birdsbykim.com blog

Yesterday I took my kayak out for the first time this year. I hit the water around 5:30 and started paddling to check out what was nesting in the bay. There are a lot of Laughing Gulls, some just building nests, some on eggs and some with chicks. I got a glimpse of some chicks but couldn’t get any good shots.

This guy kept landing here to get nesting material.

Here’s one coming in with nesting material.

I was surprised to see that they were nesting so close to each other. I’ve never seen one with the head feathers all fluffy like the one in the back.

Here’s one with eggs in her nest…

There were also some Greater Black-backed Gulls nesting in the bay.

Here are two Greater Black-backed Gull chicks and a Diamondback Terrapin Turtle who had just laid her eggs.

A Greater Black-backed Gull chick…

There were also Herring Gulls nesting in the bay…

Two Herring Gull chicks…

This is the most unusual Osprey nest I’ve ever seen! Pine cones???

Here are some more images from Great Falls National Park.

Paul and I went to Great Falls National Park in Virginia this past weekend to photograph the Great Blue Herons fishing at the falls. I’m pretty sore from all the rock climbing and have a lot more bruises than before I went but it was worth it! I haven’t gone through all of my pictures yet but so far this one is my favorite!

We met up with my friend Chris Kayler who has been to the park many times and gave us some great tips. Check out his website for some excellent images!

If you’ve ever been to Edwin B. Forsythe NWR (a/k/a Brigantine) in New Jersey, you probably know that there’s a Peregrine Falcon nestbox on a hacking tower. Enjoy it while you can as there’s a chance that it’s going to be removed because some people think that the falcons are killing too many shorebirds!

Yesterday I met someone at Brigantine who was giving the falcon chicks some medicine to prevent them from getting Trichomonosis gallinae, an often fatal disease they can get from eating infected pigeons. Naturally the adults get very upset when people mess with their kids and will fly around calling and sometimes diving at the person. This can make for some good photo opportunities, especially when you have an aggressive female like the one at Brigantine! She’s not shy in the least! Below are some photos of her…