I ran into my friend Lisa at the gym and she, knowing I like to attempt bird photos, mentioned a tree full of birds she’d been seeing. Since I did have my camera with me (with the big lens attached!) I decided to head over before the light went. The birds ended up being Yellow-Crowned Night Herons. They were napping, but the yellow crowns were clearly visible.
This Yellow-Crowned Night Heron is a bit windblown! River Ridge, LA, 2010-Mar-21
A nicely backlit Yellow-Crowned Night Heron. River Ridge, LA, 2010-Mar-21
This Yellow-Crowned Night Heron is still napping – you can see his closed eyes. River Ridge, LA, 2010-Mar-21
All photos © Amy Friends Stone and all rights reserved.
While watching for the red-shouldered hawks to return to the nest, I also spotted this pair of brown thrashers. Although I haven’t been birding long, I can honestly say I’ve never seen more than one of these in any one place at the same time!
The pair of Brown Thrashers flinging bits of grass and detritus, New Orleans, LA, 2010-Mar-21
Brown Thrasher. New Orleans, LA, 2010-Mar-21
Such beautiful markings on the well-camouflaged Brown Thrasher. New Orleans, LA, 2010-Mar-21
All photos © Amy Friends Stone and all rights reserved.
A pair of Red-shouldered Hawks (Buteo lineatus) is nesting near Children’s Hospital in New Orleans. On today’s visit, I thought I could hear extra peep noises whenever the adults would land in the nest (obviously, fairly high in a tree for protection), so there might actually be baby raptors in the nest already! No visual confirmation though, and I may have been “wishful hearing”.
One of the pair of Red-Shouldered Hawks, leaving the nest, with the other’s tail feathers visible. New Orleans, LA, 2010-Mar-21
Then the other of the pair of Red-Shouldered Hawks decided to leave, New Orleans, LA, 2010-Mar-21
One of the pair of Red-Shouldered Hawks on the nest. New Orleans, LA, 2010-Mar-21
One of the pair of Red-Shouldered Hawks landing on the nest. New Orleans, LA, 2010-Mar-21
Addendum: apparently a baby hawk, like many other baby animals, has a special name; one of the folks on the bird email list mentioned it and I’d never even seen the word before. (Watch, it’ll be in the next crossword now!) From Merriam-Webster’s site:
Main Entry: ey·as
Pronunciation: \??-?s\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, alteration (by incorrect division of a neias) of neias, from Anglo-French niais taken in the nest, from Vulgar Latin *nidax nestling, from Latin nidus nest — more at nest
Date: 15th century: an unfledged bird; specifically : a nestling hawk
All photos © Amy Friends Stone and all rights reserved.
Lost a bit after being hacked by some virus, but there are still some decent photos and I can always continue!
A Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) pair has moved into da hood!! When walking around my neighborhood, I’ve occasionally seen a hawk flying over, or heard one keening as it flew by, but usually several blocks away, maybe even a half mile. A couple of weeks ago, however, on my return home from bootcamp in the early morning, I happened to notice the silhouette of a raptor in a tree one block from my house. Since there was no traffic, I pulled off a little and watched…. it flew to the next tree and landed in a nest that I might otherwise have never noticed.
Last week I rushed home from bootcamp, pulled out the big lens and the tripod, tossed a windbreaker over my trainer uniform, and trundled off to the next block. Lots of people looked from their cars, one even asked in they were red-tailed hawks (I said yes because that was what I thought at the time – still learning!). An older gentleman on his bicycle passed and said he thought they were feeding babies already. I didn’t (and haven’t yet) seen activity other than the two adults on the nest, but I think he lives right next to it so there might be babies – how exciting!!! I can hardly wait until I see something myself.
One of the pair of Cooper’s Hawks, keeping an eye on me in New Orleans, LA, 2010-Mar-08
The other of a pair of Cooper’s Hawks, New Orleans, LA, 2010-Mar-08
I don’t think this pair of Cooper’s Hawks is doing what it might look like! Literally one landed on the other and then immediately hopped down to the branch beside. It may be a courtship thing though. New Orleans, LA, 2010-Mar-08
All photos © Amy Friends Stone and all rights reserved.
