Great Horned Owl with baby

About three weeks ago, Charleston received a good 8" plus snow, so we put on our Carharts and went 4-wheeling. On a portion of the farmland that we own, there is a farm lane that runs along a ridge and looks down on a large amount of bottom ground that we farm. In the past few days, we noticed that as we drove up to the highest point on the little ridge, we had scared a bird from a tree in the same location several times. It didn't look like a hawk so we thought possibly it could be an owl. Diane soon located the nest high in a tree that was rooted at the base of the ridge at the edge of the farm field. The next day, we cautiosly approached and sure enough, a Great Horned Owl was sitting on a large bunch of sticks with snow hanging from the sides. Great Horned Owls usually don't build their own nest but use old hawk nests, cavities or other animal nests. In Coles County, these owls are the first birds to mate and have young. We were adviced by friends to not scare her from the nest by our presence too much, especially when it is cold. Today was my first chance to get a photo of one adult and one owlet. There are two owlets in the nest, but the other one was evidently taking a snooze. We are so pleased that the owl family is nesting on our farm and that we have habitat that is suitable. If you look at the lower left part of the nest, you can see the furry remains of a meal. Male owls will bring food to the nest as much as ten times a day. It will be so fun to watch them grow, but we are going to try and not be intrusive either. Stay tuned for more photos!!

Texas Birds

We found Texas to be a great place to bird. We added thirty-three new birds to our life list. The three that I have shown only live in the southern part of Texas or farther south.
Pictured from top to bottom is the Clay-colored Robin, Long-billed Thrasher, and Great Kiskadee.

Black-necked Stilts

We have been staying on South Padre Island and today is our last day. We hadn't done any birding here but had heard that the Convention Center had a nature trail, so we tried it. The elevated boardwalk that eventually led us to the Laguna Madre Bay wound through a very nicely preserved wetland. We were told as many as 5 different species of rails lived in the wetland. We heard several, but they never let us see them - very usual for rails. At the end of the boardwalk was a nice viewing platform looking out over the bay. Many different species of waders, gulls and shorebirds were visible from this location. The bay was very shallow for quite a distance and this provided wonderful feeding and resting opportunities for the birds. There were three Black-necked Stilts close to the viewing platform. We noticed some odd behavior from a particular pair that didn't resemble the usual feeding behavior that we had been witnessing. The male circled around the female as she kept her neck extended and bill pointed slightly downward. He would sometimes cross her bill and sometimes he appeared to get some water and put it on her. Finally after circling several times, they decided to play piggy back with the male on top. After the mating ritual was over, they decided to cross bills and rest, apparently they were in a no smoking zone.

Port Isabel Lighthouse

We are staying on South Padre Island and just before you cross the bridge that crosses the bay between the Texas mainland and the island is the Port Isabel Lighthouse. It was built of brick brought from New Orleans by schooner. The Beacon's 16 mile range guided ships into the harbor and to the Rio Grande bringing commerce to SW Texas. Darkened during the civil war, it was used as a lookout by both the union and confederate forces (I guess one was looking north and one south.Itwas also used as a lookout again during WW I.

Long-billed Curlew

The Long-billed Curlew is nicknamed the "Sickle-bill" because of its prodigious bill. In flight, its' wings show a cinnamon color. We witnessed this beautiful bird in flight as 20 or so flew right in front of the truck and landed in a nearby field. The Long-billed Curlew is uncommon but is seen in much of the west plus Florida and the east coast. It was fun to see so many as we were finishing our drive through the Atascosa NWR.

Altamira Oriole

Well, I read in one of my guides that the Altamira Oriole is rare with a very limited range in southern Texas. Let tell you how I got this shot. It was during our birding day at Laguna Atascosa. When I went in the visitors center just to look around, I overheard one of the staff say to another visitor, "That is an Altamira Oriole." I turned around and through the big viewing window was this first year bird, eating an orange that had been hung on a big tree branch. What a beautiful bird! I still had my camera hanging from my shoulder so I turned and fired off a couple of shots.

