Another New Bird, the Yellow Warbler. I finally have a warbler photograph. This one did not want to look at me, so I only got a couple of photos as it was very fast and did not stick around long. They really liked this tree with the yellow seed type things growing on it.
These yellow flowers on this tree smell so good. I could smell the floral scent before I got to the grove of trees out walking in the desert. It is like nothing I have ever seen or smelled before. It was beautiful and these warblers loved these trees as well.
The World of Finches, Finches are a colorful addition to any back yard and to our bird list if we have one. Which I am up to 137 now. There is one bird on this post that I don’t know what it is, mostly black with a bit of yellow under the bill.
Plus a video link to my You Tube channel showing a Green Heron hunting fish, I think I forgot to add this one a few days ago, Link Here; Green Heron
Lesser Goldfinch
Gold Finch
I don’t know what this one is. If anyone has a guess let me know and I will add it to my list.
Blue Eyed White Pelican, well I am back in my element of birding today. I have jumped ahead a bit to share these photos. We are in Idaho right now and camping next to a lake. It is so nice to be by water after all the dry months of traveling in the south. But I still have plenty of photos to share from down there as well.
We set up camp at this lake near Boise Idaho and right away I noticed white pelicans off in the distance. So I got the camera out and pulled up a chair and here they came flying right over top of me. What a wonderful sight after all these months on the road.
There is just something magical about watching these large birds glide in the air.
I noticed this ones eye is such a pretty blue. Maybe they are all that color. I will have to find out this week.
Below a group of them were flying by and I have never taken a photo of them flying with their bills open like the second one from the front. You suppose they like to fly like that catching the wind like a dog does when they put their heads out the car window? 😊
The Color Red Attracts Birds, I am not sure if it is the color or is there an aroma that attracts birds to flowers. Like the hummingbirds, if we have anything red out in the yard they will go and check it out. Even if my husband has his red hat on, they will buzz around him.
But today it is another new bird to show you. The Gila Woodpecker, it says they eat bugs and I saw them perched on these cactus every morning and evening.
This one below is the female, this ups my bird count to 138.
This photo below is the male, it is not a great photo, he was pretty far away, but it showed the nice red patch of feathers on top of his head.
What a Smart Bird the Raven, I was watching these ravens at one of the campgrounds we were at for about a week. They kept an eye on all the campsites. As soon as a camper left there spot, the ravens would come in and inspect the area, looking for scraps.
This one actually checked out the charcoal grill and seemed to be telling the others that there is nothing left here. Then he jumped down to the ground to make sure he did not miss anything.
Female Ruby Throated Hummingbird, I have seen my first hummingbirds today. I always enjoy watching these beautiful little birds. We are in Nevada right now and it is cold here, last night it got down to 28 degrees F. But as soon as the sun comes out these little birds are flying all over the place.
We are heading farther north tomorrow, we have been watching the weather and staying put for a few days here trying to avoid the snow that is falling in Oregon. I still have plenty of photos to go through from Texas, NM and AR. I will be sharing those as we go along.
We are finally seeing some green grass, but the winds are still extreme here in eastern Nevada. Not as much dust blowing and that is a nice change. We are headed towards a rainier climate and that might help wash the outside of the RV and Jeep. They really need it.
Below are some of my favorite Hummingbird shots from last summer. 🙂
Mr and Mrs Stilt, more new birds to my list. I believe the first photo is a female stilt because the second photo is the male and he was sure guarding this first bird as if it is his mate.
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. They move deliberately when foraging, walking slowly through wetlands in search of tiny aquatic prey. When disturbed, stilts are vociferous, to put it mildly, and their high, yapping calls carry for some distance.
Of course Texas is a great place to see the the Greater Roadrunner. They actually have some color along the side of their face and wings and tail feather. Which I did not know and yes they do run very fast. Video of the Greater Roadrunner below or click HERE; The Greater Roadrunner
The Sky’s the Limit, normally it does not work to take photos with a clear blue sky background. Most photographers like to have some clouds or something in the background. But, depending on the subject, I kind of like the blue background. It can really highlight the subject like a bird.
The first two photos are similar in color with two different birds, grayish birds on a gray post. Photographed in two different areas. I thought it was interesting how they look similar. The first bird is a Curved billed thrasher and the second one is a Mocking Bird.
Plus photographing birds in flight against a blue sky can bring out the detail in the feathers in flight at the right angle.
The Cedar Wax Wing Bird A treat to find in your binocular view field, the Cedar Waxwing is a silky, shiny collection of brown, gray, and lemon-yellow, accented with a subdued crest, rakish black mask, and brilliant-red wax droplets on the wing feathers.
We were sitting at a bird blind watching birds come and go, and all of a sudden this small group of Wax Wings flew in to get a drink of water. They are so colorful and yes waxy looking.
In fall these birds gather by the hundreds to eat berries, filling the air with their high, thin, whistles. In summer you’re as likely to find them flitting about over rivers in pursuit of flying insects, where they show off dazzling aeronautics for a forest bird.
