Monthly Archives: October 2023

Although my blog is devoted to birds, I will post unusual or interesting non-bird photographs. The following photos are of a young Bobcat. Note the short tail with a black tip, the white ears with black edges and the slightly spotted coat. The ear tufts are just beginning to appear. Bobcats are widespread in southernContinue reading “Non-feathered Guest”

Three shorebirds winter along our coast while other species only pass through on their way south to winter in warmer places. One winter visitor is the Dunlin. It’s a bit chunky and has a somewhat long, drooping bill. The smaller birds with shorter bills in these photos are Semipalmated Sandpipers.

My last post had a glaring typo. For some reason I type “Common Loon” instead of “Common Coot”. I am not sure if the edited version got re-sent to people. Apologies for the senior moment!!

Neither of these birds are unusual for this part of the country. But they are not often found in such close proximity. There is a Common Gallinule on the left and a Common Coot (munching on some vegetation) to the right. [Edited the original post to correctly name the bird on the right as aContinue reading “Snapshot – Unusual Pair”

We spotted a Northern Harrier flying low over the marsh as it hunted for small mammals. It dropped down before I could photograph it so we moved past some scrub to see if we could find where it landed. This is what we saw in the distance. The Harrier was in a staring contest withContinue reading “Snapshot – Standoff”

These are some photos I took of a very large flock of Green-winged Teal with a few Northern Pintails mixed in. The flock numbered at least 200 individuals. The entire flock took flight, circled the waterway and landed again twice, giving me an opportunity to catch them in flight. The first photo shows a portionContinue reading “Ducks. Lots of Ducks.”

A Mallard seems to be watching a Great Egret landing with some interest. The duck has to land like a seaplane but the Egret can do it with a little flair.

Two photographs of Peregrine Falcons… The first is an in-flight shot on a bright autumn morning: The second is more action than art. Another Falcon made a pass at a large number of shorebirds, most of whom took to the air and flew in a group evasive pattern called a murmuration. However, some birds diveContinue reading “Snapshot(s) – Peregrine Falcon”

Great Egrets, like their cousins the Great Blue Heron, are stalkers. They stand still or move slowly and wait for something to come into range for a quick lunge. This one was hunting for small fish in shallow water.

This is a Downy Woodpecker taking seeds from an end-of-the-season sunflower plant. Why bang your head digging out grubs from a tree when you can just nibble on some nice sunflower seeds?