# Birding at the local park



## Biollantefan54 (Feb 24, 2022)

Me and my grandma went to a local park yesterday and we saw some pretty cool stuff! The most interesting were these bald eagles that return every year and raise their young. There nests are visible from the park and sometimes we can catch them flying back and forth. Most people here had no idea eagles even lived in this part of the country, me being one of them! Last year I was able to photograph then but this year I was able to catch one perched in the tree, instead of hiding inside its nest, so I got some better pics this time around.

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## Biollantefan54 (Feb 24, 2022)

Here are what I believe are “buffleheads”, first time seeing them.
	

		
			
		

		
	




A pied-billed grebe 
	

		
			
		

		
	



An eastern bluebird 
	

		
			
		

		
	



A goose 
	

		
			
		

		
	



A duck, not sure on species 
	

		
			
		

		
	




Not a good pic but I think this is called a hooded merganser, also a first for me. 


And lastly what I think is a red headed wood pecker, I read that these are threatened and becoming more rare to see, once again, also a first for me!

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## Spoodfood (Feb 24, 2022)

That eagle is so beautiful! I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in person.

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## Biollantefan54 (Feb 24, 2022)

Spoodfood said:


> That eagle is so beautiful! I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in person.


The only place I’ve seen them in person is a zoo, once someone told me there was a nest at a park 5 minutes from my house last year, I had to go see it! Apparently they’ve been coming here for over 10 years!


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## Spoodfood (Feb 24, 2022)

Biollantefan54 said:


> The only place I’ve seen them in person is a zoo, once someone told me there was a nest at a park 5 minutes from my house last year, I had to go see it! Apparently they’ve been coming here for over 10 years!


Yeah I’ve seen them in zoos too but never in nature. Would be awesome to see. And you got excellent photos of it too!

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## Pmurinushmacla (Feb 24, 2022)

Even in Florida, where we are supposed to have the most bald eagles, I only see them once every 6 months or so. I'm not exactly looking for them a lot though.

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## Spoodfood (Feb 24, 2022)

Pmurinushmacla said:


> Even in Florida, where we are supposed to have the most bald eagles, I only see them once every 6 months or so. I'm not exactly looking for them a lot though.


I live in NW Florida and I haven’t seen them here, but I also haven’t been hiking anywhere, since I can’t find any nice trails or parks in my area. Sad, used to be my favorite passtime in Ohio where I grew up.


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## Hardus nameous (Feb 24, 2022)

I see eagles all the time at work but I have yet to get any pictures that good.  What kind of camera and lens were you using?

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## Biollantefan54 (Feb 24, 2022)

Hardus nameous said:


> I see eagles all the time at work but I have yet to get any pictures that good.  What kind of camera and lens were you using?


I use a Nikon d7500, it’s an upgrade from my d5600. It can take way more photos in a burst than the old one which lets me get a lot more action shots. I use a sigma 150-600mm as well

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## jc55 (Feb 24, 2022)

When i lived in Florida there was a local park that had eagles quite often and we enjoyed observing them when we could.

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## Biollantefan54 (May 5, 2022)

Went to the park again today

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## jc55 (May 6, 2022)

I like your bird pics as much as your insect pics.

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## CanebrakeRattlesnake (May 6, 2022)

Amazing pictures! I live in Wisconsin by the river so I see bald eagles all the time but I've never managed to get such up-close pictures before, great job!

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## Westicles (May 7, 2022)

Biollantefan54 said:


> Me and my grandma went to a local park yesterday and we saw some pretty cool stuff! The most interesting were these bald eagles that return every year and raise their young. There nests are visible from the park and sometimes we can catch them flying back and forth. Most people here had no idea eagles even lived in this part of the country, me being one of them! Last year I was able to photograph then but this year I was able to catch one perched in the tree, instead of hiding inside its nest, so I got some better pics this time around.
> 
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Those pics belong in a book!

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## Biollantefan54 (May 7, 2022)

Westicles said:


> Those pics belong in a book!


