Face Time With Raptors

I just love birds.  Problem is, I just can't see them.  Even with binoculars.  Because of scarred retinas, each of my eyes sees something different, so the two can't resolve that distant blurry bird into one clear image.  But this weekend I had a chance to see birds up close at the Winter Raptor Fest in Ft. Edward, set amid the expansive Washington County grasslands designated by Audubon New York as an Important Birding Area.  The event featured live birds of prey -- owls, hawks, falcons, and one grumpy buzzard -- as part of a mission to raise public awareness of the many endangered species of birds that depend on this grassland habitat for their very survival.

I arrived at the fest too late to get a seat for a free-flight raptor show featuring trained hawks and owls demonstrating their amazing aerial agility,  but I could have climbed on a horse-drawn wagon that was taking groups on an exploratory journey around the birds' wide-ranging habitat.

I chose instead to visit the many exhibits set up inside one of the barns, spending most of my time at the site of a wildlife rehabilitation organization, where I could make eyes at this darling little Screech Owl.  The site featured two of these tiny owls, a brown-phase one in addition to this gray one, both of them too damaged by injuries to be released back into the wild.  They certainly made endearing ambassadors for the cause of wildlife protection and rehabilitation.

This charming little American Kestrel, our smallest native falcon, had never been injured, but because it had been reared from a chick by humans, it had not acquired the hunting skills it would need to survive in the wild.  Oh, such a pretty creature!

Maybe this TurkeyVulture has a face that only its mother could love, but it's quite a handsomely impressive bird in all other respects.

That vulture seemed a bit taken aback by the arrival of another feathered friend.  This fellow all dressed in the garb of one of the western plains tribes, was attending the Raptor Fest to promote a Native American powwow later this year.  He told me his tribe was from Wyoming, although he lives in this part of the country now.  Our native northeastern tribes would not have clothing decorated with this kind of beadwork, nor would they have worn such elaborate feather bonnets.

Another exhibitor at the fest was one of my favorite nature sites, the Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park.  Their exhibit featured a collection of animal skulls accompanied by descriptions of the animals' behavior and habitat, with the challenge to identify the name of the animal.  I am happy to announce that I guessed them all correctly!

Here, a crowd gathers at the edge of a field to witness the release of a Snowy Owl that had been successfully restored to health after injury. I was glad to see so many children attending the Raptor Fest, learning early how important it is to preserve the kind of habitat these splendid birds need to survive.

And here's that gorgeous creature, the Snowy Owl.  What a rare treat, to observe this lovely animal at such close range.  This particular species of owl is a rather uncommon winter migrant to our region, although more individuals than usual were reported as visiting this winter.   The bird looks very calm, resting there in the rehabber's arm, but now and then its long sharp talons would emerge from those fluffy feet, reminding us that this is a serious predator.

Free at last!   Released from the grip of its rehabber's grasp, the owl spreads its wings and quickly soars away, keeping low to the ground, as is its hunting habit.  I wish the dear creature well, hoping that it finds all the prey it needs here to prepare for its return to arctic regions for the summer.

B-r-r-r-ding the Ft. Edward Grasslands

Ten below zero when I got up this morning, with a bit of wind stirring the dangling seeds of the Box Elder tree outside my kitchen window.  And I don't think it got much warmer than ten above all day.  I must be nuts, I thought to myself, as I agreed to meet Sue this afternoon for a birdwatching jaunt around the grasslands east of Ft. Edward in Washington County, an open rolling (and windy!) habitat designated one of New York's Important Birding Areas.  But the thrill of the hunt overcame the dread of the cold, especially since area birders had reported seeing a pair of Short-eared Owls (an endangered species in New York State)  hunting these fields in recent weeks.  So out came the big down coat and the fur-lined hat with flaps that cover my cheeks and chin, and off I drove to meet Sue.

We left my car on the side of a road and rode together in Sue's car, meandering through the hills and meadows of this vast open area looking for hawks until it grew late enough to start looking for owls.  We had hardly started our birding journey when Sue spotted a Rough-legged Hawk soaring over a hedgerow, and I later pointed out a Red-tailed Hawk perching in a tree.  A bit later we saw a hawk with white undersides and black wing-tips flying low over a field, a bird Sue later confirmed was indeed a Northern Harrier.  Important Birding Area, indeed!

As a lowering sun began to cast long shadows across the fields, we made our way to the specific site where the Short-eared Owls have been spotted.  Unlike most other species of owls, which hunt in the dark of night, the Short-eared often leave their roost and begin their evening's hunt before the sun disappears, giving us some small hope that we might actually see them today.

We were not the only ones to share that hope.  We were soon joined by other avid birders, including one couple who had driven to this spot all the way from Amsterdam, NY, several counties away.  But especially exciting to us was the arrival of noted bird photographer Gordon Ellmers,  who set up his scope and camera in the hopes of obtaining some shots of this rare and endangered bird.

Well, it certainly was our lucky day! The fellow from Amsterdam let out a shout -- "There's one!" -- and we all trained our binoculars in the direction he pointed.  Sure enough, a pair of owls came flapping along, close to the ground, and Gordon hurried to get his shots while the birds remained within range and the daylight lasted.  Here's a shot that Gordon generously shared with us and permitted me to publish.  I did not even attempt to photograph the owls with my little pocket camera with its limited zoom.  Plus, I did not want to put down my binoculars, lest I miss a moment of watching these elusive birds.

 Photo by Gordon Ellmers, used with permission.

My readers can visit our regional Audubon site to see more truly spectacular and instructive photos by Gordon Ellmers of these beautiful owls, as well as of two of the hawks Sue and I saw today, the Rough-legged and the Northern Harrier.  Also, be sure to visit Sue's blog Water-lily to read her account and see her wonderful photos of today's adventure.

Our faces numb and our fingers nearly frozen, Sue and I agreed it was time to head home to hot suppers, and so we went our separate ways, she to Queensbury and I to Saratoga.  I did take a little detour to the tiny river village of Ft. Miller, stopping to take in the beauty of sunset on the Hudson.  There were still areas of open water along this stretch, and flocks of geese came circling in from many directions, peppering the deep-blue sky with their darkened profiles.

Gordon Ellmers had told us that he had seen many hundreds of Snow Geese on the river at Ft. Miller today, but I could not tell what species of goose these were, dark shapes against the water and sky and filling the air with their haunting cries.   I hope this huge flock was able to find an area of open water to spend the night.