Monthly Archives: September 2023

Ducks are starting to show up in their fresh plumage after breeding season. Gadwall males have a distinctive white patch on the wing and some black on their rump. It’s a nice look, not too flashy but catchy. The females look a lot like a Mallard but have a darker bill and different head shape.

A Belted Kingfisher had just flown into a dead tree after diving for its prey. I got this series of photos showing her shake off the water before resting up. The chestnut band is what marks it as a female. This was a tough sequence to capture since the bird is about 12 inches (30Continue reading “Kingfisher Drying Off”

Warblers are very active birds, especially during migration when they are packing in the calories. It can be tough getting a photograph as they flit through the foliage. But if you are patient you can sometimes catch them in the open.

Photos from a fly over and return with its prey.

I was able to photograph two marsh birds together that are rather hard to spot even on their own. They are fairly common but often stay somewhat hidden. The Bittern, for example, can be hidden in plain sight due to its ability to blend in with the reeds and vegetation. This was a very opportuneContinue reading “Bittern and Gallinule”

Spoiler alert and just a friendly warning, arachnophobes should skip this post/email! You can encounter all sorts of companions on the trails as you search for birds to photograph. I was photographing birds near the Rio Grande in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The area was a typical semiarid bosque (forest) environment that is common alongContinue reading “Found in the Clutter – Unusual Companion”

Sometimes a bird will appear somewhere far, far from its normal range. These are known as vagrants. Although I think adventurer has a nicer ring to it. An Ash-throated Flycatcher has been staying at a town conservation site consisting of a bit of a farm, community gardens and walking paths. The farm is about 1Continue reading “Rare Visitor: Ash-throated Flycatcher”

We are in the middle of a week of stormy weather with localized flash flooding, tree damage and power outages. There isn’t much chance of getting out with the camera for a while so I have to make do with reminiscing about drier times. A duck photograph seems very appropriate in this situation. These areContinue reading “Snapshot – Muscovy Duck”

This impressive looking bird with an impressive name is a relative of the Northern Cardinal. These photographs were among the many I took on a trip to New Mexico in January 2018. We stopped for lunch at a little roadside place in Caballo to dine al fresco and this male came and perched in aContinue reading “Found in the Clutter – Pyrrhuloxia”

I don’t have to say much. It was a clear case of robbery and the thief got his snack. (Disclaimer: We were on an observation platform overlooking the beach so we did not have the opportunity to save the poor person’s lunch!)