It is hard to believe it is the end of April all ready. See you next month and have a wonderful weekend.
2 or 3 New Birds to the List, 133 birds photographed.
This first bird here is part of the Jay family, this one is a Scrub Jay that we saw in Texas. There are 8 species of Jay’s and the blue is pretty on all of them.
This one below, we saw in the mountain area and I think it is a Mexican Jay. But, hard to say for sure, but we know it is a jay because of the size and the blue colors. It was pretty high up in the tree, so could not get a good look at it.
I believe this bird below is called the Hooded Oriole. Such a bright color and like all orioles they like to eat oranges.
New Bird to the List, this is a new bird I have never seen in this first photo. It was at this park in Louisiana high in the trees. It stayed pretty far away from us so I could only see a silhouette of this bird except for this one photo.
It is called a Black Crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night-Herons are stocky birds compared to many of their long-limbed heron relatives. They’re most active at night or at dusk, when you may see their ghostly forms flapping out from daytime roosts to forage in wetlands.
Another beautiful heron is the Green Heron shown below. There are about 60 different species of herons.
You can always spot some Egret in wetlands. We were to early to see their mating plumage but still pretty birds.
Specular Highlight The specular highlight appears on shiny objects. It normally appears on a mirror-like surface. Its appearance is often found on the top of a rounded surface. The incident light hits the object and creates the specular highlight and the light is reflected off the object toward the viewers eye.
Also called catch lights in photography, Without catch lights, “light in the eye” viewers perceive the eye (and thus the bird) to be lifeless.
It takes patience and sunlight, but I like to try and photograph a bird with that touch of catch light on the eye. I think it brightens the eye, even though this Black Swan has such bright eyes even without the spec of light.
Whistle as You Fly, yes these ducks are called Whistling Ducks, I have never heard of them and this first picture, that is what they actually look like when they are all trying to land at the same time. They look like they are going to crash.
This place where I photographed these ducks and the huge flock of snow geese is located in southern Louisiana at a Wildlife Refuge called, Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge. We were here in January and I was shocked as to how many birds we were able to see and photograph this time of year. I uploaded a video yesterday showing the wet lands of this area and some of the backroads we traveled on to find this place. Video Link Here; Louisiana Wet Lands.
I will have one more video this week showing the thousands of Snow Geese we saw in this area and then we are moving on to Texas.
The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is a boisterous duck with a brilliant pink bill and an unusual, long-legged silhouette. In places like Texas and Louisiana, watch for noisy flocks of these gaudy ducks dropping into fields to forage on seeds, or loafing on golf course ponds. Listen for them, too—these ducks really do have a whistle for their call.
The Desert Quails, if you want to see quails the desert is the place to go. I have been seeing two main species. The Scale Quail and the Gambles Quail.
This first photo is the Scale Quail and I am guessing it is named that because their feathers look like scales. Video below or click on Link Here; Desert Quail and Giant Squirrel
The Turkey Vulture, If you’ve gone looking for raptors on a clear day, your heart has probably leaped at the sight of a large, soaring bird in the distance– perhaps an eagle or osprey.
But if it’s soaring with its wings raised in a V and making wobbly circles, it’s likely a Turkey Vulture. These birds ride thermals in the sky and use their keen sense of smell to find fresh carcasses. They are a consummate scavenger, cleaning up the countryside one bite of their sharply hooked bill at a time, and never mussing a feather on their bald heads.
Vultures lack feathers on their heads so that they can more easily keep themselves clean when eating.
Who’s Feathers Are These, they are the back of a Peacock Bird, these are the most colorful birds and I have not seen one in awhile. But I sure love looking at them.
When I was very young on my parents farm we had a few of these beautiful birds. When his tail feathers fell out we collected them and put them in a large vase. I wish I still had those feathers, I don’t know what ever happened to them.
The White Ibis When we left the state of Mississippi, I found a small campground in southern Louisiana that was our next stop. On this trip we are doing this year, we try not to travel more than 3 hours on travel day. That way we don’t get so tired when we get to the next spot.
We have been meeting so many nice people this year, everyone is very friendly at the campgrounds, it is such a joy to visit with folks. Plus getting to know some of the campers that live in the areas we are visiting has been so helpful with finding the hot spots for birding and they also share where the good restaurants are and sightseeing locations.
That is what happened here in Louisiana, I was looking on google maps around the area we are camping in and found a National Wildlife Refuge, I am always looking for these. So off we went traveling on a road I found that goes to this park. Well, there was not one bird there and this is back in January, so I thought maybe we were to early to see birds in migration here.
Two days later we got to visiting with some other folks that just pulled into the campground and they were from the area. So, we told them about our lack of birds found at their wildlife refuge. They proceeded to tell us that we were at the wrong side of it. He gave us directions to a road that was very hard to see on the map and we headed out there the next day.
