Birding in Maine» birding

Juvenile Bald Eagles

John Briggs — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 21:10:46 +0000

Bald Eagle -- Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Since mid spring, I’ve been watching a successful Bald Eagle nest not much more than a stone’s throw from where we live here on the peninsula south of Bath. The nest is some 40 feet off the ground and it’s impossible to see inside. I knew there were chicks in the nest, because the adults brought food on a regular basis, and I could hear the chicks calling when the adults were not around.

While taking a break from my studies this weekend, I finally got to see the young, pre-flight Bald Eagles. Just before sunrise Saturday morning, I set up my tripod and camera and waited. I could see wings flapping in the nest, and I heard a few calls, but nothing worth photographing. Finally, after an hour or so wait, one of the juvies hopped out of the nest onto a branch. Lovingly named Butchie and his other brother Butchie by Robin Robinson over at The Back Story -- My Controlled Chaos, I expect them to take their first flight any day now. Many thanks Robin, for giving me the heads up on the nest! I can only hope I will be nearby when they take their first flight.

The young Eagles were very cooperative for nearly an hour. I filled a 16gb CF card with many photos and videos of the pair; capturing preening, head and chin scratching, yawning and several wing stretches. While I enjoyed the Eagles, plenty of other birds were on the move. Cedar Waxwings and Red-winged Blackbirds were everywhere, the forest floor seemed alive with Chipping Sparrows, and I caught a brief glimpse of a Black-crowned Night Heron in flight. All and all, it was a great morning to enjoy Mother Nature!

Some of the following images are tall. Tap your f11 key to open your browser to its fullest size before viewing. Simply click a thumbnail for a full-sized view.

Dimension: 560x480 | Video bit rate: 1000Kbps | File Size: 24.6mb
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Video: Juvenile Bald Eagles | ©2010 John Briggs Photography
Watch in full-sized HD at YouTube by clicking video screen after playback begins.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCmTukjjezA

Happy birding!

Photo of the Day: White-breasted Nuthatch

John Briggs — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:39:42 +0000

White-breasted Nuthatch – Sitta carolinensis

A robust family of White-breasted Nuthatches have been visiting our feeders since the young fledged from their nest cavity last week. This is one bird that is hard to photograph when the youngsters chase ma and pa around for a morsel of food. Usually during the evening hours, they calm down enough that I can get a few pictures of these little gems.

Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Gray Catbird and Downy Woodpecker fledglings have been visiting our feeding stations. I am still waiting for the Baltimore Oriole fledglings to come, and that should be any day now.

I’ve been busy with my studies and don’t have much time to photograph birds these days. But there is a three day weekend coming up and I plan on taking advantage of it. The weather is to be spectacular!

Happy birding!

Photo of the Day: Snowy Egret – Flying Away

John Briggs — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:39:56 +0000

Snowy Egret - Flying Away | Click thumbnail for larger view

It was Wednesday morning, and several Snowy Egrets were feeding in the marshy area of our cove, but they were just to far away to get photos. I hoped that they would fly to an area closer to where I was standing, and being low tide, I fully expected this to happen. What I didn’t expect was a flyover of an adult Bald Eagle, causing the Egrets to scatter. All of the Egrets flew away from me, except this one, which flew past where I was standing. It was soon out of sight, but I captured the moment and it became the essential image of the story that I am sharing with you. Enjoy!

Happy birding!

Photo of the Day: Northern Cardinal Portrait

John Briggs — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:56:58 +0000

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) | Click thumbnail for larger view

While hiding in the shadows of our home trying to get a photograph of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, I was surprised when this beautiful male Northern Cardinal landed about ten feet from where I stood. My camera was at my side, and not wanting to spook the bird, I slowly raised my rig. I silently prayed that the bird would stay put. I quickly got off two shots before the Cardinal fled. The first photo was completely out of focus, but the second one was great. Enjoy!

Happy birding!

Photo of the Day: Snowy Egret

John Briggs — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:52:28 +0000

On Tuesday morning, I was hidden among some brambles watching several Snowy Egrets feeding in a tide pool. One particular Egret was not happy with the others and forced them to fly away. I found an opening in the brambles and poked my lens out and started taking photos of this beautiful bird. Several times, the Egret was so close to me that I could not gain focus! What I loved about this whole experience was that the bird did not know that I was there. Later, while going through the photos that I took, this photo stood out and brought the lyrics of the Hokey Pokey song to mind.

You put your right foot in,
You put your right foot out,
You put your right foot in
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around,
That’s what it’s all about.

Larry LaPrise

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) | Tall photo! Tap your f11 key before clicking thumbnail for larger view

Happy birding!