Tropical Kingbird

We stopped late one evening at Aransas NWR. It is the home of America's tallest bird, the Whooping Crane. Before we could get away from the visitor center Diane noticed this Tropical Kingbird perched in a nearby tree. I was getting ready to take his picture when he swooped out and grabbed supper. Aransas NWR, located close to Rockport, Texas, is 59,000 acres ringed by tidal marshes and broken by long, narrow sloughs. It has grasslands,live oaks, and redbay thickets in which 390 different species of birds have been seen. Again, the Tropical Kingbird can only be seen in the USA in southern Texas.

Crested Caracara

Crested Caracara are carrion-eating birds with long legs and naked faces. It is sometimes refered to as the "Mexican Eagle".It can be seen on fence posts or feeding with vultures. This bird is mostly seen in southern Texas. This bird was photographed in a beautiful area north of Corpus Christi called Rockport/Fulton.

Texas Birds

We have been traveling down the east coast of Texas looking for birds and we are happy to report we have found some. Pictured are two found only in the southern part of Texas and we saw these at the Laguna Atascosa NWR. Atascosa is 88,000 acres of barrier island, salt and freshwater marshes, coastal prairie, savannah and thorn brushes attracting over 400 species of birds. If you are in the area be sure and check it out. The two birds shown are the Green Jay and the Plain Chachalaca. An interesting note to the Green Jay is we saw a mutation form which was blue. He was missing all of his yellow pigmentation. In other words, we saw a Blue-Green Jay.

Prairie on Ice

Several days ago, we had an unusual storm. The weatherman termed it a "wintry mix". Boy, was it ever!! As a result of a slushy, icy rain everything was encased in a layer of ice. As I walked our sheltie around our prairie, I was struck by the beauty of the prairie plant stalks embedded in ice. Every little stem and seedhead was covered. I went home and got my camera to record this extraordinary weather event. The photos are of Indian Grass, one of my favorite prairie species. It is one of the dominant grasses in a tallgrass ecosystem along with Big Bluestem. The flowers of Indian Grass are borne on a beautiful golden plume, similar to the shape of a feather. One photo shows the dangling seed head looking like a string of beads. The curled leaf also belongs to a stalk of Indian Grass. Winter can bring out the beauty in an overwintering prairie. You just have to look. All of the stalks, stems and seeds of last year's plants provide food and shelter for many species of mammals and birds. I hope you enjoy this unusual look at a prairie in winter. Text and photos by Diane Cole.

Red-Tailed Hawk

Red-Tailed Hawks prefer a high perch from which they can swoop down and catch their prey. Highways provide good hunting along the shoulders and the median strip. Power lines and poles provide excellent perches. Yesterday, my wife Diane and I went on a Sunday drive looking for Red-Tailed Hawks. We didn't have to go far since a 4-lane highway is only 1/2 mile from our house. We saw at least 4 of them in the first 3 miles. Now you can drive by a perched Red-Tailed Hawk and he/she will never move. Well, just try stopping and snapping their photo. They sense danger and they swoop off to the next pole. So my wife would drive and spot and pull over on the shoulder and I would try and get a shot. We weren't having much luck until we were near the local airport and we discovered that one the birds was a pretty good sport. He would let me get a picture, fly a short distance to another perch, then let me get another shot. He even treated us by jumping off his perch and grabbing a meadow vole for Sunday dinner. Because his turf is the county airport, my wife named him Sky King (Pale Male was already taken.)

Brown Creeper

Well we are back in Illinois and it sure is cold, but then again it's winter and it probably should be cold. I was looking at our bird feeders when I noticed a bird climbing up one of the trees. At first I thought it was a Nuthatch but when it climbed up so far then dropped back down to the base of another tree I knew it was a Brown Creeper. They are fun to watch as they circle up the tree looking for food in the bark. Apparently, a few do overwinter in central Illinois and seeing one just outside the window was a treat. The Brown Creeper has a slender decurved bill and a stiff tail which it uses as a brace when it's climbing and probing the bark of the tree for insects.

Great Blue Herons

Venice is 2 hours north of Sanibel and in a small pond in, a very busy part of town, is a rookery. The rookery itself is made of Brazilian Pepper plants, an exotic, unwanted, invasive plant. However, in this place it makes a nice home for several pairs of Great Blue Herons. Pictured here is a pair sitting close to their nest atop of the rookery.