I’ve been taking photos, training clients, sewing, socializing feral kittens…. but not posting! Ack! Anyway, I have a ton of photos I can share, but I’ll start with just a couple…
American Eagles, spotted along the highway near Morgan City, LA, 2009-Apr-18
One of a pair of American Eagles, possibly the male (unlike most other species, the male is the smaller sex) spotted along the highway near Morgan City, LA, 2009-Apr-18
The other of a pair of American Eagles, spotted along the highway near Morgan City, LA, 2009-Apr-18
All photos © Amy Friends Stone and all rights reserved.
My friend Ginger and I took a day trip out to Lake Martin/Cypress Island Preserve. Ginger’s favorite bird is the roseate spoonbill and we’d heard there were some nesting there. Unfortunately for us, we didn’t see very many, and the ones we did see were either flying overhead, or far in the distance. Nonethless, we did see bunch of birds! I’ll post a few more photos later…
This American Bittern, kept licking its chops… with much patience and luck, I was able to get this shot with the tongue visible! Lake Martin/Cypress Preserve, Breaux Bridge, LA, 2009-Mar-29
Another shot of the American Bittern stalking something in the marsh, Lake Martin/Cypress Preserve, Breaux Bridge, LA, 2009-Mar-29
Little Blue Heron, Lake Martin/Cypress Preserve, Breaux Bridge, LA, 2009-Mar-29
A slightly windblown Little Blue Heron, Lake Martin/Cypress Preserve, Breaux Bridge, LA, 2009-Mar-29
A female Anhinga drying herself, Lake Martin/Cypress Preserve, Breaux Bridge, LA, 2009-Mar-29
A sunlit Little Blue Heron, Lake Martin/Cypress Preserve, Breaux Bridge, LA, 2009-Mar-29
All photos © Amy Friends Stone and all rights reserved.
I’ve been pretty busy with work, but I have gotten a few trips out. These are photos from the final birding class field trip to Bayou Sauvage. Some are ok, but mostly they are a record of some of the birds we saw – it was quite dreary and overcast for most of the trip.
Bald Eagle I got there early and was lucky enough to see this eagle perched in the distance, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
There were also Black-necked Stilt wading in the water near the parking lot. Later they also flew over, but I didn’t get a photo. Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
Kestrel male, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
The bald eagle flew over later, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
Ibis, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
Turkey Vulture, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
Osprey, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
Belted Kingfisher, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
Black Crowned Night Heron, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
Common Tern, I think; it could also be Forster’s but the pic isn’t great, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
Common Tern, second photo; if y’all know what it is let me know, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
raptor, not sure which type, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
another raptor, not sure which type, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
Killdeer, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
Anhingas, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
Some kind of warbler, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
I think this might be an Eastern Meadowlark, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
American White Pelicans, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
Prothonotary Warbler, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
Prothonotary Warbler, Bayou Sauvage, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-28
All photos © Amy Friends Stone and all rights reserved.
After Earth Fest on Sunday, I decided to walk through the park to get home (some of those photos showed up in yesterday’s blogpost). One the exciting events I witnessed was a fight between two black-bellied whistling ducks – each had his (I can only assume they were males as they are not dimorphic) “gang” a short distance away from the other, eyeing the other gang warily. The two ducks fighting really got into it, jumping in the air, bumping chests, spitting and generally making a lot of noise. Eventually one duck was run off ingloriously and the waters were calm again!
“The Jets” Black-bellied whistling ducks, Audubon Park, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-22
“The Sharks” Black-bellied whistling ducks, Audubon Park, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-22
High-flying scuffle between“Chino” and “Tony”, black-bellied whistling ducks, Audubon Park, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-22
“Chino” and “Tony”, black-bellied whistling ducks, continue to fight, Audubon Park, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-22
“Chino” runs“Tony” off, and the black-bellied whistling duck fight is over, Audubon Park, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-22
All photos © Amy Friends Stone and all rights reserved.
