Nature By Tom

Photos that I have taken that i hope you will enjoy viewing.

2011-01-16T14:37:00.039-05:00

Here are a variety of new photos I took in 2010 & some from 2011 I know you will enjoy.

Wild turkey at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

Photo of my wife's cat Scooter's

Great Blue Heron at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in Ohio.

Canada Goose at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.

Great Horned Owlets at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.

American Red Squirrel at the Old Woman Creek Refuge, Ohio.

One of several elevated walkways at Old Woman Creek Refuge, Ohio

Mayflower with a snail shell i put in the middle which made the photo.

Two Mallard ducks coming in for a landing at Old Woman Creek Refuge, Ohio. There is always something to photograph ever time me & my wife visit.

Several Great Blue Herons with a single Great Egret Old Woman Creek Refuge, Ohio.

Great Blue Heron flying through Old Woman Creek Refuge, Ohio.

Three baby Raccoons in the Harland Swamp.

Gray Squirrel hanging out in Maple tree at my relatives house, Ohio.

Our new additions to the house hold; Lynx & Mitten's.

Great Horned Owl at a local farm which had a injured left eye which was in good health. Owls hunt mainly by sound not sight like Hawks.

Mittens taking a break from tussling around the house with his brother Lynx.

My wife's cat Scooter's taking a break from the two new kittens or is she waiting to pounce.

Barn Owl at a rehab center in Ohio.

Bobcat who was somebodies pet at rehab center in Ohio.

Lynx planning is next attack.

Photo taken while sitting in my camo blind during hunting season.

Lynx up to no good "again", endless fur ball of energy.

Lynx finally tired of a full day of mischief.

Peregrine Falcon in Lockport NY near one of Dec's Short Eared Owl study areas.

Mitten's taking a break from his brother Lynx.

Two Short Eared Owls perched on Orchard trees waiting for us to clear out of their roost site.

2009-2010 Short Eared Owl & Raptor NYSDEC study blog

2011-01-16T10:50:00.049-05:00

NYSDEC 2009-2010Short Eared Owl & Raptor study had another successful year monitoring & capturing of Short Eared Owls, Northern Harrier and Red Tailed Hawks.

4 Short Eared Owls were captured in 2009-2010 study, there are several parts of the study which include monitoring, capturing of the owls using humane traps, tracking of radio transmitted owls. The scientific research done during the study is capturing owls & other raptors and measuring there beak, body length, weighing the bird, check primary & secondary feathers and the tail feather length of the bird. I take all of the photos which are shared with the NYSDEC for their research files of each owl & raptor captured.

Out of the 4 Short Eared Owls capture, 3 were fitted with Radio Transmitter backpacks and the 4th was fitted with a Satellite Telemetry transmitter backpack so all the owls can be monitored using Radio/Antenna signal at the study sites and map their movement by using Satellite's. All 4 Short Eared Owls were captured on several different types of traps including a Bal-Chatri, Carpet Noose and in a Mist Net.

1 Northern Harrier was captured on a Bal-Chatri trap which was fitted with a Radio Transmitter backpack and was tracked from were it was captured to another Short Eared Owls site about 15 miles Northeast several day later.

3 Red Tailed Hawks were captured this season, 2 were captured on a Bal-Chatri trap and the other on a Carpet noose pole trap.

Our Owl numbers were slightly lower than the last several years study but the raptor numbers were about the same as previous years.

We had many volunteers that made this years study a success who gave many hours of their time monitoring and trapping of Owls and Raptor during some very cold evenings, sometimes with wind chill temps in the negatives. They watch the traps in the fields from their vehicle's while I sit in a camouflaged blind running the Bow Net trap observing the area using my Night Vision monocular with IR light. Without volunteers sacrificing their time the study would not have been this successful.

Chuck Rosenberg who works for the NYSDEC is the Biologist in Region 9, who is the leader of the Short Eared Owl & Raptor study. Our group of the volunteers have spend many hours in the field working side by side with Chuck monitoring & trapping many owls & raptors over the years making the study very successful with a lot of research gathered. Every year we start to monitor previous study areas for Short Eared Owls, Northern Harriers and other raptors in search of good foraging habitat's which are becoming more and more scarce.

It has become easier to locate study area's because most of the Short Eared Owls always return to the same location as in previous years plus with all the data we have collected over the past 5 years it makes it's mush easier. In some places the Short Eared Owls & other Raptors will stay for a long periods of time as long as the conditions & habitat are right for their survival. If the habitat is poor the Short Eared Owls will move on looking for a better habitat that will sustain them through winter when they head back in spring to their breeding and nest areas in Northeastern Canada.

