Catching a Woodpecker

Work took me down to Ohio.  As I was heading back, we stopped at a restaurant to eat lunch.  I looked out towards the back of the parking lot and I saw this guy.  After moving the car a little closer, I was able to get some pictures.

This was with my iPhone but I will have to say it was pretty decent.  I might be able to clean it up a little more but the light was almost perfect for me.

I think this is a red bellied woodpecker.

He was looking around.

Kind of the classic woodpecker pose.

And then a squirrel came by.

I'm fairly happy with these shots given the limitations.

 

A Stop at Ottawa National Wildlife Preserve

On Saturday, we heard that the Ottawa National Wildlife Preserve was open, so we decided to head down there.  Wasn't sure what we'd see though.

As I started down one of the roads, I saw a few cars stopped.  People had their cameras out and I was wondering what they were looking at.

As I looked over in the direction of where their cameras were pointed, I saw what they were looking at.

This eagle was just hanging out in the tree.

I had to move a little bit to get a better vantage and this was the best that I could do.  I didn't like that the branches were in the way but I could see his head.

I kind of like this angle.

He was sort of looking my way.

I love these birds.

He was looking off another way.

As I was heading out of the park, I saw this guy flying by.

I didn't have much time to get him though.

I decided to take another spin around the park.  As I was heading through, I saw this downey woodpecker.  He wasn't going to give me a good picture though and this was the best I could do.

As I got to another spot, I saw this guy flying.  He was flying towards a nest.

And then he was greeted by the eagle at the top of the picture.

This eagle is almost a mature eagle.  I'd say it's probably about 5.  It's head is not quite fully white yet.

But he looks close enough to a mature eagle.

As I was leaving the park, I saw this one perched.  I later found it was a female kestrel.  I wasn't sure if it was a kestrel because I thought they had blue in their feathers.  But it turns out those are the male.

Catching Some Other Birds

So I couldn't get decent pictures of the owls, so I tried to get some pictures of some of the other birds.

 First up being a Canada Goose.  He was not too happy about some ducks in

 And he just floated by the ducks.

 One more picture of him.

 I was hearing this guy singing all night, as I was heading back home, I saw him on the ground, so I stopped to get some pictures.  As I saw him, I saw another bird.

This guy was sitting on the ground next to the cardinal.  I tried to get a couple pictures of him there but they didn't work.  As I was looking around, I saw him on this branch across the river.  I was surprised to get a decent picture because I had to blow it up so much but the resolution on this camera is so much better.

On a personal note, I found out on Friday I got furloughed.  So it looks like I might have some time for the time being.  Not sure what I can do in a lockdown but I'll figure it out.

A Stop at Jennison Nature Center

I decided to make a brief stop at the Nature Center.  I do like their little bird center.

 I think this is a yellow finch.

 This is a house finch.

 A squirrel.

 I think this is called a red bellied woodpecker.

 Another angle of the purple finch.

 A cardinal flying towards the feeders.

 I'm not sure what kind of bird this is.

 I think this is a young cardinal.

 It looks pretty neat at any rate.

 I think this is a nuthatch.

And another woodpecker.

For the Birds

So I went up to Fish Point today in the hope of catching some snowy owls.  Unfortunately, I got too late of a start and didn't see any.  So  I decided to head over to Bay City State Park and the bird observation area there.

 As I entered the area, all of the birds left but I saw a couple of squirrels.  I haven't really taken pictures of squirrels lately and this one was looking pretty cute.

 I followed him around for a bit.

 It wasn't long before the birds came back.  Since I'm not sure what the birds are, I'll just talk about the picture.  I think this may be a finch of some sort.

 I'm not sure what one is.

 I kind of like this view.

 This almost looks like it could be a bluebird

 the bird from the side.

 Another side view.

 This one is a downy woodpecker.  It was kind of neat to see him.

 I'm not sure what this one is.

Another shot of the woodpecker.

The Bird Observation Area

So after getting some pictures of the stuffed animals, I went back in my car to get my bigger lens.  The nature center has a pretty decent set up for watching birds.  It is alot better than the one I remembered.  Anyway, here are some bird pictures.

 I'm not sure what kind of bird this is, but I thought he looked pretty neat.

 Another angle of that bird.

 I think this one is a woodpecker.

 I think this is a nuthatch.

 A yellow finch.  They aren't as bright in the winter.

 Another type of woodpecker.

 I think this is my favorite shot of him.

 I was happy to see this bird.

 For all the pictures of birds that I have, it seems like the cardinal proves to be elusive.  This is a female cardinal.  They aren't as bright as the males.

 But they still look pretty cool.

 It seems like they are mean though as she seemed to chase away the other birds before eating.

 I really like this picture.

 One more shot of her.

I kind of like this shot.