This Saturday morning was a real gloomy February day. There almost seemed to be a haze of wet, cold winter air just hanging over the park. Shortly after I set out though I ran into a Red-tailed Hawk perched just inside the paved path. I was able to get a half-way decent shot of him without even spooking him off.
I didn't know at the time but this would be my best photo of the day. On the north side I spotted a Barred Owl at about the same height the Hawk was. This raptor however was not quite as visible behind a thick line of trees. It was kind of a bummer because it was actually quite close but there was just no unobstructed view. I knew another birder friend of mine was at the park today and when I found the Barred Owl I called him up. It turned out he was only just minutes away and also hiking with another friend. Then when they arrived, another acquaintance of ours came up from the opposite direction.
We all stood there for quite a while, talking and watching the Owl. Some other park-goers came by and were wondering what we were all staring at. We tried to point out the Owl to them but they were unable to spot it behind the brush. Now that three of us had connected we decided to hike the rest of the way together. When we were back on the south end of the park we scanned the middle for any signs of life and I noticed dead tree that looked kind of odd. It was so far away that we all looked with our binoculars but still could not tell if it was a perched bird or not. At this distance the coloring was so similar to the wood that I actually decided I must have been imagining a bird. Our friend with the most powerful zoom lens took a few shots and indeed it DID look like a large raptor perched on top. All of a sudden the top of the log spread it's wings and took flight, confirming our suspicion! I had no idea what such a light colored raptor might be but I was lucky to be in such good company.
The most experienced of us three was able to quickly identify it as a Red-shouldered Hawk. I can't say I've ever seen one until today! Again we were quite a distance away but at least I got some kind of photo evidence and I definitely trust the ID by our friend -as his birding skills are quite well known and respected. I hope I get to see this NEW species for me again sometime -and hopefully much closer!
I didn't know at the time but this would be my best photo of the day. On the north side I spotted a Barred Owl at about the same height the Hawk was. This raptor however was not quite as visible behind a thick line of trees. It was kind of a bummer because it was actually quite close but there was just no unobstructed view. I knew another birder friend of mine was at the park today and when I found the Barred Owl I called him up. It turned out he was only just minutes away and also hiking with another friend. Then when they arrived, another acquaintance of ours came up from the opposite direction. 
We all stood there for quite a while, talking and watching the Owl. Some other park-goers came by and were wondering what we were all staring at. We tried to point out the Owl to them but they were unable to spot it behind the brush. Now that three of us had connected we decided to hike the rest of the way together. When we were back on the south end of the park we scanned the middle for any signs of life and I noticed dead tree that looked kind of odd. It was so far away that we all looked with our binoculars but still could not tell if it was a perched bird or not. At this distance the coloring was so similar to the wood that I actually decided I must have been imagining a bird. Our friend with the most powerful zoom lens took a few shots and indeed it DID look like a large raptor perched on top. All of a sudden the top of the log spread it's wings and took flight, confirming our suspicion! I had no idea what such a light colored raptor might be but I was lucky to be in such good company. 
The most experienced of us three was able to quickly identify it as a Red-shouldered Hawk. I can't say I've ever seen one until today! Again we were quite a distance away but at least I got some kind of photo evidence and I definitely trust the ID by our friend -as his birding skills are quite well known and respected. I hope I get to see this NEW species for me again sometime -and hopefully much closer!
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