A Pileated Visit, Short-eared Owl, and a Cooper's Hawk in North Collins
Published: December 18, 2014
Tags: My Feeders, Pileated Woodpecker, Short-eared Owl, Cooper's Hawk, Eastern Bluebird, White-crowned Sparrow, Northern Mockingbird
Pileated Woodpeckers were pretty frequent visitors at our feeders up
until about a year ago. I'm not sure what changed, but we're not seeing
them as often any more. When one came by to feast on our suet today, I
was pretty excited so, naturally, I got the camera on her!
Later that afternoon, while driving near Bloomfield, NY, I spotted a Short-eared Owl perched in a tree up ahead. I made a very slow approach and, without flushing the owl, I was able to get a few photos of it. It was a bit dark for anything real good, but it was nice to capture his presence anyway.
The next day, after visiting with a friend in Eden, I decided to take "the long way" home through North Collins. On one, pretty secluded country road, I came upon a Cooper's Hawk that was causing quite a stir with the Blue Jays. It was at eye level, an unusual encounter for me and I was happy it allowed me to take several photos.
After leaving the hawk to its business, I saw several other nice sightings, including: Eastern Bluebirds, a Northern Mockingbird, and a juvenile White-crowned Sparrow that was feeding on a roadside along with a group of Dark-eyed Juncos and American Tree Sparrows.
Pileated Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Short-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Cooper's Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Blue Jay
Blue Jay
Blue Jay
Eastern Bluebirds brightening up the day!