Birding and Bird Photography

Nice indigo and grosbeaks Mike, most of our birds down here are starting to peace out... birding is getting slow which means yall should be neck deep into the birds now.
Any way you can send some back down?lol

Awesome owl pics, ive only ever seen a handfull of owls before but nothing i could get a pic of.....pretty cool

 

Was able to go out for a couple hours this past Saturday. Its getting super hot outside and the birding is definately not as good as it has been, but still managed to see a few.
Anyone good on flycatcher ID, i am thinking Willow or Least?

 

Sweet!

I love seeing owls. Magnificent birds.

Speaking of heat, it's starting to warm up here and there are very few birds about. Even the crows are quiet.

 

I'm always jealous of your warblers! They're never that open for my shots. Awesome job!
Hmmmmmm.... I'd say no on a Least because they have an eye ring, but it could be a Willow or perhaps an Eastern Wood-Peewee. It looks pretty big, especially the bill, so I'm leaning towards the wood-peewee. Do you have any shots of its back, or at least something showing the length of the primaries a little clearer? One of the differences between Empidonax flycatchers (willow, least, dusky, etc.) and the wood-peewees is the "Primary projection," which is the length of the primaries extending past the secondaries when the wing is folded.

 

Love the last shot. Fluttering wing tips. All business!

 

Ospreys are awesome. Still have never seen one in the wild in MO.

I really need to get a point-n-shoot to bring with me on the river. I'm not bringing my DSLR in my kayak but my phone doesn't cut it. Floated within about 10 yards of a heron this evening.

 

Nice shots, Ben! Love the Osprey!
My first thought was female Western bluebird for that last one. My guide agrees, but it looks like the range might be weird, depending on where you saw it.
Went to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery on the American River today for some birds. Got some good shots, I think! Gonna go through them now...I'm pretty backed up on uploading birds...

 

Got some bird shots today. When I get home tomorrow I'll see what I got and get them uploaded. I think I got some good stuff.

 

Love the Owl pictures! Still trying to capture one of the Barred Owls near me, with no luck so far.

Mark great pictures once again! I promise to send the birds back to you in little less than 5 months LOL. In the meantime I will keep the ones that stay well fed. I have seen more species than ever before this year several still trying to identify. Work is interfering with life way too much, and at the wrong time of year too.

Ben those Osprey shots are fantastic! My first picture of a bird was an Osprey in the 70's. They were pretty much gone because of DDT by then and when I saw a pair along the creek no one believed me, I was pretty young. My grandfather gave me his Polaroid and I was able to capture one of them on the nest. They had no young and did not come back the next year. In Florida and here the only nests I now see are in man made structures or special platforms that they build for them out on the water.

 

That is a heck of a picture for a phone camera. Yeah I too am still trying to figure out what to get for when I am on the water fly fishing.

 

One of my favorites from yesterday, and my entry for this week's photo challenge:

In-flight Meal by 92shawman, on Flickr

More to come!

 

My Uncle has a pair of ducks that has taken up residence in his yard. I wanted to get them to fly for the challenge, but no one wanted me to be scare them.

My submission to the challenge.

IMG_0681 by flyin' B photography, on Flickr

IMG_0554 by flyin' B photography, on Flickr

IMG_0628 by flyin' B photography, on Flickr

IMG_0638 by flyin' B photography, on Flickr

IMG_0701 by flyin' B photography, on Flickr

 

Nice TJ! There's a pair of ducks live around here. They share yards and occasionally, the school

 

Ok, photo dump time...there are more on Flickr, too.
Raptors I told you guys about a while ago:

Swainson's Hawk by 92shawman, on Flickr


Crow and Red-tailed Hawk by 92shawman, on Flickr

These guys were fighting right above me, it was crazy! I didn't even have to crop the photo

White-tailed Kite and Red-winged Blackbird by 92shawman, on Flickr


Red-tailed Hawk by 92shawman, on Flickr


Northern Harrier by 92shawman, on Flickr

And now from yesterday out at Nimbus Fish Hatchery:
Spring is in the air....and the water!

Mallard Ducklings by 92shawman, on Flickr


Common Merganser by 92shawman, on Flickr

For you, Oz:

Tree Swallow by 92shawman, on Flickr

These two guys along with a few mallards, a snowy egret, and a great egret were just chillin' in the water flowing out of the hatchery, waiting for food . I could get super close to them (these aren't cropped, either) but I had to shoot through a chain-link fence, which was annoying.

Great Blue Heron by 92shawman, on Flickr


Great Blue Heron by 92shawman, on Flickr


Great Egret by 92shawman, on Flickr

This guy was funny, sleeping on the wire. I have another photo from the front of him and it looks like he's missing his head

Double-crested Cormorant by 92shawman, on Flickr

This guy and a few other herons and crows were stuck inside the hatchery net...not sure what the hatchery does to get them out.

Green Heron by 92shawman, on Flickr

This little black phoebe was taking care of a nest, feeding young! I'm bummed the adult's not in focus for the nest shot.

Black Phoebe by 92shawman, on Flickr


Black Phoebe Nest by 92shawman, on Flickr

These bank swallows and white-throated swifts were super difficult to photograph! I was waving my camera all over the place trying to track them...probably looked kinda crazy

White-throated Swift by 92shawman, on Flickr


Bank Swallows by 92shawman, on Flickr

Also, last weekend I went on a field trip up near Shaver Lake, CA and saw some cool birds, especially a Green-tailed Towhee, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and tons of Red-breasted Nuthatches. Unfortunately I didn't bring my nice camera so I really only have one good photo from my point and shoot:

Pygmy Nuthatch by 92shawman, on Flickr

At the farm/restoration area where I do my internship they have a lot of cliff swallow nests in the overhang outside a maintenance barn:

Cliff Swallows by 92shawman, on Flickr

And we spotted this guy out in a field, probably at a nest. So cryptic!

American Bittern by 92shawman, on Flickr

Alright! Now I'm caught up...

 

Wow Kevin, looks like all of the birds are starting to show up. I like the Northern Harrier and the Tree Swallow the best. The others are still great shots as well.

 

Its starting to look a little birdless around here. Now im starting to get jealous of everyone elses great pivs lol. All i have here are a few warblers, few flycatchers, lots of doves, cardinals and tons of freakin grackles. However the last pic is proof that you never know what your gonna see along the TX coast. It was a Brown Boobys that was far from home.

 

Yep exactly what Ben said! And great pictures.

And I agree with this too. And lots of other great pictures in that dump!

Great pictures again Mark! Yesterday guess many of the birds left here to continue North, I know how you feel. Did see brief glimpses of 2 different warbles but couldn't ID them. I'm going to have to search hard for new ones now.

Found the Baltimore Oriole nest in a huge willow tree right next to the house. It is at least 75 feet in the air and in another week as the leaves fill out will not be able to see it.


Ruby throated hummingbird pair has showed up, the rest should be here soon. From this weeks challenge


Tennessee Warbler still hanging around, at this point hopefully for the rest of the summer


Cape May Warbler


Grey catbird sporting a Rhino horn after getting wet in the rain.


Have a couple of pair around that will likely spend the summer. The call is unique but every once in a while they will mimic one of the tropic birds they heard in the winter and get my attention LOL.