Sunday afternoon was a beautiful day to be out, and since the zoo was hosting Earth Fest (although honestly, what’s with “Earth Fest” a full month before Earth Day?), I hauled the camera there. This was a test of my ability to hold the lens steady without a tripod – I figured with a membership to the zoo I can always go back, even it isn’t quite the same photo opportunity, and I believe I have improved just a little (at least as long as there is full sun and I can manipulate the aperture and shutter speed appropriately!).
Remember the baby Giant Anteater born in January? It’s twice the size it was back then, and still clinging to mama’s back:
A baby Giant Anteater sleeping, Audubon Zoo, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-22
Four (Giraffe) heads are better than one, Audubon Zoo, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-22
Two Giraffes kiss and make up after a little scuffle, Audubon Zoo, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-22
Finallly a white egret that isn’t terribly over-exposed. Still a few blown highlights, but better than I’ve done before!
Great Egret in breeding plumage, Audubon Zoo, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-22
A “krewe” of Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks, Audubon Park, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-22
An inadvertantly high-key portrait of a Starling struggling to stay on a branch, Audubon Zoo, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-22
Chiloe Widgeons, Audubon Zoo, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-22
Jaguar, Audubon Zoo, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-22
Female Anhinga, Audubon Park, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-22
Muscovy Ducklings, the first babies of the year at the park, Audubon Park, New Orleans, LA, 2009-Mar-22
All photos © Amy Friends Stone and all rights reserved.
For the second field trip, we went to Barataria Preserve, which I’ve been to before, but again, the trail I normally go on is closed until late April, so it was a completely new area for me. More warbler and woodland birds, and we even spotted a barred owl, which I’d never seen before in the wild, so that was pretty exciting. Being the equal-opportunity critter watcher I am – there are some photos of other creatures! 
A Barred Owl sleeping, Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
A water snake of some kind, Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
A green anole enjoying some sun, Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
A Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
A Downy Woodpecker, Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
A Chickadee, Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
A Red-Shouldered Hawk, Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
A frog in algae, Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
Another sneaky snake, but we spotted him!, Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
A Northern Parula, that early migrant mentioned in Field trip #1 post, taking off from a branch – to be honest, many of my photos of this little bird were simply tailfeathers! Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
The same Northern Parula, and there’ll be one more photo as well just because he was so hard to keep track of to be able to photograph! Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
The same Northern Parula, taking off from the branch, Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
A Tufted Titmouse, one of those nondescript birds I couldn’t differentiate before, Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
A Blue-Headed Vireo, a bird I’d never seen before, with pretty white eye rings, Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
A Blue-Headed Vireo, perhaps a better view of the eye rings (but I confess to liking the previous photo much more! ), Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
After the class portion of the trip was over I stayed for another hour or so, checking out another trail with one of the folks I ran into out there. Most of these photos were taken with a smaller lens and me quite a bit closer to the subject…
A spider with googly eyes, Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
A yellow dragonfly, Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
Another dragonfly (there were tons out that day), Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
A cricket frog which is less than one inch long (thanks for the name, Alex), Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
A green dragonfly which I’ve heard only lives 24 hours (does anyone know if it’s true dragonflies only live a day?), Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
A green dragonfly last one I promise – but I love how that bokeh (the blurred background) sets it off, Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
On the way out of the park I saw what I thought was a Great Blue Heron out of the corner of my eye, just the drop side of a bridge. Since I’ve yet to get a decent photo of one, I pulled over and went as quietly as I could over to the guard rail. I had seen a bird, but when I got there, I startled a barred owl, who flew silently from a perch within ten feet of me(!) to a distance away on the far bank of the creek that ran under the bridge. 
A Barred Owl near Bayou Coquille trailhead, Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
Although it was exciting to see another owl, I confess “the corner of my eye” was wrong as far as the Great Blue Heron – it was Yellow Crowned Night Heron:
A Yellow Crowned Night Heron near Bayou Coquille trailhead, Barataria Preserve, Marrero, LA, 2009-Mar-21
All photos © Amy Friends Stone and all rights reserved.