Bird Photos and their Stories
The Eurasian Wigeon which breeds in Iceland, Europe, and Asia, is a common visitor to America, and is a handsome bird with its rufous head and pinkish breast. It shares some characteristics with its American cousin, the “Baldpate,” such as the cream-colored crown, white shoulder patch, and black at the back end. As stated in Audubon birds, […]
The Forster’s Tern is a beauty, unique among the terns in winter with its black eye patch rather than a cap or crown. It’s also the only tern which lives almost entirely in North America. On a recent visit to Cape May, NJ, we came upon these beautiful birds vying for a spot on the […]
Lincoln’s sparrows are always a treat to see in fall migration in Pennsylvania. Their finely streaked sides and breast, along with their buffy malar stripe and upper breast, an eye ring, and white throat and belly all combine to make for one handsome bird. s This fall I discovered some wonderful habitat for migrating sparrows […]
All About Birds states: Whether poised at a river bend or cruising the coastline with slow, deep wingbeats, the Great Blue Heron is a majestic sight. This stately heron with its subtle blue-gray plumage often stands motionless as it scans for prey or wades belly deep with long, deliberate steps. They may move slowly, but […]
All birds bathe in order to maintain their plumage, but when a Great Egret takes a bath, it makes a big splash! While kayaking this week at Montour Preserve, I noticed a Great Egret at the far end of the lake. Keeping the sun behind me, I paddled up to a respectable distance from the […]
The Olive-sided Flycatcher is a very conspicuous bird when it makes its appearance during migration, choosing the top of a snag, or in this case, a telephone pole wire on which to perch. Except for the Great Crested Flycatcher it’s the largest flycatcher in our region, and is identified by its dark vest, white throat, […]
Great Egrets are huge, elegant birds that frequent wetlands and shores of the river and lakes in summer. They are not often seen in our area of North Central PA, but one was visiting a friend’s wetlands and I was able to put in with the kayak and get close shots of this awesome bird! […]
Great Horned Owls as neighbors While doing some incredible winter birding this past February in our nearby farmlands, our group of birding friends spotted a huge nest in a long row of trees surrounded by hundreds of acres of fields. The locals call these hedge rows, even though they are mature trees separating one farmer’s […]
Ruddy Ducks are one of our smallest ducks, at 15 inches. They are all head, beak, and stiff tail, with a short body in between. They often swim with their tails upraised, and unlike other ducks they are able to slowly sink below the surface of the water. According to allaboutbirds.org, Ruddy Ducks can be […]
Inca Doves, Common Ground-Doves, Banded Pigeons, White-winged Doves, and Mourning Doves were fairly common on our birding trip to Southeast Arizona. With Mourning Dove being the only common Dove in our part of the Eastern US, it was fascinating to see doves of all sizes, shapes, and behaviors in Arizona. Inca Dove Inca Dove, […]