Last weekend I, along with two friends went on a bird-watching trip sponsored by the Delaware Valley Orinthology Club. The tour was led by an expert from the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. We went to spots in the Brendan Byrne State Forest and the Franklin Parker Preserve, in Chatsworth. First we went to call on some barn owl’s that live in a cedar swamp. The group remained quiet and still while the guide called out, ‘hoooo hoooo hoo hoo hoo’, over and over again! Unfortunately no one was home. Next we visited a spot where we saw several red-headed woodpeckers. These have a completely red head … not to be confused with the red-bellied woodpeckers we have around our homes. Not knowing we were supposed to bring a lunch we stopped at Buzby’s store for a nutritious lunch of chocolate covered cranberries. Later in the day we did some hiking and saw a harrier, a red-tailed hawk, a bluebird and a few other species. The guide had a PhD and was full of information about the pine barrens. Our last stop was to a place where there is a known eagle’s nest. When we arrived the male was circling high overhead while the female sat on the nest. The nest was not visible with the naked eye but several birders had telescopes and they shared the view with us. How exciting! The nest was made of large branches and there she was! My hopes were not high in capturing award winning bird photos on that day … this was more of a scouting trip. Not only were many of the birds at even too far a distance for my 500mm lens, I have learned that hand-holding even with the help of a monopod is next to impossible with long lenses. It was a crisp Spring day and it was great to be out with nature and friends. Here are a few images from the trip.
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