Wildlife and Nature Conservancy Photography

Wildlife and Nature Conservancy Photography My passion, my mission, and my goal is to share my love of nature. I hope to inspire you to enjoy and respect wildlife.Your likes and shares are my reward!

Ferruginous hawk I am an amateur bird watcher, and an amateur photographer, and sometimes identifying birds can be confu...
04/19/2018

Ferruginous hawk
I am an amateur bird watcher, and an amateur photographer, and sometimes identifying birds can be confusing. Because I am most fascinated by raptors, I find hawks to be particularly difficult to distinguish between. It seems like the more I learn, the less I seem to know!!
The Ferruginous hawk, while fairly common to our area, is often confused with the Red-tailed hawk. The Ferruginous can be identified by its feathers which cover their legs (chaps); a perched bird has a white breast and body with dark legs; back and wings are brownish rust in color, and the head is white with a dark streak extending behind the eye. For identification, always remember that the hawk has a streak that extends back on the face, and falcons have a streak that goes down! The male and female look exactly alike, with the female being larger. They grow up to 27 inches long, with a wingspan up to 60 inches, and close to 5 pounds.
Their diet is comprised mostly of small to medium mammals, but will also prey on birds, reptiles and some insects. So, as most raptors, they play an important role in our ecosystem controlling the rodent population.
The Ferruginous hawk is quite adaptable when it comes to nesting. They will build most anywhere including trees, ledges, rock outcrops, ground, haystacks, platforms, etc. Their nesting material includes sticks, branches, and cattails. When nest building begins, so does copulation. Both the male and female build the nest, and both incubate the eggs.
The female will lay up to 8 eggs, they will hatch in approximately 40 days, and the male chicks fledge first, then the females at around 40-50 days.
Ferruginous hawks can live up to 20 years in the wild, however, many of the birds do not make it past the first year with a 66% mortality rate. Mortality reasons include illegal shooting, harassment, predation, and starvation. Ground nests are susceptible to predation by coyotes, while nestlings may be preyed upon by great horned owls and golden eagles.

Jan Ramelli
Wildlife Photographer

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)Did you know that the Osprey is the most widely distributed raptor species? It is found on all...
04/05/2018

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
Did you know that the Osprey is the most widely distributed raptor species? It is found on all continents except for Antarctica!
Common name or nickname for this raptor is “Fish Hawk”, or sometimes River Hawk or Sea Hawk. It will nest in most any location which has access to a body of water in which will supply it’s primary food source “fish”! Fish makes up 99% of it’s diet, but can prey upon small mammals, birds, and reptiles.
The Osprey can grow in size up to 4 ½ pounds, 26” long, and with a wing span of 71 inches. Very interesting facts about the Osprey include the fact that the talons are rounded, and the outer toe is reversible (like the owl), which allows them to grab slippery fish.
Osprey usually mate for life and their lifespan is typically 7-10 years, and up to 25 years. They begin their courtship in spring and their partnership lasts about 5 months while they build (or re-build) their nest by piling sticks and other nest building materials, up to the fledging of their young. The female lays up to 4 eggs, they incubate for up to 43 days, and they fledge in about 8-10 weeks.
This last year I was very fortunate to follow an Osprey nest from nest building, to the day of fledging. It was a wonderful experience watching the male bring sticks to the nest for the female to strategically place, or discard if they did not fit; the hatching of 2 chicks; feeding of the chicks, and the bittersweet day of first flight! I plan to re-visit this nest this year, hoping to watch another generation raised.
They are amazing fishermen, the male and female instinctively have parenting skills that dictates that the female will incubate, the male will feed, and both of them will fight with their lives to protect their young.

