Scott Flaherty Photography » Animal Welfare

Ospreys at Alum Creek Lake

Scott Flaherty — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 17:52:17 +0000

The Osprey, sometimes known as the sea hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It’s a large raptor, reaching 24 inches (60 centimeters) in length with a 6 foot 6 inch (2 meters) wingspan. It’s brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts, with a black eye patch and wings.

The Osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply. It’s found on all continents except Antarctica although in South America it occurs only as a non-breeding migrant.

As its other common name suggests, the Osprey’s diet consists almost exclusively of fish. It has evolved specialised physical characteristics and exhibits unique behaviour to assist in hunting and catching prey. As a result of these unique characteristics, it’s been given its own taxonomic genus, Pandion and family, Pandionidae. Four subspecies are usually recognised. Despite its propensity to nest near water, the Osprey is not a sea-eagle.

Last weekend I went over to Alum Creek Lake to check in on some of the Ospreys here in central Ohio. I saw five of them on Sunday. That’s the most I’ve ever seen there at any one time. Eventually I set up my gear to watch the nesting pair on the very north end of the lake. They were quite busy building their nest and mating. As usual, I was the only person there for what turned out to be a very enjoyable morning spent with my friends, the Ospreys.

Here are a few of the photographs from that morning:

Soaring and hunting

Flying off to a tree to eat its meal

Landing on the nest

Building the nest

Mating

Spotlight Photographs: Cat Portraits

Scott Flaherty — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:01:39 +0000

Well, it’s been a little over a year since Sydney and Samson came home to live with Cindy and I. We have loved every minute of it. They on the other hand, have learned the same lesson that their predecessor “Buddy” had to learn. The price for the comfy life style they enjoy, is to be my photographic subjects . . . and frequently. However, they put up with it like the troopers that they are.

Both Sydney and Samson are from the Fairfield Area Humane Society in Ohio. It’s a wonderful facility filled with caring people, who take excellent care of their charges. Please support your local Humane Society.

Here are some recent portraits of the “kids”:

Sydney

Samson

For more cat photographs please visit my photo gallery.

Viewing Wildlife in the Grand Teton National Park

Scott Flaherty — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:29:56 +0000

American Bison

All animals require food, water and shelter. Each species also has particular living space, or habitat, requirements. To learn more about wildlife habitats and animal behavior, attend ranger-led activities (see the NPS summer newspaper), review the tips for viewing wildlife below, and download the Mammals checklist for Grand Teton National Park.

Watch a web video with helpful tips on viewing wildlife in Grand Teton National Park.

As always, keep a safe distance when viewing wildlife.

OXBOW BEND
One mile east of Jackson Lake Junction. Slow-moving water provides habitat for fish such as suckers and trout, which become food for river otters, ospreys, bald eagles, American white pelicans and common mergansers. Look for swimming beavers and muskrats. Moose browse on abundant willows at the water’s edge. Elk occasionally graze in open aspen groves to the east.

TIMBERED ISLAND
A forested ridge southeast of Jenny Lake. Small bands of pronghorn antelope, the fastest land animal in the continential United States, forage on nearby sagebrush throughout the day. Elk leave the shade of Timbered Island at dawn and dusk to eat the grasses growing among the surrounding sagebrush.

MORMON ROW
East of Highway 26/89/191, one mile north of Moose Junction. Along Mormon Row and Antelope Flats Road, bison and pronghorn can be seen grazing in spring, summer and fall. Also watch for coyotes, Northern harriers, and American kestrels hunting mice, Uinta ground squirrels, and grasshoppers. Sage grouse, sage thrashers and sparrows also frequent the area.

SNAKE RIVER
Jackson Lake Dam south to Moose. Elk and bison graze in grassy meadows along the river. Bison also eat grasses in the sagebrush flats on the benches above the river. Bald eagles, ospreys and great blue herons build large stick nests within sight of the river. Beavers and moose eat willows that line the waterway.

CASCADE CANYON
West of Jenny Lake. Look for, but do not feed, golden-mantled ground squirrels at Inspiration Point. Pikas and yellow-bellied marmots live in scattered boulder fields. Mule deer and moose occasionally browse on shrubs growing at the mouth of the canyon. Listen for the numerous songbirds that nest in the canyon. Habituated animals such as pine marten and ground squirrels often beg for food. Feeding human food to animals increases dependency on unnatural food sources. And remember, animals may carry diseases such as rabies.

BLACKTAIL PONDS
Half-mile north of Moose on Highway 26/89/191. Old beaver ponds have filled in and now support grassy meadows where elk graze during the cooler parts of the day. Several kinds of ducks feed in the side channels of the Snake River. Moose browse on willows growing along the river.

Be a Responsible Wildlife Observer

Use binoculars, spotting scopes or long lenses for close views and photographs. Always maintain a safe distance of at least 300 feet from large animals such as bears, bison, moose and elk.
Never position yourself between an adult and its offspring. Females with young are especially defensive.
It is illegal to feed wildlife, including ground squirrels and birds. Feeding wild animals makes them dependent on people, and animals often bite the hand that feeds them.
Do not harass wildlife. Harassment is any human action that causes unusual behavior, or a change of behavior, in an animal. Repeated encounters with people can have negative, long-term impacts on wildlife, including increased levels of stress and the avoidance of essential feeding areas.
Nesting birds are easily disturbed. For wildlife, raising young is a private affair. If an adult bird on a nest flies off at your approach, or circles you or screams in alarm, you are too close to the nest. Unattended nestlings readily succumb to predation and exposure to heat, cold, and wet weather.
Allow other visitors a chance to enjoy the wildlife. If your actions cause an animal to flee, you have deprived other visitors of a viewing opportunity. Use an animal’s behavior as a guide to your actions.