That would be cool to make a book one day with them. I just wouldn’t know which ones to put in it haha


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## Biollantefan54 (May 9, 2022)

Here are some more I got today and yesterday. The first is a new bird for me, I think it’s a blue grosbeak!

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## Biollantefan54 (May 9, 2022)

I’m not sure what species the first two pics are, another new one for me. Some swallows and a soft shell turtle, as well as the eaglets at the park. They are getting big!

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## Edan bandoot (May 11, 2022)

Biollantefan54 said:


> Went to the park again today
> View attachment 417517
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> ...


I thought that the bluebird was a ringed kingfisher at first, imagine how sick of a picture that would have been


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## Biollantefan54 (May 11, 2022)

Edan bandoot said:


> I thought that the bluebird was a ringed kingfisher at first, imagine how sick of a picture that would have been


I wish! I have only seen one king fisher before, I’d love to photograph one!


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## Biollantefan54 (May 11, 2022)

Got a lot of new pics I really like!! Got some of a blue heron, green heron, and a hummingbird.

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## Jonathan6303 (May 12, 2022)

impressed very impressed. Incredible photography

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## Biollantefan54 (May 12, 2022)

Jonathan6303 said:


> impressed very impressed. Incredible photography


Thank you!!


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## coolnweird (May 15, 2022)

Your photos are beautiful and very skillfully done!! The hummingbird in particular is fascinating, but all of them are gorgeous

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## Biollantefan54 (May 18, 2022)

Went to the park again, actually went the last 3-4 days, I haven’t edited anything I just took a few minutes ago yet haha, but I have pics from the last few times. I got some amazing eagle photos and a lot of heron pictures. This will be part one because I have a lot haha

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## Biollantefan54 (May 19, 2022)

Saw this beautiful male ruby throated hummingbird yesterday. Might be my favorite bird photo yet!

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## Biollantefan54 (May 21, 2022)

Some new pics

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## Biollantefan54 (Jun 25, 2022)

Got some new ones, in the fifth picture, the two eagle babies have left the nest. I went to the park to see how they were doing and heard them, I looked out in the woods and found them sitting pretty far off on this power line

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## jc55 (Jun 25, 2022)

Your photography skills are awesome as usual and you have a nice variety of birds as well but i am curious as to how old the young Eagles were because if memory serves me well the bald eagles heads turn white around five years old.


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## Biollantefan54 (Jun 26, 2022)

jc55 said:


> Your photography skills are awesome as usual and you have a nice variety of birds as well but i am curious as to how old the young Eagles were because if memory serves me well the bald eagles heads turn white around five years old.


They are only a couple of months old I believe. They were in a nest not too long ago. I suppose they could be the same ones from last year though


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## jc55 (Jun 27, 2022)

Biollantefan54 said:


> They are only a couple of months old I believe. They were in a nest not too long ago. I suppose they could be the same ones from last year though


Nice so you will be able to see them mature as time goes by which is cool.

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## Biollantefan54 (Jun 29, 2022)

The eagles were in the same spot today, I think I like this pic more than the last. Also, I’m gonna cheat a bit and post the hummingbirds that I saw today in my grandmas yard. It’s not a park but she has so many feeders it’s like a wildlife refuge

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## jc55 (Jun 30, 2022)

That is a great picture of the Eagle and humming birds are fun to watch as well,

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## Biollantefan54 (Aug 7, 2022)

I have been experimenting with a Denoise AI and I really love the results. I posted a duck earlier, I reprocessed it and I really like the photo now. I turn photos B&W if I am not really feeling them but I’m really happy with it now. Third pic down, the previous version is a bit up in the thread on this page

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## Biollantefan54 (Aug 8, 2022)

Got some hummingbirds and a cardinal in the rain today, also a cormorant.

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## Biollantefan54 (Aug 9, 2022)

Birding at my local grandmas house

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## Biollantefan54 (Aug 16, 2022)

Went to the park today, didn’t see any eagles sadly, pretty rare to see unless they are nesting I think. I did see this blue heron though. Also got an…interesting…hummingbird photo.


