Category Archives: Uncategorized

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”

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”