Osprey VS. Bald Eagle - Sterling,NY - Lake Ontario plain

I was going through some older files last week when I came across this awesome moment in time. I too this photo from the confines of a blind, positioned at the edge of a large beaver pond, several years ago. An osprey nested in the middle of the pond, and must've felt that the bald eagle was a threat and rose to the occasion. It aggressively pursued the surprised eagle and escorted it well away from it's territory.

I captured this image with a subpar 300 mm and had to do some cropping to get the image to it's current state. If only I had a 500-600 mm lens, I could have had one of the more spectacular avian images out there. While not the best photograph, I felt that this was still too unique to pass up sharing here. The way the eagle is peeking up at the terrible talons reaching for it is classic.

Headwater Ramble - Tug Hill Region

Headwaters, Salmon River watershed

Coyote tracks

Just over a month ago I snowshoed across 5-6 miles of state land in the Littlejohn Wildlife Management Area in Worth Center. Starting from a seasonal road I followed Cottrell Creek past it's headwaters, then continued up and down several ridges, between each of which lay a tiny wetland, (like the photograph on top) each being the very beginning to a different stream, all of which ultimately flow into Lake Ontario via the Salmon River. I ended my trek at the bank of the Mad River before heading back in my tracks.

I was fortunate to have a nice sunny day and enough snow to snowshoe in; a rare treat this "winter". At my home, I have only measured 5' of snow so far this season. A year ago today, well over 16 feet of snow had already fallen. I have already given up on this season and am looking forward to next winter.

Iroquois Peak from the Flowed Lands - Adirondack High Peaks Region

On the second afternoon of my High Peaks trip (see previous post) I ended up crossing a frozen Flowed Lands to a spot near Livingston Point. From this vantage point is an unbelievable view. The MacIntyre Range in particular, dominates the landscape.

In this image, I was trying to compose something a bit different from what I would normally do. I found this lonely northern white cedar, and by putting it the foreground and zooming in relatively tight, was hoping to convey the magnitude of the bulk of the MacIntyre's , with Iroquois Peak towering above.

Let me know what you think of this or any of the images I share by commenting below. Any feedback is appreciated.

Winter Camping - Adirondack High Peaks Region

I spent this past Friday - Sunday hiking and camping in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks. I was hoping to photograph marten and boreal chickadees, failing for both. I did find many marten tracks and sign, as well as see plentiful boreal chickadees but just couldn't get any images of them.

The trip didn't start under the best of circumstances; a 3 day winter trip beginning in the pouring rain. All of the clothes I was wearing became soaked and froze during the night. I was prepared however and the trip was fun and I found some nice birds and captured a few decent images to share. Weather wouldn't cooperate for any good sunrise or sunset light but did allow for some nice light Saturday afternoon that I was able to be in position to take advantage of.

My camp for the duration of the trip was located near the north end of the Flowed Lands near the bank of the beautiful Opalescent River. The above image was taken Sunday morning before breaking camp, and after eight plus inches of snow fell overnight.

West Fork Salmon River II, Osceola, NY - Tug Hill Region

This is another image that I liked from my trek in the Salmon River headwaters region late last month. This scene was photographed from nearly the same spot as this shot http://nynaturephotozw.blogspot.com/2011/12/west-fork-salmon-river-nys-forest.html

If you haven't read the initial post, more information on this trek is available at this link: http://nynaturephotozw.blogspot.com/2011/12/salmon-river-headwaters-trek-osceola-ny.html

Remember all images are available for sale as prints and for stock use. If a print you are interested in on this blog is not in the online web store yet please feel free to email me.

Long-tailed Duck (Oldsquaw) - Selkirk Shores State Park Pulaski, NY

Winter has finally made a legit appearance here in upstate NY. At my home in Oswego County, I received 16.5" of snow Friday into Saturday with a low of 14.5F below zero Saturday night. The winter weather has pushed some birds I haven't had at my feeders yet this year in to feed. Pine Siskins and American Tree Sparrows made their debut in my yard this weekend (as far as I know as it is dark when I leave for work and when I get home). The other species which were already showing up, arrived in larger numbers and the feeders were quite entertaining to watch periodically on Sunday.

The image above is of a pair of long-tailed ducks. This species lives and breeds near the arctic, but is usually found in fair numbers on the Great Lakes during the winter. I was able to sneak up on this pair as they dove to feed, getting close enough to snap this shot when they resurfaced.

Cedar Waxwing - Selkirk Shores State Park Pulaski, NY

This past Saturday I spent a couple of hours roaming around Selkirk Shores State Park on the shore of Lake Ontario. I went to do a little birding, of which I have done very seldom over the past year or so. Of course I toted the camera along with me in the event of finding a cooperative feathered critter.

Upon my arrival I scanned the lake and beach finding long-tailed duck, great black-backed gull, and ring-billed gull. With the beach being so quiet I ventured into the forest to see what I could find. Aside from the most gray squirrels I have ever seen in one area, I found many of the following: blue jay, black-capped chickadee, tufted titmouse, robin, and cedar waxwings. The robins and waxwings were the first I have seen in months, while the tufted titmice I have only seen in the immediate area over the past week or so.

The above shot was captured at the forest edge where it transitioned to marshland at the outlet of Grindstone Creek. There were nearly two dozen cedar waxwings feeding on these berries. Not a great shot, but it is such a regal bird, I just had to share it. Besides, it's been a while since I have shared anything other than landscape images.

Before this I stopped in to Pine Grove at the north end of the park and found 7-8 bald eagles, 2 red-tailed hawks, a few bufflehead, several mallards, and 7 common mergansers. Unfortunately none of these birds wanted to cooperate for the camera.