Author Archives: birdsinmyviewfinder

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”

What a difference a couple of days can make. The April weather turned warm and sunny after the cold day that had the Great-blue Heron huddling in the reeds in my previous post (link). This is another Heron on a day he and the photographer were much happier with!

A Great Blue Heron hunkered down in the reeds on a cold, damp and windy April morning. The photographer wasn’t very comfortable either.

Now that it is April, we are watching for early migrants. One of these is the Glossy Ibis. These photos are from April 2020. Glossy Ibis are found in Europe, Asia and Africa. Here in North America they are found along the southeast coast of the US from North Carolina to Louisiana on the GulfContinue reading “Found in the Clutter – Glossy Ibis”

A pair of Greater Scaup getting ready to land in a local reservoir. These are on their way north to their breeding grounds. Greater Scaup, or just Scaup in Europe, breed in Alaska, northern Canada, the northern most part of Europe and northern Siberia.

One of the favorite birds in my area is the Black-capped Chickadee. It’s a frequent visitor to feeders and is an active little bird with a definite personality. This one is checking out a pine cone for any nice tidbits for breakfast.

The Sharp-shinned Hawk is a small hawk in the accipiter family. The relatively short wings and extra long tail make it fast and highly maneuverable as it chases smaller birds through the woods. Sharp-shinned Hawks look nearly identical to another accipiter, the slightly larger Cooper’s Hawk. The shape of the head is one distinguishing feature.Continue reading “Snapshot – Sharp-shinned Hawk”

This relative of the American Robin is common in Central America but is a scarce resident in southernmost Texas. It is sometimes referred to as the Clay-colored Robin because of the close relationship but neither bird is related to European Robin. This lucky find was photographed at the Santa Ana NWR in Alamo TX inContinue reading “Found in the Clutter – Clay-colored Thrush”

Ruddy Ducks are a small freshwater diving duck with a scoop shaped bill and stiff tail that is often held upright. Males have a bright white cheek patch. They take on a chestnut color in the summer. Only a little bit shows here and there on these photos of males at this time of year.Continue reading “Ruddy Duck”

A pair of Common Goldeneye, male in the lead, flying over the Merrimack River in Massachusetts back in January. This diving duck has started moving back into Canada where it will nest in tree cavities. It is easy to see where they get their name.