This is the 1st Short Eared Owls captured.

Ryan is the other DEC employee who did most of the monitoring of the Short Eared Owls and other raptors fixed with a radio transmitter throughout the study.

This is the 1st Short Eared Owl just before being released.

Several of our group watching a Short Eared Owl roost site at a distance during one of our early morning trappings.

This is a Short Eared Owls perched on a pine tree in its roost area, it is perched on a small branch which isn't even bending due to the owls light weight.

The scientific research being gathered from the 2nd Short Eared Owl is to visually look the bird over and do several measurements of the owls wings, length, beak and talons. A saliva swab is taking along with a small feather which is tested later.

The primary & secondary wing feathers are examined for wear which sometimes helps in aging the bird to.

The tail feather are being examined for wear to determine the age of the bird, then the tail is measured and photographed.

This photo was taken a little after 4:00am while we are hiking into our trapping location, sometimes through 12" - 16" of snow carrying all of our trapping nets, poles, bow net, camouflaged blind, ETC.

Here a photo of our 3rd Short eared Owl.

Here is a photo of a Short Eared Owl ear channel which is fairly large which help it locate prey while flying close to ground.

The release of the Short Eared Owl.

Chuck has a Red-tailed Hawk which is being prepared for the scientific research part of the study.

Red-tailed Hawk in flight after being released.

This the first and only Northern Harrier that was capture and fitted with a Radio transmitter backpack.

Chuck is finished with the Harrier's research data and is ready to release it back in the same area is was captured.

The Northern Harrier being released.

This is a Bow Net which is one of the more successful capturing methods during our study.

This is a Bal-Chatri trap which has nooses fastened on the top using Meadow Voles inside the trap with a MP3 player fastened underneath it to draw in and capture raptors. It has been one of the most effective methods of capturing owls & hawks.

Here is a Carpet Noose pole trap with a indicator light attached so when a bird gets its talons caught in the noose which cover the top, when it try's to fly away it lifts the carpet which is fastened to the pole with a tethered string so the bird can safely land on the ground close to the pole.

This is a Auto Noose trap which I built 2 years ago and has been modified several time, several Short Eared Owls have landed on it with several close calls but no captures.

Here are several Mist Nets set-up in between pines in a occupied Short Eared roosting site.

I hope you enjoyed the write up and the photos that I took during this years Short Eared Owl & raptor study.

2010-03-08T11:40:00.015-05:00

N.Y.S Niagara County BOS March 7th 2010 Owl Prowl

March 7th BOS Owl Prowl with leader Chuck Rosenburg turned out great with several great observations trying for the Barred Owl at our first stop which we heard at a distance but never observed the Owl. The sun was shinning and the warmer temperature made our day long search for Owls comfortable and enjoyable.

Our second stop we observed a Great Horned Owl which is the largest and best known of the common owls which was on its nest which trilling all observers who snapped photos and observed through spotting scopes.

We stopped at several sites one where we observed a Eastern Screech Owl which inhabits all of North America (Gray & Red phased) roosting in a broke off dead tree who seemed comfortable & relaxed who was probably wandering what was so interesting to us, we took photos and observe it through spotting scopes for a short time.

We then headed for the Wilson/Tuscarora State Park on Rt 18 to look for Owls in the pine tree through out the park which turned out no owls but the exercise from the walk felt good. I took this photo of a Red Tailed Hawk flying over Rt 18 on our way to the State Park.

When we finished looking through most of the pine trees at the Wilson/Tuscarora State Parks we headed toward the Town of Wilson for a quick supper. We then headed for the town of Somerset to observe the Snowy Owl who has been seen frequently over the last several month in a plowed field off Rt 18. The 2 photos below were taken taken several weeks ago but i included them on this blog for views to see the large Northern American owl who is just visiting for a short time from Canada's Northern Territories.

We then proceeded to the Niagara County Short Eared Owl study area in Hartland to see if we could observe any Short Eared Owls that frequent the area where 2 Short Eared Owls have been captured one SEO had a backpack type Satellite Transmitter attached, the 2nd SEO had a backpack type Radio Transmitter attached so they can be tracked for the studies research to watch their migrating and roosting travels. We didn't have luck observing any Short Eared Owls foraging but Chuck Rosenburg located the SEO with the Radio Transmitter at a good distance from the road but flew in the opposite direction when it left the roost site. I have attached the next 4 photos of previously captured Short Eared Owls for you pleasure and for educational purposes which will conclude this blog of the 2010 Niagara County Owl Prowl.

