These guys found my feeder, now I think they spend more time at my house than they do at Walmart. They're not dumb birds, I think that they have a look out somewhere so that they know when I fill up the feeder.
"Pigeons come in many different shades and plumage patterns. People have named some of the common forms, so keep an eye out for these varieties: The typical “blue-bar” form (a bluish-gray bird with two black bands on the wing and a black tip to the tail); a “red bar” version (similarly marked, but with rusty red replacing bluish gray); “checker” (birds that have spots on the wings); “spread” (all black or all gray); “pied” (birds of any color that are splotched with white); and mostly red or mostly white forms." - allaboutbirds.org
I have a growing library of red-bellied woodpecker photos. From time-to-time, I see them at the edge of the forest behind my home. They sometimes also visit my bird feeder and make a mess looking for a raisin or a peanut. I've set out a couple feeders specifically for woodpeckers, but so far haven't seen any at those feeders.
"Red-bellied Woodpeckers are pale, medium-sized woodpeckers common in forests of the East. Their strikingly barred backs and gleaming red caps make them an unforgettable sight – just resist the temptation to call them Red-headed Woodpeckers, a somewhat rarer species that's mostly black on the back with big white wing patches. Learn the Red-bellied's rolling call and you’ll notice these birds everywhere." - allaboutbirds.org
I took this photograph at the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge.
"The great egret (Ardea alba, family Ardeidae) is known by other names such as great white or common egret. One of the most widely-distributed birds in the temperate and warm tropical belts of the world, it thrives in the South American rainforests and the southern states of the U.S. It is most commonly confused with the great white heron." - birdeden.com
This ship was a lot further off than is appears in this photograph taken across the wetlands. I was at the Sabine National Wildlife refuge, and think I was facing east or maybe Southeast. So, where was this ship at? Probably in Calcasieu Lake, a very large brackish lake to the east that is connected to the Gulf of Mexico by the Calcasieu Ship Channel. The locals call it Big Lake.
This little bird is clearly demonstrating its acrobatic abilities.
"Tufted Titmice often line the inner cup of their nest with hair, sometimes plucked directly from living animals. The list of hair types identified from old nests includes raccoons, opossums, mice, woodchucks, squirrels, rabbits, livestock, pets, and even humans." - allaboutbirds.org
This woodpecker was around the backside of my property yesterday afternoon.
"Red-bellied Woodpeckers bring bright colors and entertaining action to bird feeders. If you live near any wooded patches, you may be able to attract them using feeders filled with suet (in winter), peanuts, and sometimes sunflower seeds" - allaboutbirds.org.
This is the only view I have with both the male and female fully in the same frame. Unfortunately, they didn't do me a solid by getting closer together 😅. In this photo, the female is at the top and the male below. If you look very closely at the bird on the bottom, you'll see a reddish tint to that thick stipe extending back from his beak.
I had several conversations with Mastodon friends yesterday about woodpeckers. Some people shared interesting photos and videos of different species of woodpecker. A mastodon friend helped me distinguish between the male and female pleated. On the male thick part of the strip extending back from the beak is red or reddish. So here is another photo. This photo is a female.
This is my absolute favorite vulture photo. I found these vultures in a tree on a creek near the Kisatchie National Forest. I had to stop my car, flashers on, in the middle of a bridge to take photos. Fortunately, there wasn't much traffic. I'll almost certainly post these birds again on Halloween.
Black Vultures lack a voice box and so their vocal abilities are limited to making raspy hisses and grunts. - allaboutbirds.org
I was outside yesterday photographing some chipping sparrows, when I noticed other small birds among them. It just so happens, a Mastodon friend told me a few days ago that he saw some of these. So, I was kind of watching for them.
"Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." - Nathaniel Hawthorne
📷 Just for fun, here is a random photo from my collection of beautiful places lost in time. Would you like to hear its story? Ask me a question in the comments!
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“All shadows of clouds the sun cannot hide
like the moon cannot stop oceanic tide;
but a hidden star can still be smiling
at night's black spell on darkness, beguiling” - Munia Khan
I really love this photo. Ben is the smaller "yorkish" dog, he's also the oldest and therefore holds the revered title of "Top Dog." Charlie is the border collie; he is forever by my side. I posted a photo I took with my phone yesterday. This photo is much better. We go for a walk in the woods almost every day, usually in the morning.
This photo was pretty good except the bird wasn't entirely in the frame. So, with a bit of cropping I was able to use the photo and capture that piercing green eye.
"The oldest recorded Neotropic Cormorant was at least 11 years, 9 months old when it was found in Louisiana." - allaboutbirds.org
This tern was far away, so the photo doesn't have the detail I would like. It does capture how sleek and streamlined the bird looks in the air.
" large tern, slender and long winged. The head is fairly large and often has a ragged crest at the back. Royal Terns have a substantial body, a long, forked tail, and short legs. The bill is long and daggerlike." - allaboutbirds.org
A day at the beach looks so very peaceful. The coast goes on forever until it fades out of sight. If you expand the photo so you can see it whole, you'll notice a sanderling at the bottom along with its reflection.
This egret flew by almost at eye level. The sun was shining on its back and wings, you can almost see the wing's skeleton. The location was the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge.
"You’ll find Great Egrets in both freshwater and saltwater habitats. They are colonial nesters, typically placing stick nests high in trees, often on islands that are isolated from mammalian predators such as raccoons." - allaboutbirds.org
This vulture was around a couple days ago. This photo was taken at a great distance. Given the distance, it's not too bad. I posted another photo, two days ago, of this bird flying with the edge of a pine tree in the foreground - but not zoomed in so much.
This bird was at Vernon Lake, Louisiana a couple months ago. I watched it take off and then fly through a narrow-forested valley. Just before the egret flew out of sight, a second egret joined it. They both disappeared into the forest.
I got several photos of this bird at the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana. In this photo, the egret is just raising its head out of the water after striking at some prey.
"The Egret is Athena’s messenger: The Goddess of Wisdom. People would interpret its crackling shriek as an omen that the Goddess was watching over someone, sailors in particular." - whatismyspiritanimal.com
It's easy to see how this bird gets its name. Lurking in the shadows on the bayou, it looks both beautiful and deadly.
'It is often found standing in the water or walking on land looking for food. This species of egret typically feeds by wading through shallow water while stalking its prey, waiting until it comes near the feet before pouncing on them." - learnbirdwatching.com
I got a couple shots of this snowy egret in the reeds or the bayou. I like the way the photo turned out - I think it looks good and hope you do too. I was a little way from the bird, and you can see the sun reflecting sharply off its white feathers. I need to figure out how to capture some of the feather textures on the body in situations like this.
This is a redo; I think the ibises' details are slightly better than the photo I posted a few weeks ago. I took this photo in Georgia at a pond located in a ravine across from our hotel.
"Black-necked Stilts are among the most stately of the shorebirds, with long rose-pink legs, a long thin black bill, and elegant black-and-white plumage that make them unmistakable at a glance. " - allaboutbirds.org