Jan Ramelli
Wildlife Photographer

Sandhill crane (Antigone Canadensis)Return of the Sandhill crane! During my recent drives as far north as the Modoc Wil...
04/05/2018

Sandhill crane (Antigone Canadensis)
Return of the Sandhill crane! During my recent drives as far north as the Modoc Wildlife Area and South into the Sierra Valley you can observe (and hear) the return of the Sandhill crane in preparation for breeding season.
This beautiful crane whose name refers to it’s habitat “Sandhill” is a large bird who stands up to 4 feet tall, and weighing up to 10 pounds. Their plumage is pretty much the same between the sexes, however, during their breeding season they will become more worn and stained looking. Typically the female is about 2 pounds smaller than the male.
You can often hear them before you see them, as they make a very loud “krrrrrring sound”; and during mating they talk to each other in what is called “unison calling”. The female will typically make two sounds to everyone that the male makes.
Sandhill cranes eat quite a variety of foods, and depending on what area they live, it may include berries, small mammals, insects, snails, reptiles, amphibians; and, in some areas corn, wheat, cottonseed and sorghum.
They are very social birds, you will often see pairs, and during migration they will form what are called “survival groups”.
They will begin laying their eggs in April or May; usually lay 2 eggs, both parents will incubate for about 30 days. The “colts” will leave the nest within 24 hours and will not reach full independence until 9-10 months.
Because they are ground dwellers, they are at great risk to predators such as eagles, falcons, coyotes, wolves, cougars and bobcats.
Submitted by,
Jan Ramelli, Wildlife Photographer

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)My favorite bird, the American Kestrel! The Kestrel is the smallest falcon in North ...
04/05/2018

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
My favorite bird, the American Kestrel! The Kestrel is the smallest falcon in North America.
The male and the female are close in size with the female being slightly larger. The biggest difference is in the plumage. The male has blue-grey wings with black spots and white undersides with black barring. The female has dark brown barring, with the undersides being a cream color with heavy brown streaking. They both have a white head with a bluish-grey top.
The Kestrel lifespan is relatively short, they typically live about 5 years. The male will attempt to attract a female by elaborate diving techniques coupled by calls of “Klee, klee, klee”! The pair will often mate for life and use the same nest year after year. They will typically find a cavity in a tree with a small opening to protect their nest. They will lay up to 7 eggs, incubation is approximately 30 days. The male and female share in the incubation period; the young reach their adult size in approximately 17 days and they are able to fledge within the month!
The diet of the kestrel is varied, including insects, lizards, mice, voles, and can actually catch a bird in midflight! You will often observe Kestrels along the side of the road, perched on telephone wires, and fence posts. While they will conserve their energy by perching in a tree, telephone pole or wire, or fence post; they will also “kite” where they hover and beat their wings rapidly before they pounce on their prey.
These little falcons are fairly common in our area, look for them alongside the road, especially in pastures and meadows! Sometimes I call this little raptor the “darn it bird” because it is so difficult to photograph! Almost every time I get just close enough to lift my lens into position it flies off!! Darn it!!
Submitted by
Jan Ramelli, Wildlife Photographer

Bald Eagle In Flight, Lower Klamath, 12/20/18
01/21/2018

Bald Eagle In Flight, Lower Klamath, 12/20/18

Bald Eagle In Flight, Lower Klamath
01/21/2018

Bald Eagle In Flight, Lower Klamath

Bald Eagle, Klamath Wildlife Refuge, 01/14/18
01/15/2018

Bald Eagle, Klamath Wildlife Refuge, 01/14/18

The beautiful Bald Eagle! Take Off! Klamath Wildlife Refuge!
01/05/2018

The beautiful Bald Eagle! Take Off! Klamath Wildlife Refuge!

Male Osprey bringing fish to nest for newly hatched!
12/30/2017

Male Osprey bringing fish to nest for newly hatched!

Golden Eagle, Willow Creek Wildlife Area, 12/25/17
12/26/2017

Golden Eagle, Willow Creek Wildlife Area, 12/25/17

Osprey fighting Bald Eagles for territority! Antelope Lake, CA
11/16/2017

Osprey fighting Bald Eagles for territority! Antelope Lake, CA

Great Horned Owl, Susanville, CA
11/15/2017

Great Horned Owl, Susanville, CA

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