Before A Storm?
Labels: digiscoping
Labels: digiscoping
Labels: digiscoping
I'm saying double-crested cormorant on this one. That pouch under the bill looks like a double-crested.
I'm guessing western gull on this one, but really I'm not so sure on my gull id.
I'm guessing Anna's hummingbird, but I live in the land of one hummingbird species that is only here for six months. Hummer experts--care to help?
Ack! A shorebird, I'm still working on that, but I'll give it a go. Now, here is what is tough--there are no other shorebirds in the photo to compare it to as far as size and shape and it's not a video, so we can't use it's behavior to narrow the field. I'm guessing that this is either a western sandpiper or sanderling. So, if I'm going to pinned down, I'm going to guess sanderling because I'm not seeing a hind toe and sanderlings don't have a hind toe and westerns do. I tried doing a bill comparison, but honestly to my eyes, I just cannot see that much difference between a western's bill and a sanderling bill. I leave that to the shorebird experts out there.
There was a post earlier this year about all my bird stuff that I have and socks were of particular interest. Two great companies to check out for fun bird socks are For Bare Feet and Wheelhouse Designs. Many of the designs can be found at your local wild bird specialty store, but if there isn't one in your area, you can try their websites.
Bamboo Jewelry make some great birds and other wildlife necklaces. Now, here is the weird part, it's called Bamboo Jewelry, but not of the items are made from bamboo...they just come in bamboo boxes. The make earrings, pendants, and necklaces of birds, butterflies, moths, koi (the koi really is spectacular), dragonflies, and other wildlife. Some of my favorites include the luna moth necklace, the mourning cloak necklace, and the puffins and pelicans. But really, it's all pretty cool.
BIRD: The Definitive Visual Guide--This is a large pictorial book from Audubon. It's not what I would call the end all be all of field guides, but for a general over view of the world species--it's not bad. It doesn't have every possible species, but if you're curious about what a honeycreeper looks like, you'll find it in this book. I would recommend this book for a beginner or intermediate birder or someone who is mildly interested in birds. I would even give this to a kid who has a growing interest in birds, the information is presented with lots of photos, and not in bites as opposed to overwhelming and boring text. I would not get this book for someone who is fanatical about birding or very hardcore into research. One puzzling thing...it features over 1000 species in the book and comes with an audio CD of about 60 birds. There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason to the CD, it's almost as if one of the editors discovered about 60 bird calls they didn't have to pay the rights to, so it's not clear how to use the CD with the book--but a minor criticism for an overall ok book.Labels: Gifts
Labels: Cinnamon, Disapproving Rabbits
Labels: Birds and Beers
Labels: imprinted birds
So, while checking my bird news this morning, I came across an article about Geobirds. I had been kind of aware of it but haven't checked it, but the article got my attention with: "Geobirds (www.geobirds.com) is a multifaceted site -- part Facebook for bird nerds, part electronic field guide -- that promises to take birdwatching into cyberspace." I was intrigued by the Facebook part (not so much the bird nerd part--so tired of that moniker) but alas I don't appear to be able to do fun things like become different animals and battle friends, send growing gifts, or take quizzes. One feature the site has is a brush and color wheel so if you see a bird you can't id, you can try and figure it out. I tried to do it with the bird in the above photo, and it did come up with goldfinch but only confirmed it with a male in adult plumage.
Cinnamon's tv appearance went well, although here is a photo of Cinnamon disapproving of the morning show producer, Becky. As you can see, the producer took it hard.
Speaking of Cinnamon, Mom's cats have decided to seek out shelter under the guest bed until the reign of terror that is my rabbit leaves the area.Labels: Cinnamon
Labels: injured peregrine falcon, raptors, The Raptor Center
Labels: digiscoping
I took a photo of one earlier in the festival and I had never noticed that before and thought it was a young bird, but all kiskadees of all ages have that yellow outline at the corners of their mouths.
Behind all those tiny branches lurks an olive sparrow at Llano Grande. This was not bad, just finding an olive sparrow sitting on a branch long enough to aim your scope and camera is feat within itself.Labels: banding, Bird Festivals, Rio Grande Valley Bird Fest
This is a photo by John Rubbo, the official photographer of the Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society. He took this at the DreamHaven Book Release party.Labels: Cinnamon, Disapproving Rabbits
I had so much fun on my field trip to Estero Llano Grande State Park on my first day of the Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival, I thought I would go back and do some proper digiscoping before I had to work the birdJam booth on Saturday morning. It really is a cool park--it's new and I think over time will gain in popularity.
I wanted a chance to see and digiscope the black-bellied whistling duck without the fog. These guys were all over the park and they kind of whistle and their bellies are black--boy ornithologists must have been having a bad day--a bird that actually fits its name. Shocking.
The park did have a nice shorebird selection and after my class that I took this summer, I thought I would try my id skills. It was tough because I learned how to id shorebirds for Minnesota and the Dakotas, not Texas. But I had the time, they were fairly close and it was a good idea to practice. Above we have sleeping shorebirds, mostly dowitchers and stilt sandpipers. But time to break 'em all down and see what I can find.Labels: Bird Festivals, digiscoping, Rio Grande Valley Bird Fest
The Inca dove (like one of the doves in the above photo) reported in Two Harbors is making headlines. Last night it was a headline on the Star Tribune web page and MPR interviewed Jim Lind, the man who found and photographed this first state record.
