Red Tail Hawks

I believe this is the same hawk I saw yesterday near the rice drier that I guessed might be a Red Shouldered Hawk. I was able to get a bit more of a view of the belly area. Even though the tail isn't "red" -- this may be a Red Tail Hawk after all. Perhaps a juvenile. I'm basing this on the narrowness of the bands across the tail.

One thing I have discovered about Red Tail's, they have an incredible variation in coloring. This one is fairly dark, but seems to have the "V" shape of mottledness on the wings (when folded).

Back at Christmas time, I saw what I was sure was a Krieder's variant -- mostly white! (See my Christmas Birds post.)


In the picture to the right, you can see the belly even better. Right under the wing is the suggestion of the "Belly Bands" most Red Tails have. All the more reason to suspect this might be a Juvenile Red Tail.



After catching the handsome youngster at the rice dryer, we headed down Woods Road to see what we could see. This is the location where we found the Kryder's at Christmas time, so I was hoping to see that bird again. We may have seen it, but only from a distance, and I was not able to get a picture. THIS bird, however, was very cooperative!

In the picture below, you can see the bird's red tail. Isn't it a beauty?!


I managed not to snap what the bird did next... probably a good thing too. ;-)


Red Tail Hawks -- probably most hawks -- are very sensitive about their feet. After all, they are the main tools of the hawk's occupation -- finding food.

This one seems to say, "Euuu! I've got something on my foot."

Bluebirds!

So this afternoon was a bit overcast, but we decided to drive around and play with the new camera settings.


This Robin was very cooperative at first. Unfortunately, I'm using more manual controls and having a hard time getting a really clear shot.



This was a great heron shot -- but it's really hard to keep the focus when you're hand-holding the camera and trying to follow the bird!


Interestingly today, when I have a camera that will follow the movement a little better (ok - I'm still working on it!) -- none of the birds wanted to fly. They were very cooperative at sitting still. I guess I shouldn't complain. This is probably one of my best kestrel shots so far.


So here was a real surprise. I saw these birds on the high-wires as we drove by -- white tummies and rufus chests. We passed them by. Then I decided we really needed to go back and see what they were. Wow! Eastern Bluebirds! The maps show that they may be found in our area, but I had never seen one here. Another one for the list!

New Camera!

I finally became so frustrated with my old camera, that I decided to step up to a DSLR. I read and studied and narrowed it down to the Nikon D40 or the Pentax K100D. I was leaning toward the Pentax, but decided at the last minute that I liked the Nikon better. So we headed off to the camera store, where I asked to see the D40. I loved the "feel" of the D40 and had just about decided to buy it until I found out that the zoom lens I wanted cost almost as much as the Camera!!

SO... I am now the proud owner of a Pentax K100D camera!

I had two complaints about my previous camera -- A lot of my pictures were blurry (OK, I know that's most likely ME), but worse, the camera took so long to take a picture, that I missed a lot of shots.

The Pentax K100D is MUCH faster at taking shots. Some are still blurry, but the camera has shake reduction so that should help. It's also a lot heavier with the 300mm zoom lens! I'm still shooting on AutoFocus -- but that will change soon. I need to do a bit more reading to set things up properly.

So here's a few samples:



This was taken on the day I came home with the camera -- with the standard lens. It was very late in the afternoon -- getting on toward dusk. I had to stand on my tip-toes and shoot down on this leaf to get the focus right.

Here are some shots from today of my more common subjects:


OK, I don't usually take pictures of vultures -- but you have to admit they are pretty awesome gliders. This one was flying over the house.


There is a yaupon right at the side of our porch where a lot of the birds like to perch before checking out the feeders, or perhaps they also look for bugs there (as Robins aren't feeder birds).



The picture above, is the way I usually take pictures of hawks. This one's still a little blurry, but it's much better than most I've gotten (I'll credit the fast shutter for that!). This one is a Red Tail.


And this one is not... I haven't looked it up -- but I'm guessing it's a Red Shouldered Hawk -- see the buff color of the tummy?



And of course, it's Goldfinch time! I didn't notice until I was reviewing this shot, that this little guy is injured. Ouch! That has to hurt. Goldfinches, like humming birds, are pretty aggressive. I didn't think they had the "weaponry" to do that kind of damage, but those beaks do look pretty sharp!