2008-2009 Short Eared Owl of New York Study.

2009-02-18T15:08:00.029-05:00

New York State DEC Short Eared Owl Study 2008 - 2009

2/18/2009

This years the Short Eared Owl study is off to a good start, we have captures 7 Short Eared Owls to date, banding and collecting scientific data of the owls.

3 of the Short Eared Owls were captured in the Town of Hartland which were banded and scientific data collected which then the owls were then release back into their area from which is was captured.

4 more Short Eared Owls were caputered in the Town of Wheatfield.

2 of the Short Eared Owls were fitted with Satellite Transmitter which will send the owls location so it can be monitored and tracked through outs it's travels.

The other 5 Short Eared Owls were fitted with Radio Transmitters to be monitored in the area in which it was captured and released in.

Chuck Rosenburg is a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Biologist who is in charge of Region 9s Short Eared Owl Study. Chuck spend countless afternoon and evening hours with many volunteers who use Bal-Chatri, Carpet Noose and a Bow Net trap to capture the owls which starts as early as 2pm and could last til 9pm into the night.

Short Eared Owls are a State listed Endangered species, at several sites in western NY.

One objective of the study is to document short eared owl wintering locations in western NY. The information will be used to establish a long-term population monitoring program. Another objective of the study is to monitor short eared owl movement to identify important foraging habits and roost sites.

The findings of the study will ultimately be applied toward developing a conservation plan for this endangered species.

My name is Tom Poczciwinski and I volunteer at the study areas taken many photos of the Short Eared Owls while they are being processed for scientific data. There are several photos of the volunteers who have dedicated countless hours observing and tracking the owls through the evening hours.

These photos that I'm sharing with you will show several of the Short Eared Owls that were capture and released during the study and several of the volunteers who attended the study sessions.

Saw Whet Owl on the BOS Owl Prowl trip.

2008-03-18T22:03:00.011-04:00

Here are some photos from this weekends B.O.S Owl Prowl trip with our leader Chuck Rosenberg. This year the owl prowl was in Niagara County starting & ending at the Summit Park Mall. The group saw a Great Horned, 2 Barred, Short Eared, 2 Eastern Screech & a Saw Whet Owl. Other birds of prey that was sighted during the trip was a Bald Eagle, Turkey Vultures, American Kestrels, Red Tailed & Rough Legged Hawks, The trip was great, stopping at several locations & walking to owl sighting areas using spotting scopes and binoculars to view the owls while several people enjoyed taking photos.

Great Horned Owl on it's nest. Not a great photo but it shows

how the owl blends into it's enviroment so well.
Here are 2 Ring Billed Gulls watching the group of Owl seekers
trudging through the snow.

Saw Whet Owl at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.
Almost invisable to most walking through the area,
roosting low in a pine tree covered by dense needle covered branches.

2008-03-05T09:43:00.004-05:00

You can take Professional photos right in your own backyard or by traveling to local areas not far from your own home. Many people think you have to travel to far reaches of the world to take great photos. I structured this blog showing several of my photos which were taking in my backyard and other that were less than 40 miles from our home. While taking photos at a Zoo or Aquarium use your backgrounds to your advantage and use a zoom lens for those close-up shots. With digital cameras you can take several photos of one subject changing setting and delete what you don't want. I enjoy using a macro lens getting that close up look, letting everybody see things in a different prospective.

Here a Gray Squirrel is sitting patiently, pondering

why the dog is not trying to chase it.

Rose Mallow-Macro

A boat leaving the Olcott Harbor,

with the Toronto shore line in the back ground.

This photo was taken at the Niagara Falls Aquarium

this past summer, putting the flash strobe right against the tank glass.

Garden Spider spinning Water Bug into Silken Sac

which was hanging from our pools edge.

This photo is the boat launch area at Golden Hill State Park.

I do a lot of my photography work is this area

which is not far from where I live.

I took this photo of this Red Breasted Merganser which was trapped

in the Golden Hill State Park boat launch bay in a 15 foot open area

for close to a week. The shore line ice went out about 300 yards

which prevented it from flying out of the bay area.

Hummingbird Moth while I was working in one of our backyard gardens.

Lake shore Walrus Ice form taken while photographing

30 Mile Lighthouse and shore line during the winter.

Barn Owl at one of our Iroquois Observation weekend programs.

Tony Wagner was our program presenter with birds of prey.

Pied Billed-Grebe getting a running start.

Lake Ontario at Golden Hill State Park.

A pair of Mallard ducks in flight at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge

while walking down Feeder Rd.

This is a Scenic photo taken at Lake Ontario at the 30 mile Lighthouse site.

