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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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(235 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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(233 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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(233 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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(232 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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(231 views)
Taken late March, this bird is probably a year or two old and has the yellow legs you see on both juveniles and non breeding adults. They get their full adult plumage in the third year.
If you look at this shot and the thumbnail below it, you can see they are roughly the same size and shape. Nice of them to pose for their comparison shots.
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(231 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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(231 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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(231 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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(230 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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(230 views)
This photo reminds me of peach colored roses in a garden, ready to unfurl.
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(230 views)
This picture was taken late May of this year. This is a very active bird so I was surprised and delighted to see it perch long enough for me to photograph it.
The Barn Swallow is the only American swallow that has that deeply forked "swallow-tail".
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(230 views)
The moorhen
is a very commonly found bird in England, Europe and the States. Even so, I had never seen one before this day in Hyde Park.
Moorhens are related more to Coots than to ducks. Moorhens and Coots both have greenish feet with lobed toes which allows them to walk over water-plants and mud.
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(230 views)
I think I am addicted to taking shots of flying egrets.
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(230 views)
To get a shot of a graceful bird flying is always a coup.
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(229 views)
This is a close-up of a typical nest with the adult peering out. Mud gathering has made its bill appear lighter than it actually is.
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(229 views)
Disturbed by photographer, the Thanksgiving hawk fled to higher ground.
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(229 views)
The hippos
I've seen in other zoos have been rather lethargic. But the two hippos in this pool were very active, swimming, diving with a great splash, surfacing again, over and over. They attracted quite a crowd and were fascinating to watch.
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(229 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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(229 views)
It was difficult to get a shot through the fence of the
Bongo.
This close-up was the only one that turned out well enough to post.
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(229 views)
When I first saw this duck I thought it was a
Canvasback
.
Later, I realized only its basic coloration was the same.
The Pochard
is not found here in the States. It's closest relative, in England, is the
Red-crested Pochard.
Both species were present in Hyde Park the day I took this photo.
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(229 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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(229 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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(229 views)
Seeing a bright red eye on a bird, to me, is quite startling. Although the heron
appears to be standing one-legged, the other leg is actually stretched out in front, grasping another branch.
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(229 views)
I was fascinated to watch this egret hunt
.
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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(229 views)
When Canada Geese trumpet their arrival while flying directly overhead, no-one could possibly pass up the opportunity to photograph them.
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