Archive for April, 2012
April 29, 2012
A rufous Eastern Screech-Owl (Otus asio) shown by Ms. Gabby Hrycyshyn, volunteer bird handler from The Raptor Conservancy of Virginia. This “teaching bird” has several disabilities that make it unsuitable for release to the wild: the Screech-Owl was hit by a car, resulting in permanent structural damage to both eyes.
The Screech-Owl was one of several birds featured in a raptor demonstration at the Belle Haven picnic area, Fairfax County, Virginia USA. According to Mr. Kent Knowles, president of The Raptor Conservancy of Virginia, …
The Eastern Screech Owl is a female. We can tell that by weight, not plumage. The males in that species weigh about one third less than the females.
The event was hosted by Friends of Dyke Marsh, National Park Service, and The Raptor Conservancy of Virginia.
In the preceding gallery, Photos 1-2 show the Screech-Owl with a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis); Photo 3 shows the Screech-Owl with a Barred Owl (Strix varia). Ms. Gabby Hrycyshyn handled the Screech-Owl in all three photos; Mr. Kent Knowles handled the two larger birds. Photo 1 is captioned, “Yikes, Gabby — PLEASE don’t let that BIG bird eat me!”
Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com
Tags:Belle Haven, Buteo jamaicensis, Dyke Marsh, Eastern Screech Owl, female, Otus asio, Red-tailed Hawk, wildlife photography
Posted in Aperture, birds, digital photography, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ150 | 1 Comment »
April 27, 2012
A Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) shown by Kent Knowles, president of The Raptor Conservancy of Virginia. This “teaching bird” has several disabilities that make it unsuitable for release to the wild: the hawk was hit by a car, fracturing its right wing through the elbow joint; the bird has almost no wing extension on its right side as a result.
The hawk was one of several birds featured in a raptor demonstration at the Belle Haven picnic area, Fairfax County, Virginia USA. According to Mr. Knowles, …
There is no way to tell a Red-shouldered male from a female by sight or weight. Since this one is relatively small I would guess it is a male, but that is only a guess. It is a third-year bird.
The event was hosted by Friends of Dyke Marsh, National Park Service, and The Raptor Conservancy of Virginia. Mr. Knowles’ extraordinary rapport with raptors is clearly evident in the following photos!
Ms. Gabby Hrycyshyn, assisting Mr. Knowles with the raptor demonstration, is shown holding an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) in Photo 6 of 7 in the preceding gallery. The kestrel is featured in a follow-up post: American Kestrel (male).
Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com
Tags:Belle Haven, Buteo lineatus, Dyke Marsh, Red-shouldered Hawk, wildlife photography
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April 25, 2012
A Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) showing off with a little encouragement from Kent Knowles, president of The Raptor Conservancy of Virginia. This beautiful “teaching bird” has several disabilities that make it unsuitable for release to the wild: the hawk was probably hit by a car, causing multiple wing injuries; the bird is almost non-flighted as a result.
The hawk was one of several birds featured in a raptor demonstration at the Belle Haven picnic area, Fairfax County, Virginia USA. The event was hosted by Friends of Dyke Marsh, National Park Service, and The Raptor Conservancy of Virginia.
Ms. Gabby Hrycyshyn, assisting Mr. Knowles with the raptor demonstration, is shown holding an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) in all of the photos in the preceding gallery. The kestrel is featured in a follow-up post: American Kestrel (male).
Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com
Tags:Aperture, birds, digital photography, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ150
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April 23, 2012
A Barred Owl (Strix varia) shown by Kent Knowles, president of The Raptor Conservancy of Virginia. This “teaching bird” has several disabilities that make it unsuitable for release to the wild: the owl’s left hip was crushed when it was hit by a car; the bird has limited use of its very fragile left leg as a result.
The owl was one of several birds featured in a raptor demonstration at the Belle Haven picnic area, Fairfax County, Virginia USA. The event was hosted by Friends of Dyke Marsh, National Park Service, and The Raptor Conservancy of Virginia.
Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com
Tags:Barred Owl, Belle Haven, Dyke Marsh, female, Strix varia, wildlife photography
Posted in Aperture, birds, digital photography, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ150 | 1 Comment »
April 21, 2012
A Great Egret (Ardea alba), a large white heron with long black legs and yellow-orange bill, spotted during a photowalk through Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA. Can anyone identify the fish in the bird’s bill? If I were to make a wild guess, then I’d say the fish is some type of sunfish.
Editor’s Note: I consulted David Lawlor, Resource Manager, Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County Park Authority, for help in identifying the fish. According to David, …
I would say you are correct — the fish is a sunfish of some type and my first guess would be a green sunfish, but it is hard to tell from the picture.
David’s tentative species identification is supported by maps showing the distribution of sunfish at Fairfax County monitoring sites. Thanks, David!
See also Great catch, Great Egret!, one of my Posterous posts.
Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com
Tags:Ardea alba, Great Egret, Huntley Meadows Park, predator, prey, wildlife photography
Posted in Aperture, birds, digital photography, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ150, photowalking | Leave a Comment »
April 19, 2012
A four-image time series showing a female Common Whitetail dragonfly (Libellula lydia, Plathemis lydia) laying eggs by the process of oviposition. The female dragonfly skims the water repeatedly (see Photo 4), picking up drops of water that are used to flick fertilized eggs toward the shore (see Photo 3). The process typically lasts a few seconds to a few minutes.
This individual was spotted during a photowalk through Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA.
Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com
Tags:adult female, Common Whitetail dragonfly, Huntley Meadows Park, oviposition, Plathemis lydia, wildlife photography
Posted in Aperture, digital photography, dragonflies, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ150, photowalking | Leave a Comment »
April 13, 2012
A trio of BIFs, that is, photographs of “birds in flight.” Photo 1 and 2 are entitled, “Bandits at 2 o’clock!” Photo 3 of 3 is entitled, “Stealth Osprey: Flying below the radar.”
This individual is a male Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) flying to and from its nest at Belle Haven Marina, located along the tidal Potomac River in suburban Washington, D.C., south of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia USA.
Related Resources:
Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com
Tags:Belle Haven, in flight, male, Osprey, Pandion haliaetus, wildlife photography
Posted in Aperture, birds, digital photography, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ150 | 1 Comment »
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