Like life, birds move pretty fast. But every so often they park in place, giving us photographers an opportunity to compose and take their portraits. I had two cracks at it today, this first day of December.
As I was making my way back to my car this morning at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, I spotted a blob in a tree at the AT&T historical exhibit. The blob was a bird, a hawk no doubt, but which variety?
As I got closer, it was plain to see from the patterned feathers on its chest that this was a red-shouldered hawk. It was calmly perched, swiveling its head every now and then. Two other photographers were parked nearby. I changed positions a few times, aiming to get a better angle clear of branches and with the bird lit up a bit more by what little sunlight was piercing the clouds.
One of my last shots produced the shot atop this post. It’s cropped from a wider image that shows the bird from the chest up. If birds had yearbook photos, this one might do well for the hawk.
Running an errand in the afternoon, I stopped by the Millstone River Impoundment in Princeton. By then, the sun was plentiful. I counted 30 double-crested cormorants floating in the water, the largest number I’ve ever seen at this spot.
Ring-billed gulls were swarming over the bridges that cross the water and a few were sitting on the sides of one of them. That’s where I found the gull immediately below.
That bird and a couple of others perched nearby flew off once I started walking forward, and I soon spotted a great blue heron just off the bridge. I’m fairly certain it is the same blue heron I’ve seen in that area virtually time I’ve visited. The heron paid me no heed, and I got several nice shots. I chose the one below. With that fabulous chest plumage and the bird’s intent stare down the long beak, I didn’t want to crop any closer.
I have no clue whether this heron is male or female, but I’m guessing it’s a male. I thank him and the other birds I saw today for posing in my plein air studio. 🦅
The Jersey Birder 