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## Biollantefan54 (Aug 17, 2022)

Got a pic of an eastern blue bird and a blue heron today at the park

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## Biollantefan54 (Sep 11, 2022)

New batch (not new but I forgot to update the thread haha)

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## Biollantefan54 (Sep 11, 2022)

Got the pics of an osprey and an eagle too!

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## Biollantefan54 (Sep 26, 2022)

Some birds from the park, I like how a lot of these turned out, especially the ducks feeding

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## Biollantefan54 (Oct 10, 2022)

went to the park today and saw some new birds for the first time! I saw some cape may warblers and then I saw my first American redstart and my first black throated blue warbler!


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## Biollantefan54 (Oct 22, 2022)

Some shots of the eagle at the park which is always fun

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## Biollantefan54 (Nov 14, 2022)

Been a bit since I updated this, the eagles are pretty easy to spot at the park, they are currently adding to their nest. Catching them in the right spot at the right time for a nice photo is pretty hard though.

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## Biollantefan54 (Nov 14, 2022)

And a part 2 to the post of above.
The 2nd to last photo is of a white tail deer, I saw it at the park this morning while it was 34 degrees out. First time I’ve seen one at this park, and first time I’ve photographed one! There were around 9 that I saw, in two different groups. _I know it’s not a bird but I saw it while birding at the local park 







_

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## Europus Gigantus (Nov 14, 2022)

Nice pics, but can you identify all of the birds ?  I am a birder who has become an arachnophile and am having fun identifying as many eight-legged creatures as possible.  One thing I like about observing wild creatures is watching their behaviors as an identification tool.  A fun book to read by any young (or old!!) birder is "Kingbird Highway" by Kenn Kaufman.  Got me started on the scientific hobbies I now enjoy with a passion.   In the meantime, don't forget your arachnid buddies!  You take beautiful pictures of both!

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## tarantulas118 (Nov 14, 2022)

These are really high quality pictures. My state animal is an eastern bluebird which is one reason why I like them. But man I have no words for that bald eagle it’s just beautiful

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## Biollantefan54 (Nov 14, 2022)

Europus Gigantus said:


> Nice pics, but can you identify all of the birds ?  I am a birder who has become an arachnophile and am having fun identifying as many eight-legged creatures as possible.  One thing I like about observing wild creatures is watching their behaviors as an identification tool.  A fun book to read by any young (or old!!) birder is "Kingbird Highway" by Kenn Kaufman.  Got me started on the scientific hobbies I now enjoy with a passion.   In the meantime, don't forget your arachnid buddies!  You take beautiful pictures of both!


I can identify most but the 2nd to last in my first post from earlier I might not know as well as the 2nd in the second post from earlier. I have trouble with the generic vaguely colored ones haha! I’m the opposite, I started with arachnids and now I branched out into birds and other wildlife, stemming from photographing bugs at first

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## Biollantefan54 (Nov 14, 2022)

tarantulas118 said:


> These are really high quality pictures. My state animal is an eastern bluebird which is one reason why I like them. But man I have no words for that bald eagle it’s just beautiful


Eastern blue birds are everywhere here right now. There is a pair that nest in a bird house at my grandmas we like to watch. Really pretty little birds

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## tarantulas118 (Nov 14, 2022)

Biollantefan54 said:


> Eastern blue birds are everywhere here right now. There is a pair that nest in a bird house at my grandmas we like to watch. Really pretty little birds


I’ve only seen a couple this year and they’re MY state bird! But yeah they really are amazing birds. So is everything else you pictured! What kind of camera do you use because I gotta get me one of those


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## tarantulas118 (Nov 14, 2022)

I’m just in awe looking at these pictures everything from them in the sky to them mid-landing to the ones in the trees I mean I’m just speechless how many pictures do you take at once to get the perfect one


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## Biollantefan54 (Nov 14, 2022)

tarantulas118 said:


> I’m just in awe looking at these pictures everything from them in the sky to them mid-landing to the ones in the trees I mean I’m just speechless how many pictures do you take at once to get the perfect one


It’s different every time I go, for the eagles, I might take around 70 but only keep 3-4. Sometimes it’s only 10 to keep 1, just depends on how much time I have and how active they are.

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