Her-bert! Her-bert! Bert! Bert! Bert!

"Her-bert! Her-bert!" I'm sure that's what the mama piping plover (Charadrius melodus) was peeping across the sand at Breezy Point on Jamaica Bay in Queens on June 14. I'm finally getting around to posting my photos and the Filming the Feathers video for these delightful little birds. I spent a very hot and sunny day filming the little Herberts and their parents as they rushed back and forth on the beach.

An adult piping plover with a little Herbert, Breezy Point, Queens, June 14

The Filming the Feathers video is a bit choppy, but I was basically filming blind on the beach with my Sony camera (my Canon was looking for some love in the repair shop that day).

The distraction behavior of the adult piping plover was fascinating to watch. These birds will feign broken wings and injury to draw the attention of a potential predator away from the chicks. You will see some of that behavior in the video.

This first set of photos shows the little Herberts on the beach.

These are the adult piping plovers I had the joy to watch in June.

The Staten Island Eagles

A pair of adult bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) have been nesting on Staten Island. In 2017, they had two eaglets. So I took the Staten Island ferry six days in August and September to film these amazing raptors. It was so thrilling to look up and see them soaring over the trees and beach.

Young bald eagle, Mount Loretto Unique Area, Aug. 20

The Filming the Feathers video was shot Aug. 11, 20, 24, 25, 27 and Sept. 1. While it is long, it has some flight shots and some closeups of the kids and the parents. Feel free to skip around!

Below are some of the photos I shot over those same six days. You will find more on my Bald Eagles page.

The Divine Trio, Part 2

The three little red-tailed hawk fledglings at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine were very active in the Close on July 16, 18 and 19. The kids have pretty much left the cathedral grounds now, and I haven't seen them for a while. I think they are now hanging out in Morningside Park, and I've always had trouble finding them there. But I did get a lot of nice photos and video in mid-July, and here I offer Part 2 of the Saint John series.

One of the three Saint John the Divine fledglings, July 19, trying to keep cool.

The video is fairly short, but full of some nice shots of the youngsters in trees, on roofs and bouncing a hot butt in a puddle near the guard station in the Close.

This first group of photos shows the kids on July 16. The second photo does not show an alien invasion, but rather a kid with one of the multiple eyelids that hawks have to protect their delicate eyes.

These two shots were taken July 18, when a baby was seen on one of the chimneys on the Cathedral School, while Mama Madeleine sat on a nearby building railing.

This last grouping is from July 19. Unfortunately, I didn't get photos of the fledgling's butt bounce, but you will certainly get a good view in the video.