Actually Al Mueller’s post here in Nature’s Domain about the Bald Eagles feeding in the frozen Mississippi River at a spot warmed by a generating plant gave me the idea for this topic. Many birds are opportunists when it comes to finding food. They look for easy pickings from either human created or natural conditions. This behavior helps the bird photographer at times by concentrating birds to a certain area where he or she can set up their equipment and wait for the birds to come to them. For instance, the Titmouse above came to a feeder in my backyard to grab a peanut. It doesn’t take long for birds to find food at a feeder.

The American Kestrel (above) has a habit of using man’s electric wires to perch on while keeping an eye out for prey below. This photo was taken in Florida where their population is quite high and it is common to see them on many back roads perched on the wires.
Snow Geese congregate at the Forsythe National Wildlife Reserve in New Jersey. This is an example of both a human and nature created area. The reserve is part of the natural marsh area in the backwaters near Atlantic City but canals and dams were installed to create the best conditions for birds. The Snow Geese come here in the winter and feed on the marsh grasses. At times there are thousands here and they can create an unrealistic view covering a huge area in white.

A great Egret catches a small fish at Forsythe NWR. The man made canals and dams create large areas of mudflats and shallow pools where the birds find it easy to catch fish or pick crabs and crustaceans from the mud.

The Delaware Bay off the Southern New Jersey coast provides plenty of small fish for the least tern. The sandy beaches also provide a great nesting place. In the photo above a male Least Tern, having just caught a fish in the bay, offers it to a female as part of their mating ritual.

An endangered Red Knot searches the ground for Horseshoe Crab eggs. A prime example of mother nature providing food for birds. The Red Knots stop over at the northern side of the Delaware Bay in New Jersey during their southern migration each fall. They depend on these eggs to provide the nourishment required to complete their migration. The Horseshoe Crab has greatly diminished due to over harvesting as they are used for bait. A moratorium on their harvest has helped which should help the Red Knot.


Fishermen provide food for many waterbirds as they discard their waste from catches. Here in the top photo, a Brown Pelican downs the remains of a filleted fish. They are also smart enough to follow feeding dolphins and pick up the fish that the dolphin misses.

I was sitting on a dock in Florida one morning taking pictures and this Boat-tailed Grackle kept hanging around. Then I saw a fisherman on the dock put something on the railing. He said he had been putting his bait (shrimp) there all morning for the bird. I never thought a Grackle would eat shrimp but I guess it was a good opportunity for an easy meal. And I used the opportunity to capture the bird and shrimp with my camera. I bet the bird was back there the next morning looking for the fisherman and a snack.

I was at a fish market which was near a river, photographing the American White Pelicans that hang out there for the fish wastes and spotted this Wood Stork. It too had found some fish parts it couldn’t pass up.

Conowingo dam on the Susquehanna River in Maryland draws many Bald Eagles in the late fall and winter. It is a hydroelectric dam and when it is running it kills many fish as they pass through the turbines. It is also a man made barrier for fish coming upstream. So with all the fish in this area of the river it is a great place to photograph the Eagles as they fish.

Probably the biggest opportunist bird is the Gull. Seen here at the Conowingo Dam along with the Eagles they also hang out at garbage dumps and the ever popular fast food joints looking for the free handout. They will even take the french fries from your hand if you are not careful.