Pileated Woodpecker

The crow-sized bird pictured is the female Pileated Woodpecker. They like feeding low on dead trees or fallen branches looking for one of its favorite foods carpenter ants. I caught this girl with her tongue out.

Young Eagle

We were recently at Bunche Beach looking for shorebirds when we noticed a large group of vultures soaring above. However, there were a couple that looked different so we immediately pulled up our Stokes Birding Binoculars and sure enough something different - immature eagles.

The one pictured is a 4 year old and should be maturely dressed by this time next year.

Cardinal

The State Bird of Illinois is the Cardinal. The bird pictured is living down by the Sanibel Lighthouse and more than likely followed me down to escape the cold Midwest winter. There is a football team in Arizona named the Cardinals and some minor league baseball team in Missouri.

Black Skimmer

A couple of mornings ago I found two to three hundred Black Skimmers roosting along the edge of the beach. It wasn't long before a walker scared the birds and gave me some interesting photo opportunities. One picture shows the Sanibel Lighthouse in the background. Skimmers are a fun bird to watch feed since they usually fly near the water with their longer lower mandible skimming the surface until it hits a fish,then snaps it up.

Northern Mockingbird

Mockingbirds are common throughout most of the U.S. They are highly territorial and during breeding season defend territory against other Mockinbirds, people, cats, snakes, large birds, and almost any other predator. Their song imitates phrases of other species.

Piping Plover

This plover is uncommon and local on sandy beaches. The upperparts are pale gray-brown, the legs are orange, and the bill is dark in winter. The Piping Plover habitat is being destroyed by development, vehicles and human activity on the beaches.

Wilson's Plover

This is one of four small plovers of SW Florida in winter. The large "jimmy durante" bill distinguishes it from the others. We see them feeding on mudflats at Bunche Beach. The female will feign injury similiar to a Killdeer when nesting and try to draw predators away from nest.

CUTE

The bird pictured is a Burrowing Owl and what can I say but "cute". This pint sized owl digs burrows similiar to a prairie dog where it lives and raises its young. The Burrowing Owl hunts small rodents and insects at night, but is often seen perched on the ground in daylight. It is easily approached by humans but when agitated, may display a quick bobbing action, like deep knee bends. You just have to love those long legs - they definitely add to its cuteness.

Bald Eagle (Same One)

The previous picture showed the upbeat of take off, this is the second beat or the one down. I was thinking someone would ask and I wanted clarify before they did.

BALD EAGLE

There are several great birding areas in Southwest Florida. Sanibel Island offers one of the best for several species of wading birds, shore birds and others. They have natural areas, large refuges , and miles of beachfront. One area we have visited in the last three years is the Dairy Queen parking lot and not just for the oreo blizzards. From the west side, it is easy to view an Eagle's nest with two adult birds and, if your lucky, two babies. A dead tree just west of the parking lot is a favorite spot for them to perch. I set up my long lens this morning and was lucky enough to capture the picture shown.

Reddish Egret

This is one of my favorite wading birds. While hunting for fish, he often dances around in the water in a back and forth motion with wings up in the air. This rather uncommon way of hunting makes him look like a drunken sailor. The bright pink base of the bill tells you that this is a breeding adult. This bird is restricted to the salt water in the southeast and is always fun to watch.

Wood Stork

So this is the guy who brings the babies. I see him often in South Florida but have yet to see him carrying any small packages. I usually see him frequenting water filled ditches along roadsides. They breed south of Sanibel in very tall bald cypress trees that grow in a huge swamp . They are quite particular about the water level in that swamp. If the level is too low or too high, they will not nest because the fishing will not be not quite right to sustain their nestlings. This habit puts a stress on their numbers. I will let you know if I see one carrying a baby. I just hope he is a bit more gentle and careful than the Osprey I pictured before.

