Summer Actions in Holmdel Park
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讀萬卷書    行萬里路

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In May and June, the ponds in Holmdel Park in New Jersey are surrounded by lush greenery.
As usual, a red tailed hawk or a pair of red tailed hawks may show up soaring high in the sky over Holmdel
Park.
However, sometimes the hawk shows up flying low at tree top level.
When the hawk is flying low at the tree top level, or below tree top level or perching on a tree, many local small
birds are threatened and alarmed. Such hawks are hungry, are hunting, and may be coming to raid their nests
to get their baby birds. The mammy birds and daddy birds become very brave to protect their nests and baby
birds. Many of such small birds gang up in the air in a pack like neighborhood gangsters to mob and to harass
the invading hawk.
These small birds are more agile and can outmaneuver the large hawk in the air. Small birds can change
direction more quickly in the air. These small birds in group attack are also very vocal, screaming and
shouting to create a big commotion in the air.
This small bird is dive-bombing or fast fly-by to try to intimidate the hawk into leaving their territory.
Some flowers are blooming. Such lush greenery plus the colorful flowers makes my walking exercise in
Holmdel Park very enjoyable.
Another small bird is also dive-bombing down on the hawk.
More small birds are flying high above and behind the hawk to prepare to dive-bomb on the hawk.
It appears that this small bird is about to land on the back of the hawk, grab at feathers or nick the hawk.
小鳥們窮追猛打。

These small birds are very brave when in numbers. These small birds gang up, go nuts and chase the hawk all
over the place in the air.
The hawk is in trouble under such group attack with a lot of shouting and screaming by many birds in the air. It
is a good air show to watch while doing my walking exercise in Holmdel Park.

Such group attack by the small birds may accomplish two goals (1) to protect their baby birds and nests by  
driving the invading hawk to leave their territory, or (2) even if the hawk does not leave, the hawk loses any
chance for surprise due to the big commotion, keeping it from hunting successfully in that particular area.

Sometimes, such air show happens at substantial distance away from me. The 50X optical zoom of my
compact super-zoom camera and its speed on Sports Mode are very helpful to me to capture such exciting
action photos of interesting air show. I have also been practicing for more than 10 years in improving my skills
for action photography. More details on the capabilities of my compact super-zoom camera for such action
photography are on my two web pages at:

http://www.shltrip.com/Action_Photo_Test_SX50.html

http://www.shltrip.com/Benefits_of_Compact_SuperZoom.html
Many people are fishing on the upper pond and lower pond in Holmdel Park. This boy just caught a sun fish
from the upper pond on June 7, 2014.
After the hook is removed from the fish, this boy is very happy with the sun fish that he just caught. After I took
this picture, the boy released the sun fish back to the upper pond.


During our tour of the Cape Brenton National Park in Nova Scotia in eastern Canada in July 2005, we saw a bald
eagle flying toward the far end of the White Point Peninsula in Cape Brenton National Park. However, there is a
big colony of seagulls nesting at the tip of  White Point Peninsula. Then we heard and saw a big commotion of a
large group of seagulls screaming and shouting in the air to harass the bald eagle as another exciting air show
as shown on my web page at:

http://www.shltrip.com/Bald_Eagle.html
Location: Holmdel Park is at the intersection of Longstreet Road and Roberts Road in Holmdel, New Jersey.
The entrance gate is from Longstreet Road.

Direction to Holmdel Park:

From Garden State Parkway:

1.        Take Garden State Parkway (South) and take Exit # 114 for Holmdel
2.        At the end of Exit Ramp turn right into Red Hill Road (South) and go south for about 0.4 miles
3.        At corner of traffic light, turn right into Crawfords Corner Road (northwest)
4.        Go northwest for about 1 mile, at second traffic light turn left into Longstreet Road (south)
5.        Go south on Longstreet Road for about 0.5 mile, the entrance gate for Holmdel Park in on right side

From Highway 34:

1.        Go south on Highway 34 into Holmdel
2.        In Holmdel, turn left into Roberts Road (northeast)
3.        Go northeast on Roberts Road for about 0.5 mile
4.        At intersection of Roberts Road and Longstreet Road, turn left into Longstreet Road (north)
5.        In about 300 feet, the entrance gate of Holmdel Park in on left side

Map: Click here to see Google Map showing location of Holmdel Park

Map: Click here to see detailed Park Map of Holmdel Park
During my walking exercise on June 22, 2014, I saw another air show. It seemed that the hawk had raided a
bird nest and got a baby bird in its talon in the air. The mammy bird or the daddy bird was screaming and
chasing behind the hawk in the air.
The small bird was getting closer and looked ready to attack the hawk from behind.
Or flying below tree top level.
Or perching on a tree.
Sometimes the hawk is also shouting with its mouth open while flying in the air.