Another visit to Stephenfield today stayed for 3 1/2 hours.
We saw;
1 Red Tailed Hawk
1 Belted Kingfisher
2 Yellowbellied Sapsuckers
4 Northern Shovellers
10+ Greater Scaup
4 Bufflehead
7 Canada Geese
3 Wild Turkeys (one was within 50')
2 Western Meadowlarks
12 Tundra Swan
2 Crows
2 Red Breasted Merganser
5 Dark Eyed Juncos
2 Red Wing Blackbirds (heard a few more in the marsh)
2 Mourning doves
1 American Kestrel (feeding on a post within 100')
5 European Starlings
10+ Robins
4 Canvasback
2 Ring Necked Ducks
6 Mallards
2 Song Sparrows
4 Lesser Scaup
1 Chickadee
The American Kestrel was sitting on some sort of metal can on top of a post just off the road. We didn't see him until we were about 100' away. At first I thought it was a Mourning Dove, then through binoculars saw it was a Kestrel feeding. I think this is the only reason it didn't fly off. I was going to try to exit the van to get a picture when I heard a Meadow Lark start singing. Spotted him directly opposite us in a tree about 50' away. Decided to get a few pic's of him then try for the Kestrel as I knew we were already well within his comfort zone. Alas, got the Meadow Lark but the Kestrel apparently had better things to do and didn't stick around for me to finish with the Meadow Lark.
I also got pic's of the Tundra Swans on the water and in flight, they flew up and down the lake several times and presented a great photo op at a few hundred yards distance. Sadly I was using a mirror lens to take pic's of waterfowl on the other side of the lake, got a whole series of pic's but they are not great. Attached Tundra Swans and Meadow Lark, both with a 1000mm mirror lens, hand held.
We saw;
1 Red Tailed Hawk
1 Belted Kingfisher
2 Yellowbellied Sapsuckers
4 Northern Shovellers
10+ Greater Scaup
4 Bufflehead
7 Canada Geese
3 Wild Turkeys (one was within 50')
2 Western Meadowlarks
12 Tundra Swan
2 Crows
2 Red Breasted Merganser
5 Dark Eyed Juncos
2 Red Wing Blackbirds (heard a few more in the marsh)
2 Mourning doves
1 American Kestrel (feeding on a post within 100')
5 European Starlings
10+ Robins
4 Canvasback
2 Ring Necked Ducks
6 Mallards
2 Song Sparrows
4 Lesser Scaup
1 Chickadee
The American Kestrel was sitting on some sort of metal can on top of a post just off the road. We didn't see him until we were about 100' away. At first I thought it was a Mourning Dove, then through binoculars saw it was a Kestrel feeding. I think this is the only reason it didn't fly off. I was going to try to exit the van to get a picture when I heard a Meadow Lark start singing. Spotted him directly opposite us in a tree about 50' away. Decided to get a few pic's of him then try for the Kestrel as I knew we were already well within his comfort zone. Alas, got the Meadow Lark but the Kestrel apparently had better things to do and didn't stick around for me to finish with the Meadow Lark.
I also got pic's of the Tundra Swans on the water and in flight, they flew up and down the lake several times and presented a great photo op at a few hundred yards distance. Sadly I was using a mirror lens to take pic's of waterfowl on the other side of the lake, got a whole series of pic's but they are not great. Attached Tundra Swans and Meadow Lark, both with a 1000mm mirror lens, hand held.
