As a person who experiences significant social anxiety I find it easier to meet and connect with people if I know we already have a common thread where I can relate to them. Thing is enjoy in life divide roughly into two categories. I love the artistic and creative parts of life and I love being active especially if it is outside. When I can weave these two things into connecting with other people that is my sweet spot.

I find connection to my dad in the artistic parts of life. We both create a lot of nature themed art. In a lot of ways I get this from him. We both love nature and inspire each other through our work.

One thing we both love is birds. Our art often features birds. To make birds a part of our art we have to make birds part of our lives.

Recently I invited my dad out to do some bird watching together. We are fortunate to have an area that boasts some great birding spots.

First we went to a great spot along the Chemung River where we can stand on a flood levee and watch the bald eagles nests. Unfortunately, we did not see any bald eagles there. We did hear a lot of other migratory birds singing as they move back into our area. This included a Belted Kingfisher that even graced us with a brief appearance as it landed and then quickly took flight again.

Then we decided to check out some of the Osprey nest platforms along the river. The first nest platform is on an island in the middle of the river. So it is hard to photograph. But we were able to see the nest and clearly identify two Ospreys at that location sitting on the nest. We drove a little farther up the river to another nest platform, but we did not see any Osprey there.

Next we stopped at Eldridge Park because we often see migratory birds there. The first thing we noticed was large group of large waterfowl out in the middle of the lake. They turned out to be Double-Crested Cormorants. They mostly did not come close enough for good photos.

But we did notice a small duck relatively close to the shore where we were. This bird turned out to be a Ruddy Duck. And this one was a female. They didn’t come particularly close but they stayed in relatively the same spot and we watched and tried to photograph her for a while. The light wasn’t the best from where we were so we moved on to a different spot.

We walked out on the floating platform to get a better vantage point to survey the whole lake and see if there were any other birds of interest around. I swept my long lens across the surface of the lake from side to side. Aside from the usual suspects that are always around most of what I saw were cormorants. But there was this one small object floating on the opposite side of the lake from us.

I pointed this object out to my dad. I told him I can’t tell if it is a bird, a stick, or just a piece of garbage that had fallen into the water. We both continued to watch it and try to tell what it was. Then my dad saw it move. It was definitely a bird. It turned out to be a male Ruddy Duck. Perhaps the two were a mated pair migrating through the area together. We decided to make our way to the other side of the lake to try and get a better look.

When we arrived on the other shore of the small lake the male Ruddy Duck had moved farther away from shore, because of course it had. But, we were able to watch it and it was in relatively good light. This bird was now very active, as the female had been. These tiny birds can dive underwater and stay under for a significant amount of time. Then they only resurface for a brief time before diving again. This made watching and photographing them a challenge, but a fun one at that.

As we watched that duck an Osprey appeared overhead. My dad spotted it and alerted me to its presence. Now all of our focus was on the Osprey. We both love raptors more than anything else.

This is a great location for watching and photographing Osprey when they show up. The lake is relatively small so if the Osprey are fishing they will circle the lake multiple times, never getting out of view. And they often return to where you are so you have multiple opportunities for dogwood looks and photos. This one did not disappoint.

Eventually as we watched them a second Osprey appeared. We heard Osprey calls from above. It seemed either one chased the other off and then also left or they flew off together, because soon after the second Osprey arrived they both were gone.

There was also some beautiful light for attempting to photograph the Canada Geese and Mallards that are often found at the park. The Mallards dabbling near shore repeatedly submerged their heads. Then after they raised their heads out of the water their brilliant green heads were covered in tiny water droplets that were glinting in the sunlight. I tried to capture the look, but I am not sure if I was successful.

Find what you enjoy in life and use it to connect with others.

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