2. Animals

Birds

Birds in natural habitat (wild) and in refuges and zoos. From songbirds to raptors. If you have a request for a bird not seen here, contact me! We have plenty in stock.
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Snowy Owl
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Snowy Owl

This yellow-eyed, black-beaked white bird is easily recognizable. It is 20–28 inch long, with a 49–59 inch wingspan.

Snowy Owls spend their summers and nest in the Arctic tundra of the northernmost stretches of Alaska and Canada. They winter south through Canada, with irruptions (migrations) occurring further south in some years. Snowy Owls are attracted to open areas like coastal dunes and prairies that appear somewhat similar to the Arctic tundra.

Our photos in this series were taken during the 2013 irruption in NJ.

snowy owlowlsbirdsirruptionwinter

  • Great Horned Owl. Found from the Arctic tundra to the tropical rainforest, from the desert to suburban backyards, the Great Horned Owl is one of the most widespread and common owls in North America.
  • Snowy Owl
  • Red Tailed Hawk. One of the most common hawks in America, the Red Tailed Hawk can frequently be observed in suburban locations perched on telephone or light poles. They are frequently observed soaring on thermals. It is a larger hawk, measuring 18 to 26 inches in length, with a wingspan from 43 to 57 inches.
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird. the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is eastern North America’s sole breeding hummingbird. These brilliant, tiny, precision-flying creatures have a greenish body and red "throat" that glitter like jewels in the full sun. Feeders and flower gardens are great ways to attract these birds. In early fall they’re bound for Central America, with many crossing the Gulf of Mexico in a single flight.
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird. the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is eastern North America’s sole breeding hummingbird. These brilliant, tiny, precision-flying creatures have a greenish body and red "throat" that glitter like jewels in the full sun. Feeders and flower gardens are great ways to attract these birds. In early fall they’re bound for Central America, with many crossing the Gulf of Mexico in a single flight.
  • Downy Woodpecker. The active little Downy Woodpecker is a familiar sight at backyard feeders and in parks and woodlots, where it joins flocks of chickadees and nuthatches, barely outsizing them. An often acrobatic forager, this black-and-white woodpecker is at home on tiny branches or balancing on slender plant galls, sycamore seed balls, and suet feeders. Downies and their larger lookalike, the Hairy Woodpecker, are one of the first identification challenges that beginning bird watchers master.
  • Cedar Waxwing. <br /> Size & Shape<br /> The Cedar Waxwing is a medium-sized, sleek bird. Waxwings have a crest that often lies flat and droops over the back of the head. <br /> <br /> Color Pattern<br /> Cedar Waxwings are pale brown on the head and chest fading to soft gray on the wings. The belly is pale yellow, and the tail is gray with a bright yellow tip. The face has a narrow black mask neatly outlined in white. Wings have red waxy tip feathers. <br /> <br /> Behavior<br /> Cedar Waxwings are social birds that you’re likely to see in flocks year-round. They sit in fruiting trees swallowing berries whole, or pluck them in mid-air with a brief fluttering hover. They also hunt over water for insects.<br /> <br /> Habitat<br /> Look for Cedar Waxwings in woodlands of all kinds, and at farms, orchards, and suburban gardens where there are fruiting trees or shrubs.
  • Cedar Waxwings - Typical Flock. <br /> Size & Shape<br /> The Cedar Waxwing is a medium-sized, sleek bird. Waxwings have a crest that often lies flat and droops over the back of the head. <br /> <br /> Color Pattern<br /> Cedar Waxwings are pale brown on the head and chest fading to soft gray on the wings. The belly is pale yellow, and the tail is gray with a bright yellow tip. The face has a narrow black mask neatly outlined in white. Wings have red waxy tip feathers. <br /> <br /> Behavior<br /> Cedar Waxwings are social birds that you’re likely to see in flocks year-round. They sit in fruiting trees swallowing berries whole, or pluck them in mid-air with a brief fluttering hover. They also hunt over water for insects.<br /> <br /> Habitat<br /> Look for Cedar Waxwings in woodlands of all kinds, and at farms, orchards, and suburban gardens where there are fruiting trees or shrubs.
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  • Gray Catbird. Gray Catbirds are relatives of mockingbirds and thrashers, and they share that group’s vocal abilities, copying the sounds of other species and stringing them together to make their own song.
