Got any bird pics?

Gyrfalcon22 said:
Not an easy bird to get to for sure. The way this guy handling a Harpy is sweating, he must not be the handler. Or, even worse, he IS the handler !

(I think that is a younger Jim Fowler from Wild Kingdom?)
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I once hired a much older Jim Fowler to do a promotional event in Los Angeles for the Discovery Networks show Animal Planet .
He showed up 2 hours late and reeking of alcohol. He said he could only stay for about an hour because his back hurt and I had to find him a ride home.
 
Gyrfalcon22 said:
I need to get out on one of those pelagic trips. I live so close to Westport. Albatross of any type would be a real thrill. I saw a Frigatebird in Hawaii once as my best saltwater bird. I have my flamingos like @Jim F. -mine were in Italy in the Venetian Lagoon. A good surprise that was.
Both condor species in the wild would be amazing. Add Harpy eagle..or Philippine eagle I might as well as top birds to see.
Is that three? :)
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Come out on one of our tuna trips... We often have amazing oceanic birds (and mammals and fish) coming by.
Steve
 
You guys are getting great shots.

we had an interesting sighting north of Benton City in the Horn Rapids park, a Lewis Woodpecker.

I don't have photos. My wife and I got good views of this bird in some pretty nice binoculars we bought for our anniversary, in honor of the good times we have had birdwatching together, especially during the pandemic.

With regard to the bird in question, we knew it was something we did not recognize.

It definitely had that woodpecker or flicker look, but although northern flickers are common here, this one definitely did not have the white rump patch, nor was the beak shape quite right. It definitely had woodpecker or flicker type tail features, as well as a dark back and lighter chest. It did not have contrasty white and black markings of more popular woodpeckers.

Someone else on the local Facebook group posted excellent photos, identification as Lewis woodpecker, and the location at the Horn Rapids park.

here's more from all about birds.
www.allaboutbirds.org

Lewis's Woodpecker Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The Lewis's Woodpecker might have woodpecker in its name, but it forages like a flycatcher and flies like a crow. It has a color palette all its own, with a pink belly, gray collar, and dark green back unlike any other member of its family. From bare branches and posts, it grabs insects in...
www.allaboutbirds.org

search engine images:
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Jay
 
P.S. yes and it was out flying like a flycatcher, as the description says.

jay
 
In another bit of news, I currently have two photos on exhibit in the Spirit of Flight 2022 juried show at the Museum of Flight (Seattle)
The image 'Crane Formation in Snowstorm" took the first place award.

my images in the show:

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The exhibit images can be seen on the museum web site, and also on my smugmug, jaygrate dot smugmug dot com. https://jaygrate.smugmug.com/

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Jay
 
Very nice - congrats!
 
That Spirit of Flight Competition looks fun, congrats Jay!

Here's a shot of snow goose juvie from this weekend around Green Lake, this fella is a little lost though I've seen about one a year mix it up with the Canada Geese

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Last year in the dead of winter the geese and crows were chasing the one snow goose away, this guy though was getting along just fine with everyone...

Plus over the weekend I think there must have been some long V's of sandhill cranes heading south right over Green Lake, you could hear them too, had the feeling of a benevolent air raid, didn't have time for a pic. Kind of wish there was a place not so far from Seattle to see them rest, though it seems like they just barrel over town and keep going. They were following near exactly the flight path for the Nth approach to Seatac.

At about 15 minutes prior to twilight we typically get a gaggle of Canada geese from up Lake Ballinger or Bitter lake fly in to overnight at Green Lake (they head out about an hour after dawn each morning too). When they come in to land they have to move past a grove of Sequoia, they come in fast, in formation, and once they clear the trees they often flip, in flight, air breaking to slow to land. In general because they are so damn ubiquitous I don't find the Canada Geese terribly interesting but when they air break, it is super cool to watch, spinning on axis, doing a 180, then back to horizon. This guy explains it in more detail, seems like it is a move to drop altitude to give a cleaner path to land:

 
I have always heard that tumbling referred to as "whiffling". Watch a flock of migrating snow geese dropping from several thousand feet via the "whiffling" process is always a highlight of the fall. By "whiffling" it is amazing how quickly they can slip air and loss elevation.

Curt
 
fkajwg said:
P.S. yes and it was out flying like a flycatcher, as the description says.

jay
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I normally expect to see Lewis's in more treed areas--not that the TC doesn't have any trees. But you know, mountains and such. But they're around in the blues and wallowas. Seeing a bird that large act like a flycatcher is a little startling at fist.
 
SilverFly said:
An unidentified woodpecker. Didn't see any red so assuming it's not a Downy (?). The little bastard kept ducking his head into the tree every time snapped a pic.
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The lack of red is probably indicative of a female, not Hairy vs Downy. The lack of any black spots on the outer white tail feathers (and absence of white on the wings) would lean towards Hairy, though the prominence of the white back patch would suggest Downy. Of course it is also arching so that may be exaggerating the white patch. Either way, the easiest clue is the beak size (if you can see it ;)): downy's have a much smaller beak, and hairy's have a much more prominant "railroad spike" of a beak.
 
Kilchis said:
American Wigeon


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Here on the Columbia we get a few Eurasian widgeons mixed in with our tens of thousands of regular widgeons.
Some folks here are very good at picking that up, although I find the American widgeon mix of male and female coloration in vast numbers makes picking out and identifying the Eurasian ones somewhat challenging. When someone shows me, I can get it, or in a picture.

j
 
tkww said:
I normally expect to see Lewis's in more treed areas--not that the TC doesn't have any trees. But you know, mountains and such. But they're around in the blues and wallowas. Seeing a bird that large act like a flycatcher is a little startling at fist.
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we have trees along our waterways, and it was hanging out in a snag here, but it did not stay long.
Jay
 
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