Birding and Bird Photography

Awesome , have you been out here before ?

 

Subbed.

This was from my phone camera in November. Sandhill cranes coming home to roost in the evening at Staten Island in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta.

They approach in flights of anywhere from a half-dozen to dozens, and as the reach the flooded fields and start descending, the couple will pair off separately to find their spot for the night. They have a very interesting, reedy-sounding call.

Shopping for a real DSLR this year. Wifey has hers, and she works on conserving Pacific Flyway migratory habitat.

 

I'm glad you're so impressed with yourself. I thought you were just attracted by my musk.

I can't believe I got a decent shot using my phone. I have a little Sony point-and shoot that has done me right many a time, like this

But I am dying for a real camera now for more challenging situations and variety.
I almost got a D7100 before Christmas.

 

Tell me about it. There's a pack of bitches at my front door every day when I leave. It's becoming a nuisance.

YES. I want another expensive hobby that I don't have time for. This is actually something I've wanted to get into for, uh, decades. Something always gets in my way. But I absolutely love it, and just need some better technology and technical skills. And the woman and I enjoy it together. And if I get a compatible body, she and I can swap lenses, if you know what I mean...

 

ALLEN

ALLEN

ALLEN ALLEN

ALLEN

 

That's an awesome picture! I always enjoy seeing and hearing the Sandhill Cranes flying in when I'm around the marshes in central valley.
Who does your wife work for, if you don't mind me asking? That sounds like an awesome job that I might want to get into for or after grad school. Feel free to pm me if you don't want to post it publicly.

 

oh, no that's not Allen.

STEVE

STEVE

STEVE

 

Thanks. That is actually the first time I've seen them, and they are extremely site-loyal for life. They flew in from all over the valley to this single spot like clockwork as the sun set. This particular area is also targeted for tunnel shaft construction for one of the BDCP water tunnel alternatives. Two 40-ft diameter puppies, you can imagine the construction impact...you can 't just mitigate with a chunk of land somewhere else and expect them to play along...

Oh, and PMd.

 

Oh really? I didn't know they were site-loyal for life. I don't actually know too much about them, guess I gotta do some research!
Good grief, the whole delta water issue is so ridiculous. In one of my classes this quarter we're going to take apart and study the BDCP Environmental Impact Report/Analysis. Should be interesting! I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but at the same time I have no idea what the best alternative is.
Thanks for the pm, too!

 

I love all the pictures that have been posted so far. I am by all means NOT a photographer or even a bird watcher but I just finish spending a month in Alaska. Amazing! Not only beautiful scenery but wildlife in general. I did some tours and was able to get some shots. I borrowed my brothers camera and the only thing I could tell you is its a nice nikkon. I am generally good at using toys and finding out how to use them pretty quick. So, I did manage to take some decent pictures. I believe I got some of what I feel to be really nice pictures of some birds but I honestly couldn't tell you the names. (other than the obvious) On one of the tours they had a check list of commonly found birds and animals that we would see. According to the guide there was one bird that was super rare that I did get a picture of. Ill try to find the checklist. Here are some of those pictures....Enjoy. Feel free to state opinions good or bad, needs improvement. Thanks

 

I worked on the EIR. It is mindbogglingly complex, but something has to change. It is gound zero for major economic and environmental risk that affects the whole state, yet most people have zero clue about it even existing.

 

Ooooh, me guuusta! I really want to go to Alaska! So beautiful there, and such cool birds. I'm looking up some of yours now.

Whoa, that's really cool! I'll have to pm you with questions when we get there... But yeah, I definitely agree with you there

 

Bald Eagle, Horned Puffin, Tufted Puffin, Herring gulls?, Marbled Murrulet?, Ancient murrulets, not sure what the 8th picture is (tufted puffins?), definitely Herring gulls in pictures 9 and 10, can't tell in 11 probably Common Murre and/or other Alcids, Common Murre, Horned Puffin, a teenage annoying Steller's Jay, and a Bald Eagle.

If I'm right on the Marbled Murrulet (photo 6), that one's Federally Threatened and I know it's CA state Endangered. I don't know if it's listed as Endangered in other states, though.
Looks like an awesome birding trip! I really want to see some of those pelagic Alcids, storm petrels, and tube-noses.

 

One of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Did a bicycle tour from Anchorage to Fairbanks to Valdez. I feel that I barely scratched the surface.

So many questions. Aside from the expense-I don't think the state can afford it.

 

Hey guys, was pointed here from another thread. Alaska is a place that I definitely want to visit and spend some time in. Problem is I don't know when I'll be able to find that time

I only started getting into birding recently so I need to learn basic skills such as calling/spotting/identifying birds, especially the small ones. For now I just stick to the larger (easier to spot) birds, and here on the NJ shore it generally means shore birds.





More at my gallery:
http://photos.davischen.com/Animals/Edwin-Forsythe-NWR/

 

Nice shots

 

Just visited a new area in Davis for birding. Lots of awesome birds! I needed to go to class but I need to go back and spend a good amount of time there. I'll post pictures later, but there was a lovely fox sparrow that came right up to me and just sat there for about 5 minutes while I was shooting away. So exciting! Awesome start to the day.

 

Where? Arboretum?

 

we don't have bald eagles flying out of our asses like you do up there buddy boy.

However, allegedly a few baldies roost in Cache Creek, which is directly west of UC Davis (Kevin's uni).

 

My pictures from a few days ago were from the Arboretum, but today I went looking for a Ferruginous Hawk that was reported over the West Davis Pond. Didn't find the hawk, but got a lot of other birds. There was one section of trail that was FULL of birds. Maybe a dozen American Robins, half-dozen Golden-crowned Sparrows and White-crowned Sparrows, at least three Fox Sparrows, a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets in there somewhere, and some Cedar Waxwings, I think (didn't actually see them, but I think I heard them), at the top of the trees. All in about a 50 foot section of trail!

Haha, just gotta find the right places. Right now we have a lot of your spring and summer birds because it's warm here relative to you guys, so that's part of it.
Definitely sounds like a Northern Harrier!

There are a few scattered Bald Eagles around the marshes/rice fields up north near Chico and the Sac NWR, too.