  • "Conversation" Barn Swallows. A familiar inhabitant of barns and other outbuildings, the Barn Swallow is easily recognized by its long forked tail. It was originally a cave breeder, but now the swallow nests almost exclusively on man-made structures.
  • "Meeting" Barn Swallows. A familiar inhabitant of barns and other outbuildings, the Barn Swallow is easily recognized by its long forked tail. It was originally a cave breeder, but now the swallow nests almost exclusively on man-made structures.
  • Bald Eagle ("escorted" by 2 Red-winged Blackbirds). The national emblem of the United States, the Bald Eagle was threatened with extinction in the lower 48 states because of DDT (a type of pesticide) poisoning. Protection under the Endangered Species Act, together with reintroduction programs, brought populations up, and the species was reclassified as Threatened in 1995. By 1999 some were suggesting that Bald Eagles could be removed from the endangered species list, and they were delisted in June 2007—a true conservation success! Their habitat is near water, frequenting bays, rivers, lakes, streams. They congregate near areas where fish (and small animals) are plentiful (dams, salmon runs, etc.).
  • Wild Turkey. The Wild Turkey was a very important food animal to Native Americans, but it was eliminated from much of its range by the early 1900s. Introduction programs have successfully established it in most of its original range, and even into areas where it never occurred before. The male Wild Turkey provides no parental care. When the eggs hatch, the chicks follow the female. She feeds them for a few days, but they quickly learn to feed themselves. Several hens and their broods may join up into bands of more than 30 birds. Winter groups have been seen to exceed 200.<br /> DID YOU KNOW: Ben Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird!
  • Wild Turkey. The Wild Turkey was a very important food animal to Native Americans, but it was eliminated from much of its range by the early 1900s. Introduction programs have successfully established it in most of its original range, and even into areas where it never occurred before. The male Wild Turkey provides no parental care. When the eggs hatch, the chicks follow the female. She feeds them for a few days, but they quickly learn to feed themselves. Several hens and their broods may join up into bands of more than 30 birds. Winter groups have been seen to exceed 200.<br /> DID YOU KNOW: Ben Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird!
  • Wild Turkey. The Wild Turkey was a very important food animal to Native Americans, but it was eliminated from much of its range by the early 1900s. Introduction programs have successfully established it in most of its original range, and even into areas where it never occurred before. The male Wild Turkey provides no parental care. When the eggs hatch, the chicks follow the female. She feeds them for a few days, but they quickly learn to feed themselves. Several hens and their broods may join up into bands of more than 30 birds. Winter groups have been seen to exceed 200.<br /> DID YOU KNOW: Ben Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird!
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  • Great Blue Heron (landing on ice) The largest and most widespread heron in North America, the Great Blue Heron can be found along the ocean shore, bays, lakes, streams or the edge of ponds. Although the Great Blue Heron eats primarily fish, it is adaptable and willing to eat other animals as well. Several studies have found that voles (mice) were a very important part of the diet, making up nearly half of what was fed to nestlings in Idaho. Occasionally a heron will choke to death trying to eat a fish that is too large to swallow. Great Blue Herons congregate at fish hatcheries, creating potential problems for the fish farmers. A study found that herons ate mostly diseased fish that would have died shortly anyway.
  • Great Blue Heron (flying over ice) The largest and most widespread heron in North America, the Great Blue Heron can be found along the ocean shore, bays, lakes, streams or the edge of ponds. Although the Great Blue Heron eats primarily fish, it is adaptable and willing to eat other animals as well. Several studies have found that voles (mice) were a very important part of the diet, making up nearly half of what was fed to nestlings in Idaho. Occasionally a heron will choke to death trying to eat a fish that is too large to swallow. Great Blue Herons congregate at fish hatcheries, creating potential problems for the fish farmers. A study found that herons ate mostly diseased fish that would have died shortly anyway.
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