Sunday Birding

Yes, I know it's Tuesday -- I'm a little late getting these shots up!

We went out Sunday afternoon -- it was a beautiful, clear day. We were hoping to see the Crested Caracara again, so we re-traced Saturday's route. At one place where the road we were on dead-ended into a cross-road, we found this hawk. The small tree in the distance just to the right of the hawk is probably the tree where the hawk and caracara were on Saturday. So this might be that same hawk.


What was so awesome about this hawk was that I was able to walk up within 10-15 feet of the bird and he just sat there!


Here is one of the last shots I took. I even had to back off a little on the zoom lens! I finally made some clucking noises and spooked him. The flying shot didn't come out as well as I had hoped -- you're always taken a little by surprise.

I've noticed that some of my favorite bird photographers talk about shooting from the blinds, and I assume with tripods to support the heavy photo gear (necessary for getting closeups!), but I'm usually out in the open and holding my camera (the new one with the zoom lens is much heavier!).



I'm fairly certain the hawk above is a red shouldered hawk. He's actually facing the camera (or only slightly turned). Notice the red-ish breast and the barring. This hawk was very patient and let me take several shots. Unfortunately, it probably wasn't real worried because all those tree branches were in the way!


Now, here's an interesting scene. I had stopped to get a few shots of the hawk on the right (below here). The hawk sat perfectly still -- not bothered at all by my being there. In fact, I have about 15 shots of the same bird -- it's hardly moved!

In the middle of all those shots, I happened to look over to the left. And here's this feisty mockingbird (I can say that, because they all are feisty -- and they love to pester hawks!).



I finally realized that the poor hawk was as concerned about that troublesome "little bird" as it was about that troublesome person clicking away with a camera. Both needed watching!











Finally, I took some shots of what I usually refer to as "LBB's" (little bitty birds). This first one is an Eastern Phoebe. The water behind is a flooded field (probably a rice field). We have a lot of those in our area...


This bird, I thought was a sparrow, until I unloaded the picture from the camera and looked a little more closely (yes, it's seriously cropped!). It appears to be a yellow rumped warbler -- but it doesn't quiet match the drawings in the bird book. So I guess we'll have to give this one a maybe!

Meadowlarks

I often see meadow larks as I drive down country roads. They might occasionally be sitting on a fence wire, but more often, they are down in the grass -- as they are "ground birds".

Our birds are "Eastern Meadowlarks"

In the last couple of weeks, I have been determined to get some pictures of meadowlarks. However the pictures last week only showed a gray-brown bird against a gray-brown background. Photographing these birds is quite a challenge!



This fellow was quite willing to have his picture taken -- in fact, I have several shots with him singing gaily! But, alas, his beak blends in with the dry grass, so it wasn't all that obvious. The only problem I had with this fellow was that he wouldn't turn around and show off his distinctive chest marks.

So I had to find another "volunteer". The picture below was taken of another bird at another location. However, this fellow was willing to give me a frontal shot, so you can see his markings! While the lighting no doubt had an effect on the colors, I think the bird above had already "changed into" his breeding colors, while the bird below has not quite made the transition. According to my bird book (Sibley) their breeding period is Feb-Aug.

Ducks!

We have a lot of rice fields near our house. In the winter, these fields are natural wetlands that attract migrating geese and ducks. One of my favorite places to look for geese, ducks and other water birds is next door to the high school. As we drove up, all the geese were flying off. A little while later, some of the ducks decided to follow.

Here are a couple of "cropped" shots from the larger photo above. If you look closely, you can see that these ducks are flying off in pairs. While both of these close-ups focus on the drakes, you can see the female duck in the bottom picture.





These appear to be Northern Pintail Ducks.

Sociable Predators

This was one of the most incredible things I've ever seen! I've always thought of birds of prey as being very territorial. Red Tail Hawks may share a territory with a mate or a sibling, when they are young, but not with another hawk.

Of course, the Crested Caracara is not categorized as a hawk, they are most often listed almost in a category by themselves. And while they will hunt on occasion, they are actually more often carrion eaters. If you've read my blog before, you will probably know that Caracaras are one of my favorite species of birds. (Followed closely by hawks and falcons of any kind!)



Here is a close-up of the Caracara. While he didn't seem to be concerned with me taking pictures (from quite a distance, I must admit), he didn't make things easier for me either. ;-) These are such unique birds, that I would really like to have a good sharp, up-close picture.

Oh well, one of these days...


Red Tails, on the other hand, are not nearly as comfortable with people stopping to take pictures. As I mentioned the other day, I usually end up with them flying off. I was pretty lucky with this one and got some good shots while it was flying (away, of course!). In both of these shots you can see the definitive "red" tail.


OK, this is what I call a "bird butt" shot -- but considering that is does show off the signature tail feathers, I thought I'd share.

The interesting thing is this bird flew over to a tree where there was a Northern Harrier. The Harrier was not nearly as willing to share her tree as the Caracara had been.

Yard Birds

Today was one of the first clear days in a week. I had been waiting all week to get back out and take more pictures . The day wasn't as clear as I had hoped, in fact it was pretty overcast -- but at least it wasn't raining.


I started close to home -- right outside the front door in fact. I don't use a tripod. I suppose I should. These pictures were taken with my new Pentax K100D with a 300mm zoom -- still hand-held, but I braced myself on my truck.


Isn't this guy handsome? I think he was posing for me!



Here's my favorite shot of the three! We got a special deal with my camera of a photo-printer, so we printed this one. It really came out nicely.






Another great shot from the yard. This is only one of dozens (maybe more) American Goldfinches that visit our feeders in the winter. It's really fun to have these visitors, but they are sooooo messy! They not only feast on the thistle seeds we have for them, but also get on the feeders. The bad thing about this is, they throw out all the seeds they don't like -- so we're going through almost a full bag of seeds in a week or less.

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!