Nothing wrong with feeders, they can bring surprises. Had rose breasted grosbeak a number of years ago. Not common in Seattle.
Got any bird pics?
- Thread starter Wadin' Boot
- Start date
Just going through some old photos, starting to fill out a checklist. This is guy is actually from last year in Bend (March); this Red Shafted Northern Flicker would sit and rata, tat, tat on our chimney; made one heck of a noise, kinda miss him.
Cheers
Cheers
Ahh, the majestic heron. Nary a feather out of place.
With the Presidents’ Day weekend upcoming, my wife and I planned an adventure. We would visit dear friends who had retired out of Seattle onto a small farm in the North Cascade foothills and we would try to find several bird species that are known to hang out in the Samish Flats / Padilla Bay area. Our goal was to have a good look at short-eared owls that had been seen in the area; while this species does hunt at night, they will also forage during the day especially when their dominant prey, voles, are active. After three hours of driving in drizzle and heavy traffic, we arrived at the Samish Flats. And the drizzle, fortunately, let up.
As we walked down the dike that separates wetlands from some fields, we saw a good-sized bird perched on a post about five feet off the ground. Initially, we couldn’t tell if it was a northern harrier (having already seen several in the area) or a short-eared owl. But as we drew closer, it was clearly a short-eared owl!
These owls have a browner-tawnier gestalt than a Northern harrier. Both birds have a “spectacled look”. And at the same time, we saw two other short-eared owls cruising over a nearby field and harassing a northern harrier that was perched at the top of a short tree. Three short-eared owls in just a few minutes! Their flight is similar to that of a Northern harrier’s with slow, irregular wingbeats just over the vegetation propelled by broad wings. They slowly and quietly cruise erratically over shrubs and grasses waiting for an unwary rodent to make a mistake. And then they pounce.
We weren’t the only ones there looking for short-eared owls. As we drove by one right-angled bend in the road we saw a cluster of people of people armed with binocs and cameras with telephoto lens. What had attracted their attention was a short-eared owl perched on a post just off the road. So, we pulled U-turn and parked on the verge of the road. I joined the 15 or so photographers that kept about 30-50 feet from the perched owl.
This bird was totally unphased by the presence of a dozen or more photographers snapping its picture - quite the ham...
So, very success trip.
Steve
As we walked down the dike that separates wetlands from some fields, we saw a good-sized bird perched on a post about five feet off the ground. Initially, we couldn’t tell if it was a northern harrier (having already seen several in the area) or a short-eared owl. But as we drew closer, it was clearly a short-eared owl!
These owls have a browner-tawnier gestalt than a Northern harrier. Both birds have a “spectacled look”. And at the same time, we saw two other short-eared owls cruising over a nearby field and harassing a northern harrier that was perched at the top of a short tree. Three short-eared owls in just a few minutes! Their flight is similar to that of a Northern harrier’s with slow, irregular wingbeats just over the vegetation propelled by broad wings. They slowly and quietly cruise erratically over shrubs and grasses waiting for an unwary rodent to make a mistake. And then they pounce.
We weren’t the only ones there looking for short-eared owls. As we drove by one right-angled bend in the road we saw a cluster of people of people armed with binocs and cameras with telephoto lens. What had attracted their attention was a short-eared owl perched on a post just off the road. So, we pulled U-turn and parked on the verge of the road. I joined the 15 or so photographers that kept about 30-50 feet from the perched owl.
This bird was totally unphased by the presence of a dozen or more photographers snapping its picture - quite the ham...
So, very success trip.
Steve
One of the great urban parks in North America, use to take number 1 son there all the time when he was just a wee pup.
Is the Great Horned from Stanley Park, there were always warnings for joggers, folks with the wrong kind of hat, bouncing pony tails etc, attacks were not uncommon.
cheers
Successful worm hunt like a pointing bird dog followed up by the what are you looking at stare…..
SF
SF
The owl was in an ash swale about a dozen miles south of Salem, Oregon. Stanley Park is an urban treasure.
Bajema
Life of the Party
Just got back from a quick birding trip in Los Cabos, Mexico. Saw so many incredible birds. Here’s a few:
Blue-footed Boobies
Yellow-footed Gull
American Kestrel
Long-billed Curlew
Black-necked Stilts
Juvenile White Ibis
Gila Woodpecker
Snowy Egret
Cactus Wren
Crested Caracara
Blue-footed Boobies
Yellow-footed Gull
American Kestrel
Long-billed Curlew
Black-necked Stilts
Juvenile White Ibis
Gila Woodpecker
Snowy Egret
Cactus Wren
Crested Caracara
Every time I visit a foreign country I buy a bird book.
Thanks for sharing, Bajema!
Thanks for sharing, Bajema!
playing around with shots at the fountain and bath, the birds were keen for a clean today
I replaced my fountain pump this past fall, normally I turn it off when it is really cold, but wanted to see what happened with this snap,not sure how to describe old Shakespeare here, he kinda had an ice scrotum for a while. And yeah, I know, he needs a little mold scrubbing
I replaced my fountain pump this past fall, normally I turn it off when it is really cold, but wanted to see what happened with this snap,not sure how to describe old Shakespeare here, he kinda had an ice scrotum for a while. And yeah, I know, he needs a little mold scrubbing
I love the crow! He's sure giving someone some stuff!
They really like moving water! Great shots.
Thanks, Boot.
Thanks, Boot.
