Four owls, one falcon, and a starfish out of its element

One morning back in January, a friend and I went owling. The best place to see owls in NYC is Pelham Bay Park. But you have to go really early. Early enough to see the run rise...



We did get there that early, and were rewarded with four different owls (of two different types). First, a Barred Owl:




Then, a Great Horned Owl:


Then another Great Horned Owl, although in all honesty, it might have been the same one that just relocated:


In a different spot, we came across another Barred Owl. It was fairly late in the morning already, so it was trying to sleep:


Afterwards, while walking back across the parking lot to the car, a peregrine falcon did a fly-by:


While in the park, we saw a gull do a sudden deep dive, and come up with something large in its bill. When we managed to get a good look, we saw that it was a starfish! The gull played around with it for a while, and then swallowed it in one big gulp.




A few other good shots from that day:

Warmer times

Some more good shots from the previous summer:














I like this next shot - it's a role reversal:

What the heck is that?

Once in a while in your trips you come across some creature that does not seem to map to any reference points in your memory. You just go "What the heck is that?" and move on to the next thing. Unlike you, I don't just move on to the next thing. I also take their picture, and then move on!

(The picture above is actually not as wasp. It's actually a fly masquerading as a wasp. Good example of natural mimicry.)

And some more pleasant (or at least more familiar) examples:

Snow Goose Madness

So I was driving east on I-78 one early morning, heading to our Pennsylvania office, when I noticed something really mind-boggling in the air. It all started with just one bird:


Then there were several:


Then there was a hundred (start clicking on the pictures to take in the full scale):


Then the whole sky exploded in snow geese:


As they were all flying together, I thought that they must've spent the night together in the same place, and that it would be an awesome sight to see. So I traced it to a lake not far from the office (using the Internet - I did not chase the flying geese in the car, in case you were wondering). I got there early on another day, and was greeted by this:


I looked down, and the air was thick with geese everywhere:


And the further I pulled out my lens, the more the madness continued:



The next two shots are when I visited the place again in the afternoon, to get some better light:





Finally, as I was standing there dumbstruck watching the snow geese, a deer was watching me from the sidelines:

Schnozzes

I know they are technically called beaks or bills, and that most of them are not used for breathing or smelling, but they can still be pretty funny:

Glossy Ibis:

Here is a question. How does the lower part of the beak know to curve down at the same rate as the upper part?

Costa-Rican Toucan (not the official name - this guy was in a zoo, and I didn't catch the proper name):


Black Skimmer:


Canada Goose:


Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. You might not realize it, but this guy is actually sticking its tongue at you. (The part of its bill that starts to curve down is where the tongue starts.)


Willet:


Juvenile Double-Crested Cormorant (I like the hook at the end of its beak...):

Meadowlands chickadee

On a recent trip through the Meadowlands, we came across a very focused and dedicated chickadee, really busy with its latest project. It didn't notice us at all, and I was able to snap a few good close-ups:

While we were there, a fire broke out in the neighboring Union City: