I've returned several times in the last week or so hoping to see some sign of chicks in the Osprey nest at Natick Street on the Nashua River. I had heard that others had seen one or two, but I had yet to see any encouraging signs.

Last night I stopped as usual on my way to do my weekly grocery shopping. The route takes me right by so how could I not stop?

Anyway, I thought I saw some feeding behavior by the female, and some movement through the gaps in the nest that might have been a chick. But the photos were pretty inconclusive. I was also shooting handheld with my 100mm-400mm zoom, so the images weren't as sharp or as magnified as they could be.

Hopeful that indeed there were chicks, just too small to be easily seen, I returned tonight with my big lens (500mm + 1.4 teleconverter for a total focal length of 700mm) and my tripod. Initially it still seemed like I was out of luck. I asw no sign of food at the nest and things seemed pretty quiet. But I kept watching, knowing that timing in nature photography (as in most things) is everything.

I would have never seen it if I wasn't looking through the camera, capturing images anytime I thought I saw movement that wasn't caused by one of the adults. In this first image the female is on the left and the male on the right. And no chick anywhere.

Adult Osprey only

In the next image, taken less than 1 minute later, the adults haven't moved much. But if you look through the gaps in the nest, just below the male (the bird on the right) you'll see an object where none was before. In the upper gap, you can see the tell-tale red-orange eye of an Osprey chick! (To get a much larger view, click on the image and you'll see the full-size photo up on my website.)

Adult Ospreys with chick peering through gaps in the nest.Confirmation at last! So now there are 2 Osprey nests with chicks on the Nashua River, with 1 confirmed sighting (by me at least) at each nest. And maybe more. Time will tell.

I also noticed during my last few visits that the adults were still bringing sticks to the nest. I interpreted this as an indication that they were still trying to get the nest right and that there weren't any chicks. I now believe that they are contiuing to improve the nest, either out of necessity as the chick(s) grow larger, or possibly to try to keep them away from the prying eyes of the many visitors this nest gets each week.

Also of note is a family of Mallards with rather mature chicks (no image) and this adorable family of 8 Wood Ducks. I think this poor mom (right-most bird) has 7 boys...what a handful!

 Mother Wood Duck and 7 baby boys!

It looks like it will be an interesting summer on the Nashua River after all! 

Osprey pair with chick

While Lisa hung out at this nest, I took a quick trip further upstream to get a look at the third nest, which is on top of a poorly disguised cell phone tower (or at least that's what I've heard.) The photo below shows what looks like at least the beginning of a nest, but I saw no signs of Ospreys nesting there.

Osprey nest on cell phone tower

As it was getting a little late, we made our way leisurely back to the nest near the put-in. I hung out between the setting sun and the nest, while Lisa continued on to take out and wait for me. I got good looks at a Tree Swallow chick in a tree cavity...

Tree swallow chick in tree cavity

and an Osprey returning to eat its freshly caught dinner.

Osprey landing with fishAs usual, click on any image to see a larger version of it and other images, on my website.

As always, clicking on an image will take you to a larger version of it on my website, where you may find other images I didn't include here.

Anyway, while waiting for the weekend to come, I captured a few interesting images around Heron Pond. Monday, we had a nice Red-tailed Hawk, circling low overhead.Red-tailed Hawk This species is seen occassionally, passing through on its way somewhere else. Tuesday brought a female Wild Turkey...

Wild Turkey

a Male Eastern Towhee...

Eastern Towhee (m)

and some nice evening light on the far side of the pond.

Evening light on the pond

Thursday I saw a Tree Swallow sitting in a tree cavity (could it be a nest?)...

     Tree Swallow in cavity  a Mourning Dove showing off its beautilful tail while pretending it's a small bird...

Mourning Dove on feeder

and last, an American Robin with a beak full of nesting material.

American Robin with nesting materialFriday and most of Saturday were spent frantically trying to finish up at work (doesn't is always seem that problems arise when you're trying to get away for a vacation?). I arrived at the campground as it was getting dark. Our site was level (as advertised) and all I had to do is park it, hook up the electricity and water so I could make a quick dinner (love that microwave!) I knew the next couple of days would be pretty busy, so I read a little after dinner but quickly turned off the light to go to sleep.

First up is an interesting moment between a male Northern Flicker and a female Red-bellied Woodpecker. Northern Flickers are uncommon visitors to our yard, whereas we have have a pair of Red-bellies year-round. I saw the flicker land on the feeder that was already occupied by the woodpecker, and quickly grabbed my camera and captured a few images.

Saturday morning my friend Bill (an  artist and photographer...visit his website here) and I took a drive around our town (Hollis NH) to see what we could find. We found a few Eastern Bluebirds. ...and a pair of Green-winged Teals. Here is the male...

In the evening, I was out by the beaver pond looking for ducks, but didn't see any. The nearly full moon was overhead and I captured the following image:

If you're thinking this image looks unreal, you're right. It is a combination of two images taken one minute apart, from the same location and the same focal length. The tree is illuminated by my flash. And while the moon didn't appear in that exact location, it was pretty close. Using two images also allowed me to get both the moon and the tree in focus, which would have been impossible to do with a single image.

Sunday morning I went out to another spot near the pond, again looking for some ducks. Although I did see  a pair of Hooded Mergansers, they were too far out to get a decent shot.  I did capture a bunch of images of a pair of Black-capped Chickadees excavating a nest cavity in a small dead tree on the edge of the pond.

Do you see anything creepy in this image of the chickadee leaving the nest with some wood chips?

Here the chickadee posed for me on a nearby branch.

The final image of the week is of a Brown Creeper. These birds are usually seen climbing (creeping?) up a tree in a spiral pattern, and this one was behaving true to form.

That's it for this week. We have another 2 to 3 days of heavy rain forecast beginning tomorrow, with flood warnings posted. This will be the third major storm in the last five weeks. If there's any local flooding around, I'll see if I can get some pictures of it.

Here are a few images...to see a larger version (from my website) just click in the image.

Looking upriver at Mines Falls Dam

The view from below the dam

White water!With another couple of inches of rain forecast in the next 24 hours, I'll return tomorrow afternoon to see what if anything changes.

I only had a few moments to watch and photograph as the goose displayed for us, and pecked around the edges of the snow patch, looking for something to eat.

This is a rather rare species for New England. They are more commonly found on the west coast. This bird shows the rust-stained head from tundra waters as described in the Peterson guide.

You can see larger versions of these images on my website, at http://www.pbase.com/kklasman/snow_goose_allies. 

The snow didn't start to fall in earnest until later in the day. By that time, the feeders were quite busy with birds trying to get some food before the weather forced them to seek shelter. Here, a Downy Woodpecker waits its turn as a Hairy Woodpecker feeds on suet.

It wasn't long after I captured this image that the birds disappeared for the rest of the day.

Late in the day I took a walk to a nearby pond. Nothing going on down there either, but on the way back I heard and then saw a female Red-Bellied Woodpecker.

I imagine that this is the female from the pair that regularly visit our suet feeder. It was calling a lot and hanging around a particular dead tree with a few cavities. I'm hoping it was annoucing that it was going to nest there. I'll have to keep an eye on this tree...hopefully I'll have the chance to get some photos of chicks and feeding activity.

After the woodpecker flew off, I started back for home. I hadn't gone more than a few feet when I saw an American Mink running through the woods just a few feet from the road. We both stopped and looked at each other for a moment or two and then it turned around and ran back the way it came, still only a few feet from the road. I followed as quickly and quietly as I could, and managed to capture a couple of images before it disappeared. I haven't seen a mink around here in two years. I wonder if it's the same one?

When I went out to setup the feeders this morning (I bring them in each night because of the bears) I noticed that the platform feeder (which I do leave out) was upside down. My first thought (fear) was that the bears were back, but given that local cats sometimes hide under this feeder and I've seen raccoons all over it, I quickly discounted that possibility.

Back to bird counting. My feeders are visible from my home office chair, so I have all day to record the birds that catch my eye. Each day I record the largest number of a given species I see at the same time. This is sufficient for most species, but for those where males and females are easily identified, I record the largest number of each sex I see simultaneously. All of the local woodpeckers fall into this category, and I have seen 2 pair of Downy Woodpeckers here recently. But not today.

Anyway, here are the totals for the day.

Later in the day I looked out the windows on the other side of the house and noticed fresh bear tracks on the frozen surface of the pond, no more than 10 feet from the end of the driveway. Here are some images:

I places a quarter in the middle of the footprint to give a sense of scale.

This footprint measured 7.5 inches long...

...by 5 inches wide.

Here you can see that the bear's stride is about 18 inches long.