The textual content in this post was generated by the National Parks Service website (nps.gov) and according to their disclaimer, is considered to be in the public domain. The photograph(s) are the copyrighted property of Scott Flaherty.

Link to WWF has been removed

Scott Flaherty — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 14:47:56 +0000

Until today, I’ve had a link to the World Wildlife Fund listed under the “Animal Protection Agencies” section of this site. Today I’m removing that link after their position on the Canadian commercial seal hunt was brought to my attention. They’re not condemning the seal hunt, and I cannot in good faith, continue to support an animal welfare organization that refuses to do so. Here’s a link to their response to the question “Does the WWF support the hunting of the Canadian harp seal population?“:

WWF Response

Black Bears and People in New Jersey

Scott Flaherty — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:03:23 +0000

Photo By: Nancyjane Bailey

New Jersey is an example of what can happen when a human population explosion collides with a rebounding bear population. The state also has the potential to be a model for peaceful human-bear coexistence.

How Many People?

In recent decades, New Jersey’s bear population slowly recovered from the devastating effects of habitat loss and over-hunting. The exact size of the current population isn’t known because, although black bears are primarily found in north and central New Jersey, the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife has only performed population studies in the western and eastern regions. In 2003, the agency estimated these regions contained 1490 bears.

Since scientists simply don’t know how many bears there are in New Jersey, there is no way to determine how many bears can be killed without jeopardizing the black bear population. The species is late to mature and reproduces slowly, so it is especially vulnerable to over-hunting.

New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the United States. Between 1950 and 2000, the population nearly doubled to reach 8.4 million. As development eats away at black bear habitat, the number of reported human-bear conflicts has risen. These conflicts appear to be largely property related, categorized by the Division of Fish and Wildlife as “nuisance” complaints.

Hunting May Increase, Not Decrease, Human-Bear Conflicts

New Jersey hunting proponents claim that reducing the number of black bears will reduce human-bear conflicts. But a growing bear population doesn’t necessarily lead to more problems. Between 1985 and 2002, the estimated Minnesota bear population increased from 8,000 to 21,000, but complaints dropped from 2,859 to 625. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources suggested a link between the drop in complaints and residents learning to live with bears and prevent most conflicts.

New Jersey’s hunt targets the bears who are the least likely to come into conflict with humans, because the hunt takes place far from inhabited areas. The state Department of Fish Wildlife has the authority to kill individual bears that repeatedly cause damage or exhibit fearless or aggressive behavior towards humans.

The hunt may actually increase conflicts, since hunters are allowed to lure bears on non-federal lands with bait such as pastries and cooking grease. Habituating bears to human food sources teaches them to seek out homes, campgrounds and other human-related food sources.

How to Reduce Human-Bear Conflicts

Residents can keep everybody safe by taking a few precautions. The most important thing you can do is eliminate any outdoor food sources:

use a bear-proof garbage can (the Bear Resource Group has aCrittercan program, and some communities will subsidize your purchase)
if possible, keep garbage indoors until trash day
don’t put food scraps in your compost pile
collect fruit from trees once it is ripe
thoroughly clean barbeques
don’t feed your pets outdoors

If approached by a bear, act aggressively—make noise and throw objects—and never turn your back or run. Negative experiences with humans will teach bears to avoid areas where humans dwell. To learn more about living peacefully with bears, visit our Solving Problems with Black Bears page.

Reprinted by permission of The Humane Society of the United States.

More photos of my Humane Society cats

Scott Flaherty — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:42:10 +0000

Some of you have been asking to see more photos of the two cats my wife and I adopted from the Humane Society. Your wish is my command. Click on a photo to see a larger version.

Sydney at sunrise	Sydney stalking the light
Samson trying to ignore me	Samson letting me know he’s had enough

Give a cat or dog a second chance. Stop by your local Humane Society and find a friend.

Protecting Our Wolves

Scott Flaherty — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:11:21 +0000

I am outraged. Over the past five years, Alaska’s aerial hunting program has claimed the lives of more than 800 hundred wolves. Despite strong scientific, ethical and public opposition to aerial hunting, Governor Sarah Palin has…

Proposed paying a $150 bounty for the left foreleg of each dead wolf.
Approved a $400,000 state-funded propaganda campaign to promote aerial hunting.
Introduced legislation to make it even easier to use aircraft to hunt wolves and bears.

Warning: Some of this video is hard to watch due to animal cruelty.

To learn more about this issue, please go to http://www.eyeonpalin.org.

Recent Additions to the Family

Scott Flaherty — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:20:39 +0000

I know this isn’t about photography, but my wife (Cindy) and I are the proud friends of two new cats and it just can’t be helped. Our cat (and best friend Buddy) passed away in December of 2007. It was hard to take, and for the longest time Cindy and I couldn’t even think of getting another cat. Well, the time has come. Recently, Cindy and I decided to invite a mother and son pair of cats to come home and live with us. We couldn’t be happier. Sydney (the mother) is 2 yrs old and Sampson (her son) is 10 months old. I forgot what it was like to have a kitten in the house again. Buddy was 17 when he passed away. Anyway, it’s been a blast so far and we’re looking forward to many good years with these guys.

Both Sydney and Sampson are from the Fairfield Area Humane Society in Ohio. It’s a wonderful facility filled with caring people, who take excellent care of their charges. Please support your local Humane Society.

Here are a few photos…

Sydney

Sampson