A Brown Bear at the Buffalo Zoo looking content.

Sucker fish in our home aquarium.

Oldsquaw duck at Golden Hill State Park
near the boat launch bay.

White Tailed Deer - behind by parents house

which is part of the Hartland swamp area.

Pileated Woodpecker - Hartland Swamps

Common Idia Moth at our hummingbird feeder using a Macro Lens.

Other wildlife and nature photos you'll enjoy.

2008-03-01T12:36:00.005-05:00

Full Moon - our universe.

Common Gray Tree Frog

Waxing Crescent Moon

Robin fledgling

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Belted Kingfisher - Golden Hill State Park.

Barker Polar Bear- Just having fun with photography

Morning Glory in backyard garden.

Indigo Bunting in our neighbors apple tree.

Summer Lightning Storm.

Sora Rail -Swallow Hollow Trails INWR.

Fragrant Water Lily- Reinstein Nature Preserve.

Ruby Throated Hummingbird - Backyard feeder.

American Toad - night time photo.

Baltimore Oriole on feeder.

Short Eared Owl, Hartland NY .

Long Eared Owl at Golden Hill State Park, Somerset NY.

Snowy Owls on Lake Rd, Somerset NY .

Northern Hawk Owl , Rt 18 & Rt 63 area.

Eastern Screech Owl on our backyard tree.

Gray Squirrel in our wildflower rock garden area.

Marsh Wren - Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area

during the Iroquois Observations, Secretive Birds of the Marsh program.

Great Blue Heron - Olcott beach boat dock area.

Snow covered pine in our backyard.

Another Spotted Turtle at my parents house.

Spotted Turtles at my parents house.

Adirondacks - Mirror Lake in Lake Placid.

A Long Eared Owl while searching for Short Eared Owls.

Common garden spider on our back patio.

Gray Squirrel with Chipmunk on back lawn.

Cedar waxwings at Golden Hill State Park.

Cooper Hawk in neighbors tree.

Red-tailed Hawk.

Northern Mockingbird -Hartland NY .

Golden Hill State Park - Somerset NY .

Niagara Falls.

Ring-billed Gull -Olcott Beach.

Icy Morning - Somerset NY.

Bald Eagle - Feeder Rd, Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

Northern Lights from our backyard.

30 Mile Point Lighthouse Somerset NY.

Canadian Geese at Golden Hill State Park boat launch.

Swallow Hollow trail at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

Monarch Butterfly taken in our backyard garden.

Eastern Bluebird at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

Barred Owl - during one of our Owl Prowls

American Toad in our wildflower garden.

Rhododendron slightly enhanced.

2007-2008 Short Eared Owls of Hartland NY

2008-02-29T20:47:00.007-05:00

I have volunteered to help with the Short Eared Owl Study being conducted by: Chuck Rosenberg, a DEC Biologist with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. The study is to document Short Eared Owl wintering locations in Western New York. Information is used to establish a long-term population monitoring program. Another objective is to monitor there movements to identify foraging habits and roost sites. Small radio transmitters will be placed on the owls so their movements can be tracked. I have been helping in the trapping of the owls using safe capture traps, known as carpet noose pole traps, Bal-chatri traps and a Bow Net trap. I started checking an area on 12/31/07 in Hartland NY when 7 Short eared Owls were sighted flying out of several smaller spruce trees while checking out an area where they would roost during there wintering migration. I have done Nature Photography for many years, so I put my camera to work taking photos from the being of this study. Several Short-eared and Long-eared Owls have been trapped, banded, radio & satellite transmitters placed on the Short-eared owls then released. My blog will have photos from the beginning to when the Short-eared owls take off for there northern
breeding grounds. During our trapping study

we had captured 4 Short Eared & 2 Long Eared Owl
through out our study program being tagged and
data taken. As of 3/30/2008 the Short Eared Owl
with the satellite transmitter backpack has been
tracked from it capture/tagging site to
Pennsylvania then into the center of Ohio.

First sighting of the Short Eared Owls on 1/2/2008

Short Eared Owls roosting in spruce tree.

Short Eared Owl #2 being released.

Short Eared Owl # 4 being released.

The ear canal of a Short Eared Owl.

Underwind research photo of the same # 4 SEO

Up close photo of the Short Eared Owls on 2/25/08

Short Eared Owl perched in orchard near it roost site.

Short Eared Owl in flight at the Toad Hill Tree Farm trapping site.

Short Eared Owls before being released.

Sherry holding the Long Eared Owl after being tagged ready for it's release.

Long Eared Owls being tagged