Surprise Snowy Harassed by Young Eagles
Published: March 10, 2014
Tags: General Observations, Snow Goose, Canada Goose, Bufflehead, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Scaup, Mallard, American Black Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Merganser, Double-crested Cormorant, Red-tailed Hawk, Bald Eagle, Snowy Owl, Eastern Bluebird, Dark-eyed Junco
I took a ciruitous route in the southerntier this past week starting with Fredonia, winding through South Dayton, quickly checking a couple of spots in North Collins, and eventually ending up at my daughter's house in Angola. It was a lovely day for a long drive and I made the most of it.
In Fredonia, a Snow Goose was seen in the pond behind Walmart - and it was still there when I stopped by. There were at least 150 Canadas, 1 Cackling Goose, and this one, lone Snow Goose. Gale VerHague mentioned in her blog,
Photos by November Gale, that it may be the same injured Snow Goose she saw there almost exactly one year ago.
Also at the pond, besides the Ring-billed Gulls, were: 1 male Bufflehead, Canvasbacks, Redheads, 1 female Ring-necked Duck, Scaup, Mallards, American Black Ducks, Red-breasted Mergansers, 1 male Common Merganser, and a Double-crested Cormorant.
As I wound my way through South Dayton, I found some interesting sights. I pulled off the road to watch a pair of Red-taileds cavorting in the sky. Shortly after that, out over another field, I saw, what I thought to be a dark morph Rough-legged Hawk dipping and diving in the sky. I should have realized it was actually a juvenile Bald Eagle! On the other side of the road, sitting along the treeline was another one. The 2nd year eagle started diving at something out in the field, drawing my attention to a beautiful Snowy Owl! I watched them as they "went at it" for awhile, the eagle's attack forcing the Snowy to fly up onto a utility pole. I was happy that it provided some better photos - and since they won't be in our region for very much longer, I was thrilled to get another opportunity to see one of these gorgeous creatures.
In North Collins, I watched a Red-tailed Hawk catch a rodent out in a field - and later, at my daughter's, I snuck back to where some Eastern Bluebirds were feeding on some sumac. I only got a few mediocre photos through the foliage but I really enjoyed watching those beauties.
All in all, it was a great day with a diverse group of birds again!