Wild Side Photographic Art

A recent shot of one our prettier ducks heading South for the winter. This is a drake Green-winged Teal.

This is one of the smallest Kingfishers in the world. It's a Malachite Kingfisher from South Africa.

Hopefully, we're back running with Facebook. I'm lucky to have my stepson Scott who is our family computer whiz. This is from a couple of days ago. Is it a bird image or a fall landscape? I call these birdscapes.

A drake Mallard from a few days ago. This is one of the most common ducks and it is found just about everywhere in the world. Sometimes we get used to a species and lose sight of the fact that is truly a beautiful bird.

Facebook is still not cooperating so here are a bunch of new images. This is a female Northern Harrier. It is usually not a bird that likes its picture taken. I had 3 different birds in one day and I managed to get a couple of decent images. Harriers usually fly very low over the fields looking for prey.

Wood Ducks are arguably the most beautiful duck in the US. I always enjoy photographing them. The males are getting there colorful plumage again. I photographed this one at The Batavia Wastewater Treatment Plant, about an hour from here. There are huge ponds that attract large numbers of ducks for the winter, as they remain ice free. Until we can travel again, we have to change our "play areas". Actually these treatment areas are popular all over the world for birders and bird photographers. I've done them all over the world.

Last week we took a drive down to Elk County, Pennsylvania to photograph Elk. The 150 mile ride to Benezette, PA was quite beautiful with the changing leaves. There are about 1400 Elk in the area. I thought that the reintroduction was recent but it turns out it was done in 1913. The native subspecies was hunted to extinction during the 1800's. the new herd came from Yellowstone. While the reintroduction was to build up a herd to hunt, 1000's of people visit the area to s...ee and listen to the bugling of the big bulls at this time of year. A lottery system is used to determine who gets to shoot them. Only about two hundred will get permits. Most tags are for antlerless animals only (females and young males). We saw quite a few animals and did get a few decent shots but there were way too many people and the animals were too tame for our tastes. Did I mention there were WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE?

Juvenile Beaver - Allegany State Park.

We spent some time in Allegany State Park. Usually there is quite a bit of wildlife but it was pretty slow this year. I spent about 90 minutes one evening watching a Beaver pond. It paid off. Right after sunset this mother appeared with her kit. While mom was out tending to the various dams,, junior spent the time eating fresh shoots that Mom brought.

Blue Jay with a side order of Autumn. We're still a week or two from peak color here in Western NY, We took a drive yesterday in the hill country south of us and they should be peaking this weekend. We've got a couple of short trips planned for both mammals and birds.

A beautiful Red-tailed Hawk from our local refuge. We see or hear him on just about every walk there. He's been well photographed.

I'm still having problems with my FB account, which is why I've been missing. This is a shot I took a couple of days ago of a Coyote within the city limits of Buffalo, NY. There were actually two traveling together. Coyotes in cities are not unusual but this is the first one I've photographed in the city. I posted it on a local Bird and Wildlife Facebook, I was surprised how many people have seen urban Coyotes. So, I decided to do a little research. Most cities have Co...yotes. They are usually somewhat secretive but sometimes are seen in broad daylight on city streets. Most depend on green areas like cemeteries, parks and open land to hunt and den. Den sites are surprisingly hard to find and if one is found they will move to a different one. Female Coyotes can adjust their litter sizes based on food supply and other factors. This is one of the reasons that hunting pressure in rural areas often does not eliminate them, If the food is in good supply, they have larger litters to fill the niches. Also, in urban areas they mate for life, and the male helps to rear the young, In most of the reports I read, one thing stands out. A Coyote will not be feasting on your pets. They tend to stay with their natural diet. One study based on scat analysis found that 42% were of rodents, 23% fruit, 22% deer, 18% rabbit, 2% human garbage and 1% cats which were probably feral. There are cases where bold and habituated Coyotes going after small dogs. Dog attacks are rare and are usually not eaten. Insects during the summer are on their menu also. The presence of Coyotes as apex predators actually is a sign that there is a healthy and thriving ecosystem. The fact that they spend much of their time in green areas makes them less of a threat to pets. So, if you see a Coyote on your way to the supermarket consider yourself lucky to get a glimpse of America's most maligned mammal. One more thing. I love watching and photographing predators, whether they be mammals, birds or herps. So, I may be a bit biased. However facts are facts!

This is from yesterday at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. It is a female Belted Kingfisher. I like the way the wind is messing up his crest.