No bird pictures today, but tomorrow my friend Bill and I are going to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Newburyport, MA in search of Snowy Owls and anything else interesting we can find.

And I will be sitting out in my blind hoping for good photo ops around the feeders. I guess I'll have my can of bear repellant when I sit out in the blind the next couple of days.

The purpose of this count is to give a snapshot of bird populations across the continent. Scientists use this information to understand how weather and other environmental factors affect bird populations and this in turn provides a barometer of the environmental health of our continent. Comparing results across many years can illustrate environmental trends.

The scientific community is not large enough to perform such a large count...they need our help. Please join in this effort...its fun and easy. For more information visit the GBBC website at http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/. You can already see lists being posted!

I've participated for the last few years. Last year there were very few birds in my own backyard, but even this information is important. Knowing where birds are not seen can be an indication of changing weather patterns, local weather variations or declining habitats.

There is also a photo contest associated with the count. In 2007, my photo of a Dark-eyed Junco was selected for display in the contest gallery. I'm hoping to get some worthy images this year. There has been a lot of activity around my feeders lately, and I'm also planning a trip to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island in Newburyport, Massachusetts. I'll be searching for Snowy Owls and a variety of waterfowl that cannot be seen at my house.

Here are a few recent images from my backyard...

A Sharp-shinned Hawk looks for a meal.

 A male Red-bellied Woodpecker waits its turn on the suet feeder.

Male Red-bellied and Hairy Woodpeckers share the feeder.

The Sharp-shinned Hawk returned yesterday.

Of course, the most exciting thing to happen here on Heron Pond was the visits by the bears. After their last appearance on October 5, I reluctantly decided to keep the feeders down until the bears hibernate, which is usually around the first of December. The first came and went, and the feeders were still safely stored in the garage.

On December 9th we had our first big snowfall (9.5 inches) and I thought I'd put the feeders back up the following day. When I glanced out the window first thing in the morning, what did my eyes see? Tracks leading from the back corner of the yard to each of the usual (but empty) bird feeder stations and then disappearing out the front walk. Rather large footprints I might add.

So I waited until around new year's to put the feeders up, and once I did, it wasn't long before the birds started to return. All the usual suspects; Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmouses (Titmice?), three species of woodpeckers, goldfinches, and an unusually large number of Dark-eyed Juncos.

With all of this activity, I wondered when the Sharp-shinned or Coopers hawks would show up to feast on the song birds that were feasting at the feeders. And while I had noticed the yard grow totally quiet from time to time, and presumed there was a hawk about, I had yet to see one.

Today was the day.

I had just started to work in my office, and was seeing the usual breakfast bird crew at the feeders outside my office window. All of a sudden there was a flurry of activity, with the little birds scattering in all directions, and a much larger bird landing on the ground  a few feet into the woods. Was it a hawk?

It was, and it had captured a Junco, I think. The hawk stayed in the woods for awhile and then apparently decided it wanted a better view, so it flew up to a branch right along the edge of the woods, to continue its meal. The new perch offered the hawk a better view of its surroundings, which it would check after each bite. The new perch provided me with a better look too, and I was able to go outside and slowly work my way closer, trying to find a angle that would give me a clear image of the bird.

This was about the best that I could do. I was surprised that the hawk allowed me to approach so close (30-40 feet or so) since I'm sure that it was aware of my presence.

I'll save you the gory details, but this whole episode lasted almost 90 minutes.

The yard remained quiet for about an hour, and then slowly the song birds began to return. Suddenly the birds scattered again as the hawk returned. All but his little female Downy Woodpecker, which was apparently too frightened to move.

The hawk hid in the pine tree just off the edge of the yard. The woodpecker didn't move for at least fifteen minutes...it just clung to the suet feeder, hoping it wasn't in the hawk's view. Finally the woodpecker decided to make a run for it, and flew off towards the backyard. The hawk did not follow. Shortly thereafter, a chickadee flew into the pine tree right above the hawk, and though the hawk did see it, the chickadee quickly flew off before it became the hawk's next meal.

The hawk continued to hide in the tree for another hour or so, before finally getting bored and flew off to the west. Later, I went out to see if I could find the remains of the poor Junco. Under the branch where the hawk finished its meal, I found a few feathers that look like Junco feathers to me.

That pretty much sums up the first two weeks of 2010. I wonder what will happen next?