Birds

[Finn]

Here are some shots of birds from the beach camping trip over the weekend with my wife.

I've been trying to identify the species but I've been unable to come up with clear answers.

The first two are gull-type birds. The coloration suggested a type of tern, but the ones I found in my Sibley guide to birds or on enature.com aren't a good fit. The terns either had less black/ or lack of, or a crested head. I'd buy an unusual coloration/shape in an individual but not an entire community of those birds on the beach.

This little duck wandered into camp our last morning on the beach. I suspect it was lost and ill. It is definitely a mallard-type duck. However, it appears darker than mallards not to mention dark bill (mallards have lighter bills). I'm not certain. I'm toying with the idea that it might be a young green teal with some unusual coat shading.

 

[Lumi]

Laughing gulls?

Not sure about the duck. The closest I can find in my book is a female blue-winged teal, but I'm probably wrong.

 

[Finn]

Yeah. Laughing Gull. I missed the one image that matches in my book (a whole bunch for Laughing gull in my book)

 

[smiki]

Many species of birds have a quite different coloration of their feathers when they're young, so that might present a little bit of difficulty when it comes to identifying the duck. Good luck with that one.

On second thought, though, it probably is a female mallard. This one has a dark beak.

 

[Lumi]

I thought the shape of the bill was wrong for a teal. But I'm no bird expert... especially not when it comes to ducks.

 

[smiki]

Well, I'm no expert either. Actually, I'm pretty certain you're a bigger expert than me when it comes to ducks, or even any other bird.

Anyway, what I did notice just know is that the duck actually has a blue patch on it's wing, so you just might be right.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

It's always good to find other people who enjoy birdwatching. Anyone seen anything interesting lately?

My most recent "encounters of interest" include avocet seen from a train during my trip to Wales (my first sighting of 'em), and only my second Kingfisher on the river nearest my home.

 

[Finn]

Yeah. There is a pond in the office park that encircles our apartment complex. There is a Muscovy Duck and a Swan Goose, among the usual Mallards, Snow and Canadian Geese.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Last year I spotted a pair of Muskovy (or Mallard/Muskovy) near my apartment complex.

Seriously large birds. I'm not sure if they were wild, or escapees from a small farm nearby.

At my previous apartment, a blue heron summered in the retention pond & swampy river nearby.

And the usual geese.

 

[Lumi]

I LOVE that we have a thread about birds now.

I haven't done much bird-watching in recent months as I am without a vehicle and can't usually get to the best spots for it. But I happened to be caught in the middle of a flock of Eastern bluebirds as I jogged around the high school track a couple weeks ago. That was lovely, as I haven't seen a single bluebird in my town in about 15 years. They stayed all day, feeding and singing to eachother. Didn't get any good pics, but did get some bad ones.

Also saw this Pie-billed grebe at the marina the other day.

 

[M'Sharak]

Here are some shots of birds from the beach camping trip over the weekend with my wife.

I've been trying to identify the species but I've been unable to come up with clear answers.

The first two are gull-type birds. The coloration suggested a type of tern, but the ones I found in my Sibley guide to birds or on enature.com aren't a good fit. The terns either had less black/ or lack of, or a crested head. I'd buy an unusual coloration/shape in an individual but not an entire community of those birds on the beach.

Laughing gull?

 

[Mark de Vries]

We get plenty of the regular grebes over here. Beautiful and very photogenic birds.

Birdwatching is one of my hobbies as well, and lately I've been trying my hand at photographing them. Here are some shots I took a few weeks ago, of a nuthatch making a fuss about his new territory, or so it seemed.

 

[jespah]

How lovely. I have no pics but we do get wild turkeys here on occasion. They are big suckers, mean and rather oblivious to the world unless you get too close.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

How lovely. I have no pics but we do get wild turkeys here on occasion. They are big suckers, mean and rather oblivious to the world unless you get too close.

Are they meaty?

 

[Davros]

Did somebody say "Birds"?

 

[TrickyDickie]

Speaking of the Muscovy breed, here are some that we had years ago.

We called this one 'Tuxedo Henry':

Here he is attempting to lecture to another male:

Trying to put the make on a female:

Here is another one:

This one popped up in front of the camera at the last moment. They can be quite the camera hogs:

 

[Trekker4747]

Whatever you do, don't steal their eggs! I've experience that says birds hate that shit.

 

[Miss Chicken]

Juvenile Pacific Gull

Adult Pacific Gull

Both photos were taken at Seven Mile Beach, Tasmania about a month ago.

 

[Lumi]

Big gulls! At least they look massive.

Here are some pics taken by my sister and I (we never remember who took what), in the past year and a half or so.

Hand-feeding chickadees at Ojibway.

Rose-breasted grosbeak in the bath. Mother's Day, last year.

House finch and goldfinch.

Orioles stopping for some oranges, last Spring.

The only hummingbird we had last year. Hoping there are more this year!

Cedar waxwing. Maybe common, but one of my favourite birds.

Catbird. Meow!

Towhee.

Red-headed woodpecker. My favourite woody.

Black-throated green warbler, I believe.

Okay, wow. Enough pics for now. I could do this all day...

 

[jespah]

Oops, forgot to answer this - helfino if the wild turkeys are meaty. Closest I've come to hunting them is almost hitting one with my car several years ago. They are huge but truly oblivious, so you can be driving along Rte. 128 (which is Interstate 95 in spots) and they'll just be ambling along as if they had all the time in the world, and ignore your honking (probably thinking you're some odd-looking goose).

I imagine hitting the goose would've totalled my car - and it would've been very possible if the road had been slick. In person, they'll chase you, and they will even chase large dogs (e. g. neighborhood pit bulls). Wacky, stupid avians.