Christmas Birding

The last couple of years, we seem to have started a tradition of birding during the holidays (no, we don't do the bird counts). Yesterday was really gloomy, so this year it's the "Day-after" Christmas bird trip. (Much better than going to the mall!)

We were excited to see Cara Cara again today (haven't seen any in a while) and in fact, one flew right across the road just as we were returning home. Unfortunately, we weren't quick enough to get pictures. However, there's something to be said for living right at the edge of the coastal prairie -- there are lots of good birding opportunities at this time of year -- and close to home. We saw a huge flock of geese flying, and were hoping to see some eagles -- but no such luck.




We started the trip with the kingfisher that usually hangs out over the part of the ditch that never drains -- right near the rice dryer. He was a bit nervous and flew a few feet away, but I was still able to get a good shot. He even turned to give a good view of his topknot!



One thing we have noticed lately are a lot more Kestrels in our area. We used to only see them when we headed for the coast. This one was right in the sunlight, so she looks a bit washed out.

Of course, you know that I am especially partial to birds of prey. You would think they would be less skittish up on a wire, but they get a bit nervous when a vehicle stops to look. Well, it is hunting season, after all, and there are plenty of geese getting shot at! I'm sure they don't realize they are protected.

Here's a Northern Harrier out in the rice stubble. Note the "owl-like facial disk" to quote Sibley's.



And of course, in our part of the world -- the most common hawk is the Red Tail.



It is amazing the amount of variation in these birds. This one might be Kriders (prairie variation). This poor bird was a bit nervous of us. Every time we'd stop, it would fly off to the next pole. We followed for a bit, but didn't want to harass it too much.

A Late Guest for Christmas Dinner

Last night, we heard squabbling on the porch. We assumed it was this year's brood of junior raccoons and opened the door to watch them scatter (or listen anyway). But to our surprise, it wasn't the 'coons, but a 'possum instead.



It didn't seem to be afraid of us and munched quietly on the left-overs while we both took pictures! One thing that concerned me was the rusty patch on the side of it's head. There was a smaller patch on the other side. I looked up some pictures of possums (Opossum, to be accurate), and none seemed to have that coloring -- so I hope it wasn't injured. I'm sure they tangle regularly enough with the 'coons. On the other hand, we saw a what I'm pretty sure was a coyote run across the driveway the other night, so there's no telling. (My husband thinks it was a fox, but I think it was too big for a fox...)

Anyway. Here's another shot of the 'possum -- note it's splayed "fingers", and you can barely see the opposable thumb on it's back foot!

Goldfinches are back!

... And so am I. It's been a very hectic fall at work. My 6-month project, started in July was suddenly due by mid-September. And then there was the rollout, and next year's schedules. Please forgive me if I didn't feel much like blogging when I came home.

But the holidays give us a chance to rest, so I have a few pics to share.

We've had a few goldfinches here and there for the last couple of weeks, but they showed up in flocks just before Christmas (as usual). I've tried several times to get a good picture -- there have been a couple of challenges. First we've moved the thistle socks rather close to the windows. Well that's not quite accurate -- when we installed the porch, it made them seem closer to "people". And secondly, the weather has been overcast and gray for the last week and more... depressing!

Here's a goldfinch up close -- its the one in the top right of the picture above.


You may be thinking to yourself that these don't look much like Goldfinches -- after all, they're not very "gold". This is their winter plumage -- more a gray-green. To see the male goldfinch in his breeding colors, see the site at Cornell, or alternately at NatureWorks

Trip to Paris

Well, I've survived another trip to Paris. I think I've finally overcome the problem of getting sick every time I travel, which is really a nice thing! I still dread it, and I've discovered that the trip over is actually the worse. The trip back is about an hour shorter, and you're coming home, so maybe that makes the difference. Traveling during day-light probably helps too.

I must admit, though, that Paris is a lovely city. I normally stay in an area called Montrouge. On it's signs it says "Ville de Fleurs" or Village of Flowers. Every light pole along the streets has baskets of flowers -- it's really lovely!



This picture was taken from the bus. I was attending an internal business "fair", so I only took a few pictures. I didn't see many birds while I was there -- probably because there were so many people around the fair and at night we went out to "French Dinners" so there was little time to look. Of course, there were plenty of pigeons!