Last Ride

Well, you know I don't much care for flying myself and I am thinking this fish really doesn't much like it either. We were at Bunche Beach checking out the shorebirds when I saw this Osprey in the distance come up with this huge fish. Now let me tell you, he was having a hard time getting airborne. Then he did what all good pilots do, he turned and faced the wind and fortunately for me, the wind was at my back and here he came. I got several shots as he passed by at a relatively close distance. If anyone happens to know what kind of fish this is let me know. Well, OK, "a dead fish" would be one answer.

American White Pelican

The American White Pelican is one of our largest birds with a wingspan of 9'. Unlike the Brown Pelican which dives for its food, the White Pelicans flock together and as a group herd a school of fish into shallow waters and scooping them up in their huge bills. We see White Pelicans in Illinois but the one taking off in this picture was taken today at Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, Florida.

American Kestrel

The American Kestrel is the smallest falcon and fairly common. In Illinois, it is often seen perched on wires along roadsides. When hunting, it often hovers in one spot on rapidly beating wings looking mostly for large insects but also rodents or small birds. These two photos show the tail feathers spread. The red-brown coloring of the tail along with black tips at the end of the tail feathers indicate that this is a male.

Sandwich Tern

This bird hangs around with the Royal Tern and even nests in the same colonies, but usually is less common. A contrasting yellow tip on the long black bill is diagnostic and this is easily seen in my picture. The Sandwich Tern feeds by diving from high in the air and catching small fish.

While on the beach this morning, we noticed a gentleman photographing a large gathering of birds resting on the beach. My curiousity got the best of me since it was an odd looking lens. Also, I wanted to volunteer some bird sightings that he might want to photograph. I told him about a couple of Snowy Plovers that I had seen and he kindly replied that he had already seen them. I then asked what kind of lens he was using and he said it wasn't a camera but a scope. In fact, it was a telescope. He was checking leg bandnumbers on Royal Terns and recording them. He said he thought that about one in ten Royal Terns on this beach were banded. I didn't know anyone was placing leg bands on Royal Terns and found this interesting. (Notice the photo of the band on the Royal Tern's leg.) He also pointed out a couple of different bird species I had missed. He said his name was David and he was from New Jersey. The beach can be so interesting - not only birds, but the human species also!

Snowy Plover

This morning we decided to go to the Gulf Beach and look for Snowy Plovers. We knew a spot where they had been in the past and as luck would have it there just happened to be two snowy plovers feeding on the beach. This is one of four different species of small plovers wintering in SW Florida. Characteristic of the Snowy Plover is a pale sandy back, partial neck ring, black bill, and gray legs. They are in constant motion on the beach so photographing one is always a challenge!

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

These woodpeckers are fairly common and often very noisy. It is zebra-backed with a red cap and white rump. It gets its name from its red belly which is often very hard to see. I caught this guy showing off his namesake.

We stay only a few blocks from the famous Sanibel Lighthouse and often I go there early in the morning to see the sun rise over the gulf and to check out the bird action. The first thing I saw this morning was an Osprey hovering over the water. Seconds later, he was diving downward and then grabbed breakfast - fresh fish. The picture shown is the Osprey dining on his catch. The other picture is a friend landing nearby to see if he would share which he didn't. The Osprey is the only raptor which dives in the water for its food.

Loggerhead Shrike

We left the island to get some supplies today and on our drive back, just before the toll booth, we saw a hawk land in a palm tree. It was easy to stop and take a look. As I was observing the hawk, I noticed this Shrike nearby. I immediately focused my camera on the shrike simply because I don't see them that often (maybe three times before) and luckily I got this picture. According to what I have read, we don't have Loggerhead Shrikes in central Illinois and they are on the decline in other parts of the country. Perching high is common so that they can swoop down and capture large insects among other things. They may impale dead prey on thorns earning them the name "butcher bird".

Semipalmated Plover

There are four small plovers which winter on Sanibel Island. The most common is the Semipalmated. It is somewhat similiar to Killdeer but is half the size and has only a single dark breast-band.

We finally made it to Sanibel Island which I fondly refer to as Coles County South. One of Sanibel's most magnificent birds of which they have many is the Roseate Spoonbill. This large pinkish bird with its spoon like bill it shown in this picture. This view shows the orange rump which most people don't see.