Sunday Birding
Marty February 18th, 2008
I’ve been really wanting to get out birding for a while - a real trip and not a quick run out to a local spot - and on Sunday finally made it up to Sandy Hook where they had been seeing a number of rarities for the area. Unfortunately, the weather and birds didn’t cooperate very well, and my ‘rarity’ search was a bust - but I did get to see an amazing number of Greater Scaup in Spermicetti Cove. I would put the total number easily over 3,000 - this picture is just a small fraction of the total. 
Although much of my birding trip today was a bust, the nearly-famous Pole Farm did give me a chance to see a number of different birds of prey (6 species in all). The best look I got was this male American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) who landed on a pole about 3m from me. This is the look I got after the shutter went off the first time. But I also got to see a merlin, red-tailed hawk, bald eagle, northern harriers and the bird it was all about, a short-eared owl, although I have no pictures of that last one (still). Oh well - just some incentive to go back, I guess!
- Birding [ ]
the greater scaup are really remarkable looking birds. great shots as always amigo
looks like an amazing trip and very much needed one! I love these two shots!