Barred Owl resting mid day in a sun dappled tree in the forest.
Black and White Barred Owl Portrait
Category Archives: Raptor
Owl in the Forest
Old-growth swamp forest, to be more precise, and a great home for Barred Owls. Some of the trees here are 1000 plus years old and the water circulating around them provides a perpetual feast for owls.
There are currently two pair of Barred Owls frequenting the boardwalk area maintained by Audubon South Carolina. We heard them calling to each other in the distance throughout our visit and then spotted this one napping.
Dappled lighting through the leaves and the stillness of the owl makes me wonder if we walked past his mate without realizing it.
Beidler Forest sits within the Four Holes Swamp, a 45,000-acre matrix of black water sloughs and lakes, shallow bottomland hardwoods, and deep bald cypress and tupelo gum flats. Four Holes Swamp is also a major tributary of the Edisto River, part of the Charleston area’s famous ACE basin. Over 17,000 of the swamp’s acres are owned by the National Audubon Society and make up what is known as the Francis Beidler Forest.
Audubon Center & Sanctuary at the Francis Beidler Forest, South Carolina, 9/17/2017.
A Raptor
Small Coopers Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, or maybe a Merlin? Hanging out where a forested area meets an agricultural field, any of them could be at home here.
The features that CornellLab’s All About Birds uses to distinguish the Merlin from the Sharp-shinned Hawk require flight or at least other angles. The Sharp-shinned Hawk has short, rounded wings and a very long tail. The Merlin has sharply pointed wings, a broad chest, and a medium length tail. Then there are the sex and age variations to confuse the ID.
It may come down to the “bluntness” of the face: the Merlin, a falcon, has a blunt face and the hawks are more pointy.
This fellow stayed put even after I took his photo and had moved on.
Barred Owl Watching Me
We often walk around a path where a pair of Barred Owls has been seen regularly since the spring. This was the first time I saw them both. The Owl below was quietly watching us while we photographed his mate in a tree on the other side of the path.
I had stepped aside to let another photographer get a view of the first Owl and was surprised to see and get better shots of Owl number two. There were lots of branches preventing a wider shot but he was closer and the light was a little better. He didn’t stay long and after this over-the-shoulder glance he swooped further out into the trees.
Red-tailed Hawk Downtown
We often walk through the cemetery at Charleston’s Circular Congregational Church when we are in the neighborhood. Filled with trees, it is welcoming to many birds which may be why a Red-tailed Hawk buzzed the area, cruising over my head. He never slowed and I watched his beautiful tail disappear over a wall headed towards Queen Street.
We headed that way too, wondering if he might be perched in a nearby tree. Even better, he was in clear view on the tile roof of one of the old French Quarter homes.
I switched to my long lens and he stayed put while I angled around the front of the building, getting a few views of this temporary king of Queen Street.
Daily life went on below him: post-Irma trash pick up, street repairs, tourists bent on seeing every street but missing the details, a suited business man conducting his business on the phone in the street…nothing seemed to faze him.
Barred Owl Gets Lunch
Barred Owl watches the water below.
With little warning the Owl swoops from the branch to the water.
After a small splash around at the base of the tree the Owl emerges…
Yes, he was successful! A fresh water shrimp or some type of crayfish was firmly clasped in the Owl’s beak.
The Owl flew to a safer spot, transferring his catch to his claw, and in no time he had consumed it.
Barred Owl
This Barred Owl was looking over a small pond in a grove of trees that let very little light through.
He was more concerned with watching for movement in the water and on the small island than with humans passing by.
The Owl moved from tree to tree, patiently looking for a meal. Unfortunately the space was too tight to get an in flight shot.
Checking out the water below with a twist of his head, the Owl’s giant feet were on display.
Great Horned Owl
It’s easy to see why Owls are one of the biggest attractions at the Center for Birds of Prey. Trained to participate in the Center’s Environmental Education programs, they tend to sit calmly on a perch giving a wonderful opportunity to see them up close. This Great Horned Owl, however, was intent on getting on the ground for a few minutes.
His handler waited for him to look around and settle.
After a bit he went back to the perch and showed off with a lovely pose.
The Center for Birds of Prey, Photography Day, April 2017, Â Awenda, SC.
Red-shouldered Hawk Snake Snack
This Red-shouldered Hawk kept a vigilant watch while he snarfed down lunch, his head was swiveling all around.
I hadn’t seen him land so didn’t know what he might be eating.
I was rather surprised when I developed these photos that it was a snake and at the way it was coiled up under his feet.
From a little further down the path the background was nicer and the snake out of view.
Click any photo for a larger view/close up of the snake.
Taken February 22, 2017.
Red-shouldered Hawk
We spotted three or four Red-shouldered Hawks today at the edge of the swamp today, mostly sitting in the sun and occasionally calling in their high-pitched whistle.
This one spotted a snack, dropped down to the ground and came back with what appears to be a frog.
He held the frog in his beak for over a minute and the photos don’t show any sign it was alive.
He landed on stick that made for nice photos in the afternoon sun.
I didn’t see the hawk actually eat the frog–he may have dropped it.
If so, he didn’t seem concerned.
Click on any photo for a larger view.