What a surprise for us, this is where I got to see the Ibis for the first time and lots of them. Not only this strange looking bird, but as we entered the Wildlife Refuge, my heart skipped a beat I think, there are so many birds here, many that I have never heard of and the best part is the flock of snow geese we came upon out in a field. I will be showing those photos soon.
As we continue this journey around America, I am so thankful for the people that we are meeting. The kindness from others is a wonderful thing to experience and it gives hope that this world is still a beautiful place.
So much has happened over the last couple of years for everyone. But for me the one constant in my life and in my heart is the faith that I have in our Father and His children.
Sometimes we need to just turn off the news, Go Outside and Breathe, you were not meant to carry the burdens of the whole world.
The Northern Shoveler, I put one photo of this bird on a few weeks ago and I got to see them again last week at a small swampy kind of lake where they love to hang out. Now it says the males have an iridescent green color on their necks this time of year. But this one here looked purple to blueish color in the sun.
Either way it is very colorful this time of year.
One of these photos below is a digital painting and the other is a regular photo. It is really hard to tell the difference unless you zoom in, but the one on the left is digital oil painting. Gives it softer lines, I like using that feature on certain photos when I can.
The Desert Cardinal, Dapper in looks and cheerful in song, the Pyrrhuloxia is a tough-as-nails songbird of baking hot deserts in the American Southwest and northern Mexico.
I finally got a photo of this Desert Cardinal, it was a hard one to find, but it stopped by the bird feeders here at this park. Its beak is thick like a parrots.
They’re closely related to Northern Cardinals, but they are a crisp gray and red, with a longer, elegant crest and a stubby, parrotlike yellow bill. During breeding season Pyrrhuloxias are fiercely and vocally territorial, but in the winter they forget their disputes and join together in large foraging flocks.
The Vermillion Flycatcher, I had heard about this bird when we were in Louisiana. A fellow birder told me about this brilliant red bird, but he said we were to early to see it. When I got back to the RV, I had to look it up and thought how colorful this little bird is.
Well, when we got to southern Texas to Big Bend National park, to my surprise, they were all over the place. Anywhere there was water you could see one of these beautiful birds perched on the small branches over water. They swoop down and catch a bug and go back to their branch.
Purple and Blue, the light makes all the difference. I have photographed this White winged dove a few times now and this is the first time I noticed the purple color of the feathers around its neck. I made it down to the bird blind just as the sun was coming up.
Amazing what we can see if we sit still long enough to really see things. Having the patience to wait until the Light shows up makes all the difference.
Birds Used the Most as State Birds The Cardinal is #1 as the bird used the most for state birds. It is the state bird for 7 states.
In second place is the Meadowlark; which is used by 6 states as the state birds. But I do not have a photo of this one yet. I am looking for it as we travel west.
And #3 on the list is the Mockingbird; which I just found the other day and was able to get a photo. This bird is used by 5 states.
Royal Tern Is Holding its Ground, Mr. Pelican is coming in with the intention of taking the pole the Royal Tern is on. But Tern is not budging and appears to be yelling at the big boy coming in for a landing to get his own pole. But, , ,
Mr. Pelican takes what ever pole he wants, as you can tell in the photo the lighter colored pole is where the Tern was standing and now the Pelican has it. He did take the pole and Tern had to move up to the next one. there is a stern look from the Tern towards the Pelican.
Then they both relax and quit staring at each other and just enjoy the sunshine together.
For the Love of Birding, one never knows exactly what one will see when out enjoying nature. When it comes to birding, the range of different compositions is unlimited.
Like this egret who is holding its own on a windy day, as the wind keeps ruffling its feathers. Looks like it has black stockings and yellow boots.
Pelicans in a row, but what I like most is the bokeh lights in the background. Bokeh is one of the most popular subjects in photography. The reason why it is so popular, is because Bokeh makes photographs visually appealing, forcing us to focus our attention on a particular area of the image. The word comes from Japanese language, which literally translates as “blur”.
On a humid day here in this photo, natural fog is surrounding this Cormorant bird giving it a natural vignette look to the photo.
I just love the brown pelicans, the photos always speak for themselves with these birds.
Portrait of the Reddish Egret, such a beautiful bird I think. When I photograph birds I take a lot of photos at one time when I can. I put my camera on burst and hold the shutter button when the bird looks like it is in the right light and position. On average 1 or 2 photos out of 20 will be sharp, but the photos that excite me the most is when I come across one like below that looks like it is posing for the camera.
This is what I find most enjoyable about wildlife photography.
When I find just the right photo I will often turn it into a digital oil painting as well. My artistic side 🙂
My Day Begins at Sunrise for me, actually before sunrise. I am always up before the sunrises in anticipation for what is coming as the sun begins to warm the earth.
I watch the horizon, as if I am watching a movie in slow motion. The gorgeous colors of light dancing across the heavens. When you actually stop to see it, I mean really see it. You see its worth, its purpose and its power as the Light of the World.