(These were taken from my trip earlier in the year.)
I also saw at least three Magpies and a flock of LBB's (little brown birds), probably sparrows, but they were too far off to tell.

While attending a meeting during the fair, I had the opportunity to show this blog to a co-worker. At a later dinner, I was taking pictures of some of the people there and he said, "Hey! I'm not a bird!" I had to chuckle -- so no pictures of co-workers here.

The best activity (in my opinion) was a boat-ride/dinner on the Seine. One of our table-mates was from France (his wife was actually from Paris), so he was able to point out some of the major sites and answer the questions we had along the way. I only took two pictures.



I'm sure I don't need to identify this landmark! One interesting thing, for they year 2000, France installed flashing lights on the tower. Just as the tower itself, built for the World's Fair in the 1890's, was only supposed to last for a couple of years, these lights were only meant to be temporary. However they are still working, and are run every hour for about 10 minutes. I'm told they are only supposed to be flashing at night, but I could have sworn I saw them during the daylight when I was in Paris last spring.



Either way, it's a pretty awesome effect. They now sell the little models with rhinestones to simulate the flash -- but there's nothing like seeing it in person! (Oh, I should mention that the tower is not leaning! That's just a combination of the angle -- we were getting pretty close -- and my turning the camera to try to get the whole thing in the shot.)

So it was a fun trip -- I ate too much and didn't walk enough, but overall a good time was had by all.

Splat!

I think this hummer was "backing up" and probably ended up being surprised instead of hurt.

Flying Jewels

It's Hummer time again! We must have a dozen or more and the numbers are growing. One thing I have found is that it is very hard to take a picture of a humming bird!

It probably doesn't help that I ususally wait until the last of the sunlight to get my camera out! And the best way to get some freeze action is to use the flash, which makes the background dark. Usually, I just get a lot of blurs (about 20 in this batch), but this time I got lucky with a few good shots!

Going Coastal!

I heard this term in an advertisement about a month ago and it really resonated with me. Every time we go to the coast, within a few days of returning, Marc is saying, "You need to take a vacation -- let's go to Rockport!" I've decided he's just "going coastal" on me!

I don't enjoy the trips to the coast so much in the Summer -- it is way too hot! However, as you can see from the clouds posted yesterday, we had a bit of rain. That cooled things down a bit the first day we were there, an unfortunately, hastened our departure on the last day. But in between, we were able to feed the seagulls (Marc's favorite activity) and catch a few of the year-round natives of the area.



This trio of Laughing gulls shows the great variation in these birds at this time of year. During the breeding season, the gulls have black heads -- but after the breeding season, they only have a few dark streaks. Officially the breeding season lasts until September -- but there will always be variances, and after all, it's mid-August.



We also saw a lot of juveniles, no big surprise there! They are brownish -- like many juvenile birds, but they have a black band across their tail-feathers. It's a bit easier to see when they are flying, as the black wingtips cover it when they are on the ground.



I think these juvenile gulls are really handsome birds. They are a bit more colorful (or at least patterned) than their parents. I'm told that the Latin forms for most Gulls are some form of "Laughing", so to some extent they are ALL Laughing Gulls, but my Latin Dictionary doesn't agree.

The bird below was an interesting find:


At first I thought this was an Anhinga, and was really excited, but when I got around to the other side of the bird, it didn't have the white streaks on the backs of the wings. I looked it up, and it's probably just a juvenile Cormorant.



We went over to a little park behind the Airport and saw this Blue Heron who seemed to want to pose for us!



This great egret was not quite as sociable, and wondered away down the sandbar.

But the greatest surprise was the belted Kingfisher that flew by us. Marc pointed it out, but it quickly went behind some brush.

But only a moment later it flew back across the beach where we were standing and landed in a nearby tree -- just enough for me to get a good shot. This one appears to be a female. The males have a bright red belly under the dark blue "belt".



Back at the beach -- all sorts of birds like to hang out on the pier!

On Cloud 9

We've just returned from "going Coastal" back down to Fulton. In the last month or so, coastal Texas has gotten into it's summer heating pattern, and there have been so many cool-looking clouds. I see them going back and forth to work, or in the evenings going to dinner, and have wished I had my camera!

So when we headed for the coast, I had a great chance to snap some wonderful cloud pictures. Most are building cumulus.

