Monthly Archives: April 2024

The Pileated Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in North America. The red patch in the “moustache” indicates that this is a male.

The Black-necked Stilt is an impressive looking shorebird. These photos were taken in a wetlands area where these birds were nesting. They make an incessant, loud yapping noise and were scolding every creature in the area, including me. The distinctive black and white plumage and rose colored legs give these birds an elegant look.

Painted Buntings are a Central American bird that breeds in the south-central and coastal southeastern US. I photographed these in South Carolina which is the northernmost of their range along the Atlantic coast. The male Painted Bunting is very colorful, as the name suggests. The females and young are a more practical bright green colorContinue reading “Painted Bunting”

Spring time is house hunting time. This is the reaction of a pair of Tree Swallows when another Swallow starts checking out the nest box that they had claimed.

Are this Anhinga’s eyes bigger than his stomach? Nope. Down goes the fish. This is what a whole Anhinga looks like. Anhingas are aquatic birds with a turkey-like tail and snake-like neck. They stalk fish by quietly submerging and pursuing them underwater. Their feathers are not waterproof so they need to sit on a branchContinue reading “Feathered Action – Anhinga”

Ducks in a tree? Yes. Wood Ducks are quite at home in the trees as you can see in these photos of a female (top) and male. Wood Ducks nest in tree holes, usually in those caused by a lost tree limb. But they will also use an old Woodpecker nest. The male is watchingContinue reading “Wood Duck”

We spotted a single Blue-winged Teal at the edge of a flooded spot in a field. These dabbling ducks breed in our corner of the US but are not as numerous as their cousins, Green-winged Teals. So it was a nice sighting. Three of the fifteen worldwide varieties of teal are found in the US.Continue reading “Teal”

I try to catch birds in the midst of their constant activity. It’s a challenge but a picture of a bird in action is worth the work. I’ll share shots I like as they come along and hope that you like them too. First up is a Black-capped Chickadee. I managed to catch one ofContinue reading “Feathered Action – Black-capped Chickadee”

I bought a new camera body and will swap my older body into a backup roll. I was checking the new body out and getting the various settings in order by photographing birds coming to my backyard feeders. This is a Pine Warbler (left) and a Carolina Wren peacefully sharing a suet/seed feeder. Tussles forContinue reading “Feeder Friends”

The Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets moving into our area for the summer are sporting their breeding plumage. This Heron displays its neck and chest plumes while landing in this photograph. Not to be outdone, a Great Egret shows off its breeding plumage. Those plumes, called aigrettes, almost led to their extinction. The wholesaleContinue reading “Spring Finery”