Great Horned Owls and Wild Turkeys

 While driving on a rural road near home I saw a number of crows creating a ruckus in a tall tree. Whenever I see crows carry on in that way I always think they might be after a hawk or owl.

Luckily, there was room to pull over and I heard the call of a great horned owl in addition to the frantic cawing of the crows.

It is well known that crows dislike hawks and owls. Some think it's because the raptors represent a threat, especially when there are young in nests...

Others think the reason is territorial and the crows just don't want to share their space...

 When crows gang up on other birds the behavior is called "mobbing". One cannot say exactly why the crows mob other birds, a common thought is that it is a defensive act.

 Several winters back we saw crows attacking a snowy owl in Pennsylvania...

Eventually the crows, or their victims, get tired and move on...

I was curious about the possibility of an owl nest being nearby because of the number of large trees in the area. I returned the next morning and immediately spotted a great horned owl and owlet...

 I will keep an eye on the nest, I hope to see the young one take its first flight.

While observing the owl nest I spotted movement on the ground. Usually when I see wild turkeys they look something like this...

You might imagine my surprise when I realized that I was seeing a turkey gobbler and he was close enough to attempt a photo...

I had a 150-600mm lens, plus a 1.4x tele-extender on my camera and I was hoping that the turkeys would head my way. I was glad to see another gobbler appear with the first...

We are smack-dab in the middle of the mating season so I made a couple of yelps to see if the gobblers were interested...

Their reaction was immediate, and after a couple more yelps they started in my direction. I did not see the hens until the whole group had closed the distance by about half...

When the birds got closer they became suspicious when they couldn't see the hen they just heard. After a few minutes they began move away...

The gobblers continued to display for the unseen hen but were not going to let the real hens leave without them...

Thanks for visiting, be well, and come back soon.

Ice Out on a Small Stream

 After a couple of days of above freezing temps the ice on Catoctin Creek began to break up.

It began slowly at first with the water rising faster than the ice could melt. In the next photo the water is flowing over the ice on the right side of the creek...

When the larger chunks broke loose, they collided where the stream narrowed and ice jams formed...

A fallen tree covered in green moss stood out amid the winter landscape...

Next, smaller pieces came loose and floated downstream...

As the water level went down, blocks of ice were left behind...

If nothing else, nature is always interesting.

Thanks for visiting, be well and come back soon.

TURKEYS and a FOX

A nice thing about snow is that it can help one see distant objects more easily. This fox was over 100 yards from the road and might have been overlooked if not for the snow.

It made two attempts and came up with what appears to be a vole or mouse...

This group of turkeys were much closer and paid me little notice while I photographed them from my car...

I have read that turkeys in urban areas have become so accustomed to humans that it is common to see them up close. That is not the case in my area, so this was a rare treat...

Thanks for visiting, be well and come back soon.

Winter Chills

 

The cold spell has relented a little and most humans and other critters are glad of it. Here are some birds that take the weather in stride...

Eastern Bluebirds are finding berries on vines and bushes where they can...

 

Horned Larks and American Pipits have been spotted in crop fields...

American Pipits...

Trees are reflected in an icy pond...

Thanks for visiting, be well and come back soon.