This first one seems "picture perfect" -- it has that classic "building" cumulus shape on it's way from the puffy "fair-weather" cumulus -- to the monster cumulo-nimbus thunderhead. I think the seagull in the nearer distance is a nice touch.



Most of the cloud names come from Latin, of course:
Cumulus, -i, m. – heap, pile; increase addition
nimbus, -i, m. – cloud ; storm cloud, black rain cloud; rain storm, heavy shower, pouring rain; (fig) storm
nimbosus, -a, -um, adj. – stormy, rainy

Hmmm... maybe I should change my name to "Nimobsa" -- nah, I like plain ole "Stormy" better. ;-)

This picture shows the clouds building out over the water. The view is past a long pier. I like the way the shadows show on the left from the higher clouds.



Here we see some very dark clouds. Clouds become dark for two reasons. One reason is because they are very dense (as a "nimbus" rain cloud), or it may be that another cloud is overhead and shadowing the lower cloud. The picture below is probably a little dense, but also being shadowed from above.



And this is my favorite -- I love the sensation of looking into a looking glass and seeing the differing layers of cloud. It's almost like an pathway to heaven!



More pictures soon -- I have plenty of the obligatory seagull pictures! Not too many other birds around this time of year. Just seagulls, herons and a very few pelicans.

Photo Tips and Spiders

I saw an interesting tip in Photography Magazine. They suggested putting a piece of craft paper behind a flower to brighten up the picture. When I saw that I thought it was a pretty cool idea, but figured it would be a bit challenging to hold a piece of paper behind a bird. ;-)

But I had forgotten about spiders. Spiders are surprisingly difficult to photograph. It takes a background and a flash. Take this photo for example:



Coming home from work today, I saw this huge golden orb spider just off the driveway. I quickly grabbed my camera and ran outside to get some shots. (We've had lots of rain lately, and I've had some pretty intense days at work, so I haven't felt much like getting out to take pictures). Anyway, can you see the spider in this picture? I'm only a couple of feet away from this guy and he's really big (or she, probably). Even as close as I am, the camera doesn't want to focus on such a thin creature and all you get is that big blur in the middle.

So add a little flash and some background. Now you can see the spider.


Of course, the spider could also see Marc's hand, and wasn't too excited about this big thing coming after it. He/She scooted up the web out of reach, and therefore, out of sight.

It's amazing to look out across our yard and see these huge webs strung between the trees. They can catch all sorts of flying bugs -- I don't doubt they are well fed! I worry about our humming birds. Get a couple of hummers squabbling over territory and not looking where they are going and suddenly they end up as lunch for one of these mega-spiders. Fortunately, we haven't discovered any hummers in the webs.

Another spider set up shop just a few feet from the one above. This one used our tractor shed as the supporting structure for it's web. Now you get a really clear picture of these spiders. This one is smaller than the one above.

Cheeky squirrel

I've discovered that a lot of animals that are "cute" from a distance are not so cute up close. I looked out of the window the other day and saw this squirrel perched on one of the rockers on the porch.

Cheeky critter. Now I know why they call them tree rats. Yuk.

Saw a rabbit hopping by...

What's any respectable cabin by a wood, without a rabbit? We had a rabbit for a couple of years, but he disappeared -- probably got too close to the roadway, or fell prey to one of the many predators in the area. But recently we've been seeing a new rabbit.

New Fledgling Cardinals!

We have fledgling cardinals! Today is rainy and gray, and the window is dirty, but I was still able to get a few pictures of the new batch of cardinals. Whenever an older bird shows up, they flutter their wings and squeek! "Feed me, feed me!" Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Then baby goes back to feeding himself!

Here's Junior. Isn't he cute?

There is definitely a hierarchy among all the birds. The babies know when it's ok to approach an older bird (maybe it's mom or dad), but they also know when to wait their turn. And males have priority over females, except when they're courting.

This little lady is waiting her turn at the feeder. She is probably a baby from earlier in the season. You can tell she is a bit older because her beak has taken on the orange color of the adults, while baby birds have a black beak.

These two little ones are waiting while another cardinal is at the feeder. They learn quickly who will share and who will not. If it is not their turn at the feeder, the senior bird will let them know. Especially if it is an older male (though not Dad).