Labels: Bird Trips, Rio Grande Valley Bird Fest
Labels: Bird Festivals, digiscoping, Rio Grande Valley Bird Fest
Labels: NBB
Labels: Bird Festivals, digiscoping, Rio Grande Valley Bird Fest
Labels: Bird Festivals, digiscoping, Rio Grande Valley Bird Fest
Labels: Bird Festivals, digiscoping, edible fungus, Rio Grande Valley Bird Fest
But there were great birds all around like this lark sparrow who was mid preen when I took this photo.
It was very eerie, out of nowhere in the fog, huge flocks of red-wing blackbirds began to descend all around us, coming in for food. You would hear this large squeaky and squawking sound then this cloud of black would just appear overhead.
Gradually the fog began to lift and you could make out more birds, like these three black-bellied whistling ducks. It's interesting, there's been a black-bellied whistling duck hanging out on a lake about fifteen minutes from where I live in Minneapolis (that's a rare bird for that area) but I knew I would be seeing them soon in Texas and couldn't motivate myself to go see the one in the Twin Cities.
As the fog was lifting, several dew covered spider webs revealed themselves.
And the webs became part of the natural scenery in photos. Above is a female vermilion flycatcher perched near a web. Even though she isn't as bright as the male, she's still very attractive.
As the fog cleared, we started getting much better looks at the waterfowl. This bird confused me at first, but I think it's a molting green-winged teal--you can still see some cinnamon color around its bill--and the green on the wing.
I was really enjoying the shorebirds too. Check out that sleeping black-necked stilt surrounded by long-billed dowitchers. Looks like something out of Dr. Seuss.
Speaking of Dr. Seuss birds, check out this American avocet--they were quite active, there were several who spent so much time chasing each other, it's a wonder that they ever got enough to eat. While I was watching this bird, I noticed some movement behind it. To my surprise and delight...
I saw a sora! This bird was lurking in the reeds and then stopped right before it got to the opening out onto the water. I aimed my scoped just a little in front the sora and focused it. I figured the sora was making sure the ares was predator free before it would walk out into the open. However, instead of walking the bird jumped in the air, flew over the boardwalk and landed in another set of reeds. Not the exact shot I wanted of a sora, but fun to watch the behavior.
This young kiskadee let our group get quite close and many of us had a chance to get a photo. The group stayed still until the kiskadee decided to fly off. You can still see the gape at the corners of this bird's mouth--it's not very old at all. Look how scruffy the tail is.
After Llano Grande we made a couple more stops, one being Frontera Audubon. I thought it was interesting to note that as one of our field trip leaders was crouching to get a better look at a bird, a cat came up and started rubbing on his leg and spotting scope tripod. Silly kitty, birders think you should be indoors, not hanging around a great birding park.
And here's is one of the star feeder birds in south Texas--the green jay. What a treat! But the park was loaded with plain chachalacas:
Boy, you think squirrels can take over bird feeders, you should see a huge flock of chachalacas in action. That made short work of many of the grapefruits set out to attract orioles and butterflies--and they are just all over. You would walk along the trails, have a sensation of being watched, scan the brush and then find a chachalaca casually staring at you through the brush from only a few feet away. I think they're plotting. What, I don't know.Labels: Bird Festivals, digiscoping, Rio Grande Valley Bird Fest
I feel like we're being stalked by plain chachalacas. They are everywhere, lurking, watching, perhaps planning a massive attack. Do you see the one right in front of my scope? I'll put my camera to my scope so you can see:
There's what I got through the scope. Now compare this and see if you can find it in the first photo. Now back to my mojito.Labels: Bird Festivals, Rio Grande Valley Bihttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifrd Fest
One of the booths here (Bird Uganda Safaris) has an interesting give away. I was handed a clear plastic bag (sealed) full of a clear liquid. "Is this water?" I asked. Closer inspection revealed it to be Uganda Waragi (premium gin). Guess we know where the party booth is! Well, I have seen my requisite great kiskadee (above). More photos to come.
Part of the charm for many who visit the Rio Grande Valley for birding are the numerous butterflies and dragonflies. I never really understood the whole butterfly watching hobby, but being in Texas, it's really making sense--there are so many all over. Above is a cluster of Queen butterflies that I found on our trip this morning. I don't know what they were feeding on, but they were diggin' it.Labels: Bird Festivals, digiscoping, Rio Grande Valley Bird Fest
Labels: Bird Feeding, digiscoping
Labels: banding, Carpenter Nature Center
While in New York, I met up with some great artist friends including Mimi Ko (on the left) and Kelli Bickman (on the right). Rumor has it that Kelli is going to paint a hive for us for next year...can't wait to see it. Here we were, three hot arty chicks on the town. Labels: Disapproving Rabbits
Labels: Bird Festivals, Blog Conferences, Cape May Autumn Weekend