Wild Bird Wednesday

Back from a wonderful week in Puerto Vallarta. It was an absolutely fantastic birding week for me, I was able to add more than a dozen birds to my life list!!

Here's a Yellow Crowned Night Heron.

And here is a Juvenile Yellow Crowned Night Heron doing it's best to be invisible.

Another picture of the adult, love that little feather that comes off the top of their head

Here I am birding at one of the spots in Puerto Vallarta, I saw so many amazing birds!!!

Kristi

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Wild Bird Wednesday

Just back from a short trip to the Reno area, got a couple of lifers this time!

Townsend's Solitair Life bird for me!

Crow or Raven, very tough to tell. Check out the Cheerios!!

A Juvie for sure but California or Ring-Billed, not sure about which one.

Scrub Jay another Life bird!

Scrub Jay, I love the look on his face

At first I thought Song Sparrow but I think it's a young White Crowned Sparrow.

Young White Crowned, nest mates maybe? They are so cute!

Another tough call, Coopers is my first guess but could be Sharp Shinned, hard to tell in this picture.

Wonderful fluffed up winter Robin

Robin

Northern Flicker in S Lake Tahoe

Nuthatch on the deck near Virginia City

I believe this is a Scrub Jay with a Bill Deformity. Wish I had gotten a better shot.

I reported the deformed bill to
http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/landbirds/beak_deformity/observerreport.html

Kristi

WBW - Snowy Owl

Welcome to 2013!!!!

It was a big year for me, I've seen and been able to photogragh so many new birds!

Many right at my back yard feeders!

 

I've also been lucky enough to do some traveling and see more new birds that way.

These gorgeous Snowy Owls are not in my back yard but I don't have to travel very far to see them.

These 2 and probably a couple more are about a 30 minute drive for me in the
Ballard neighborhood of Seattle.

 

 

 

I went back this morning to see them and this one on the rooftop was there again.

(that is assuming it's the same one but I think this is it's preferred hangout)

 

Unfortunately when I took my camera out I realized I hadn't put the memory card back in so couldn't take new pictures.

 

Kristi

WBW Backyard Birds

I have alot fewer birds around the feeder these days but I still have quite a few Spotted Towhees,

they don't often stay still enough to get a good picture but this one posted quite nicely for just long enough for me to snap. I am wondering if this is still a juvenile, it doesn't look completely feathered out.

I see Flickers often but not hanging from a seed feeder, they usually go for the suet but at the time the Pileated had taken over that spot.

This male was finished feeding at the suet and seemed to be watching and waiting at the top of the post. Notice this one is banded, I don't have much information but I went to this website and put in the information I had, http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/bblretrv/

I could tell he was getting ready to take off and was hoping I could capture a good action shot...

Nope, this was the only action I caught, one big blur!

He was waiting for this female to come in, she landed in a nearby tree right before the male took off and then took her turn. I hope this lovely couple gives me a baby next year!!

They always seem to take the step by step approach to arriving at the suet.

I'll hear/see on at the top of a distant tree cackling away, then it will move to the top of a closer tree, then I might see the other one land on the tree the first one left and they change trees every couple of minutes getting closer to the suet post. It's a joy to watch!!

Kristi

WBW - Hummingbird hangin out

This little cutie was hanging out on my Butterfly Bush for probably 10 minutes, just sitting there

And sitting there...

And sitting there...

Then I guess he decided it was time to move on, he started stretching his wings and tail feathers and then...

I got the flash!!!!!!!

That incredible blazing gorget!!

And lots of adorable stretching and then

Zip zip zip it was gone!!!

PS, I've recently been told about this great site for keeping track of your bird sightings.

 You can also see what others in your area or wherever you want to know about have spotted.

EBird.com

This little Rufous hummingbird was the first one I put in my personal database.

Kristi

WBW - Jay

A private moment with a Stellar's Jay

I don't know how long this Jay was sitting on the fence,

 but it seems pretty obvious it had just taken a bath and was all puffed drying itself in the sun.

Doing some preening here and there while bathing in the sun.

Then it flew off near the bird feeder, still getting it's feathers put together.

OK, all done and ready for the portrait!

The Jay's always give me beautiful photo ops!

I hope you enjoyed sharing this moment with me.

Kristi

World Bird Wednesday - Grosbeak

This week a bird I've never seen before and happily he's now a regular visitor to my feeder!!

At first I didn't know what he was

 but when I got a good look at that heavy beak I knew it was some kind of Grosbeak

I excitedly called my sister,

 shot over a photo

 to her and she helped me identify it as a gorgeous Black-Headed Grosbeak!

What a beauty!!

I also spotted this little one on the edge of my raised garden bed,

I've seen this one before but never gotten a good photo.

A lovely White Crowned Sparrow!!

And here's one shaking it's tail feathers,

at first I thought it was a youngster asking to be fed,

but maybe it's a male showing off to the ladies!

I'd love to know for sure???

He stood there for some time shaking the tail feathers and what looked like posing!

A really great bird week for me,

I actually have a few other pictures I got on our Mother's Day visit up north to Big Lake

but I'm going to save those for next week.

Kristi