooting for the osprey. Osprey’s diet is almost exclusively fish, they leave the loons alone, while eagles are a very real threat to loon families.

My luck with the weather ran out. A few raindrops remined me that the huskies needed their morning run. I had the boat packed up and was pulling out of the parking spot when the rain hit. The huskies enjoyed romping in the mud when they got their run.

bald eagle, birding, birds, birdwatching, common loon, eagle, loons, osprey, wildlife

A Visit With The Loons, Chicks Are 22 & 23 Days Old, July 11, 2021

On July 11, 2021 - Herons, Loons, Raptors, Wildlife Photography

I spent the morning visiting the loon family with two chicks in the Upper Valley area. Both chicks appear to be doing well, both are growing rapidly, are active and feeding eagerly.

The loons aren’t the only inhabitants of their pond. This great blue heron was out and about a little before sun up.

I got too close to Hank for the shot with my long lens before I noticed him. I debated it it was worth turning around, getting further back and waiting for the water to settle again. I figured he’d move along before I was set. Glad he didn’t.

After the fog lifted, an osprey was up hunting for breakfast, and came to a hover almost directly overhead. Loons appear to differentiate osprey from other raptors at long range. Hawks and eagles are met with cries and the chicks flatten out to hide. But, the loons pretty much ignore the osprey (whose diet is almost entirely fish).

One of the adults stretching. I think this is our banded loon. The Loon Preservation Committee banded a bird with this combination of bands at Lee’s Pond in Moultonborough, NH, in 2015. The weren’t able to determine the sex while banding (I’m betting this is mom – the other loon is clueless about dealing with the chicks). It was spotted on Lake Tarleton in 2015 and on the current pond since 2018.

UPDATE: I guessed wrong. Eventually I was able to catch this bird yodeling, which only males do. He’s a much more attentive parent than mom.

This pair of adults seems particularly fond of crayfish for feeding the chicks. They delivered several large crayfish early in the morning.

This chick has learned to toss the crayfish up to grab it tail first for easier swallowing.

After the first feeding, there was a break while the parents preened and the chicks napped. One of the adults swam close to my boat to preen. I got great views as it cleaned and oiled its feathers. (And, ‘close’ is a relative term, these were with an 800mm lens and cropped.)

Feathers adjusted, time to give them a fluff and check to see if they’re repelling water.

The family spent most of the morning in shallow water, with the chicks practicing diving and foraging. It will be a while before they can feed themselves, but they’ve started learning. This guy made a successful dive and managed to catch a stick. Sticks apparently do not make good snacks.

The parents eventually got serious about feeding the chicks and started bringing in fish.

Adult loons seem unfamiliar with the concept of volume. They brought in fish that appeared way too big for a chick to swallow. This little guy was up to the challenge, but had to work at it.

The other chick got a shot at the next fish that was delivered.

The adult recovered it, and handed (billed?) it back over.

This fish proved to be too big, one of the adults ended up eating it.

And a last shot of one of the chicks stretching.

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.

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, in the “‘”angel’s wing” pose.

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.

This guy looks kinda mad, glad I’m not a fish.

Sometimes they come up with a fish – or two – sometimes not.

After a dive, osprey shake like a wet dog to get rid of the water.

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.

Eagles at Conowingo Dam

On November 18, 2020 - Raptors, Wildlife Photography

My travels took me through Aberdeen, Maryland, recently. It was just at the start of eagle season at the Conowingo Dam, so I felt that required a visit. I was able to spend a few hours over a couple days in along with a couple hundred of my closest eagle photographing friends.

The Conowingo Dam dams the Susquehanna River on the line between Cecil and Harford counties, MD. The original town of Conowingo is now under the reservoir above the dam. Conowingo is famous among photographers because something like 250-300 bald eagle winter in the area. The dam keeps the water open. Fish that would prefer to stay deep underwater get stirred up (or even injured) going through the dam and make easy pickings for waiting eagles. The eagles have learned that the lights and siren to alert people that the dam is about to increase the water they’re releasing means dinner is served.

Along with the eagles, there is a large flock of black vultures, several varieties of gulls, a gulp of cormorants and even a pair of peregrine falcons. Photographers new to the dam are allowed to shoot a few pix of the non-eagles before they are roundly abused by their fellow photographers.

Here we’ve got a black vulture flying over the river. The vultures are a problem for visitors, they’ve been known to eat windshield wipers and any plastic part of a car they can get their beaks on.

The fishing is pretty good for everyone. Here a double-crested cormorant has caught a nice catfish.

Of course, you can always try to take what someone else has caught….

But, the real action is the eagles. When I was there, the winter crowd was just beginning to arrive. The local birders estimated somewhere between 50 and 75 eagles had arrived. Many of the eagles were juveniles.

You get frequent close looks as they fly over.

But, the real attraction is the mature eagles.

Looking down from the parking lot on a mature eagle with a meal.

Another fly-by with a meal tucked up under.

Bald eagles often seem more interested in stealing fish from other birds than in doing their own fishing. A successful catch often leads to a chase. Here a couple juveniles tussle over a fish, look closely under their wings and you can see the eagle on the right has dropped what should have been his meal. There were several skirmishes between adults and adults and juveniles, but they usually took the fight over the trees along the river and out of sight.

There were good views of eagles fishing; this eagle has spotted a fish below and is banking to line up for his dive.

There were several flybys with eagles showing off their catch as they headed to perch in the trees behind me.

And, I was lucky enough to catch a few well-lit fishing sequences.

Look on the right side of the photo, that’s a fish breaking the surface and about to become breakfast.

And, like all fishermen, he wants to show off his catch.

bald eagles, birds in flight, eagles

Breakfast with the Loon Chicks

On August 7, 2020 - Loons, Raptors, Wildlife Photography

I got a chance to check in on ‘my’ loon family Thursday morning. Both chicks seem to be doing well, they’re big, their feathers are growing in and they’re diving and foraging on their own – as well as being well-fed by their parents.

Our pond was a tough place to be a fish Thursday morning. There were two osprey patrolling the pond. It looked like one was a juvenile and was pestering a parent to be fed (I’m pretty sure I heard the parent say ‘Get your own darned fish!’).