James Richard

Short-eared Owls After I voted (🔵) and spent the afternoon with my sister and niece, I went out at dusk looking for these owls and had success! There were four of them circling the field! Funnily enough, they were right behind a polling site!

We’ve had exceptionally clear skies, so despite living in a bright and populated area, I was able to see Orion and his belt (plus Taurus + Pleiades) when looking for Saturn.

Saturn and the moon

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Woolly bear and Red-legged grasshopper

Interesting fungus. Ganoderma sp.?

My yard is filled with White-throated sparrows. Winter is on its way…

I thought the reported Ruddy Turnstones in my area would be shy…..at one point one walked over my boot when I was taking a photo! They were so relaxed.

Ruddy Turnstone

What looks to be a Philadelphia Vireo in my yard, which would be a new one! Red-eyed Vireo, Bay-Breasted warbler, Black-throated green warbler and Swainson’s Thrush were also seen.

Fall migration is well on its way! This female American Redstart stopped by in my yard.

Eurasian Collared-Dove A bird that has become naturalized in most of the US, except for the Northeast, which is where I am. Here in NY, they’re rare.

Venus and the moon (From last week)

An obliging Tree Swallow (Another set of photos that were just sitting on my camera)

A photo that’s been sitting on my camera for about a month: Common Nighthawk in flight

Red-headed woodpecker pair and juvenile. Also, you can hear a deer alarming calling at me. There was a deer with two fawns and despite the fact that I was under this tree for about an hour and she was at a distance, every time she crest the hill, she would briefly shout at me.

I ended up going back and looking for the breeding Red-headed woodpeckers that have been in my area to get a better sighting. I saw all four individuals (the adult pair and two juveniles)

I had the opportunity to see Salt back in May (short compilation video)

NOAA’s Stellwagen Bank’s account posted info on SALT today for #WhaleWednesday