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top 25 items viewed per day
Week reset Sunday, Month reset the 1st, Year reset 1/1 |
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(382 views)
This photo was taken late March of this year and many birds were still in just black and white. For courting and breeding the necks and chest acquire a rusty or tan color.
They really seem to enjoy their mud-flats.
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(378 views)
These large egrets are graceful and breathtaking in flight. I watched this bird flying back and forth several times bringing nesting material back to it's mate.
There was only one pair that I saw amongst dozens of the smaller Snowy Egrets.
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(375 views)
I was fascinated to watch this egret hunt
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He moved very patiently and slowly, then his head would dart into the shallow water and he would come up with a little fish. It must take a lot of little fish to fill such a large bird.
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(375 views)
The Great Egret has just caught a small fish.
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(375 views)
What a face. And under all that gorgeous white fur is black skin. All the better to absorb heat and keep the bear warm.
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(375 views)
I didn't see a pheasant when I looked at this tree, only the Egret. As the boat drew nearer to the tree the pheasant burst out, startling the egret and me. I tried to get a shot of them as they flew past, but I was much too slow. It wasn't until I looked at the photos at home that I had the pleasure to see I had gotten a shot of the pheasant after all.
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(375 views)
This shows all the markings you would look for in identifying this bird in the breeding season. The lacy plumes on the back and the green/blue "mask" that extends from the base of the bill to the eye are only present during this time.
The Audubon Society came into existence to stop the extermination of great Egrets by plume hunters and has this bird as it's logo.
Great Egrets are found world-wide, even in Australia
.
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(375 views)
I think I am addicted to taking shots of flying egrets.
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(375 views)
To get a shot of a graceful bird flying is always a coup.
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(374 views)
This is a photo of three very well camouflaged eggs in a Killdeer "nest." Because Killdeer often lay their
eggs on gravel,
the parking lot at the sanctuary had become a favorite nesting spot for them. Unfortunately a parking lot is a dangerous place for eggs, which leads to much failure for the Killdeer who lay eggs there.
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(374 views)
I got this shot just as the egret was landing. Look closely and you can see the feet haven't quite come to rest on the pipe.
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(373 views)
This photo of a Harbor Seal was taken very near the
Lucy Evans Interpretive Center
at the bird sanctuary. I was very surprised to see it but the ranger verified that they have been known to occasionally appear.
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(373 views)
This female Killdeer is standing over eggs in its "nest." Three eggs are actually present but only one is clearly visible. Even the clearly visible one is very well camouflaged.
It is reputed their call sounds like "kill deer" and thus the name. I don't hear it myself but maybe that's just me.
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(373 views)
The female Killdeer in this picture is adopting a wounded bird pose and making a distress call. She is trying to lure me away from her nest by convincing me she is easy prey. Luckily for her I only wanted her photo.
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(373 views)
Killdeer are a shy and fast bird. Consequently I rarely get a good shot of one. I was lucky this day to get that elusive shot.
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(373 views)
A beautiful Zebra
with gorgeous long lashes. I would love to see Zebras in California fields alongside the horses, sheep and cows. We have Ostriches and Llamas, why not Zebras?
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(373 views)
At the sanctuary, there is a group of palm trees next to the large pond that provides prime nesting spots. It is fenced off to ensure the breeding birds are not disturbed.
In late March, this was one of many night herons nesting amongst the snowy and great egrets. Its usually yellow legs are pink because it's breeding season.
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(373 views)
This snowy owl
at the Dublin Zoo was very quiet but, if it had spoken, it would have had an
unusual voice.
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(373 views)
This view shows the extent of the buff coloring avocets acquire on neck and chest in the breeding season. They stand about 15 to 20 inches tall and
Wikipedia
has more info on these birds if you're interested.
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(372 views)
The most obvious difference between the Eurasian Coot and the American coot is the larger white face shield. The coots were very numerous in
Hyde Park
and seemed to behave just like the coots I'm familiar with here in California.
This shot shows the face shield, the greenish feet and the lobed toes. They are fascinating little
birds.
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(372 views)
Of course England has it's fair share of "flying rats". For some reason this one in Hyde Park seemed more like an actual bird to me than just
feathered vermin.
I'm sure if I was there long enough they would become just as annoying as pigeons are here at home.
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(372 views)
Fall colors provide a wonderful background for this little sparrow.
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(372 views)
Taking photos from a boat was a new experience. I was able to get much closer to this flock of Pelicans before they took flight.
These appear to be Australian Pelicans
because of the pink bills. Or do American White Pelicans have pink bills in the winter? Further research needed.
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(372 views)
This photo reminds me of peach colored roses in a garden, ready to unfurl.
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(372 views)
The bird on the left is a young adult who won't achieve the look of the mature bird on its right for another year.
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