David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
December 31, 2007
Bulletin #24 – 2007 in review
Hello friends,
As 2007 winds down, I look back on the progress I have made in my photography this year. I am still a novice, having taken up this hobby only 2 years ago. However, with the internet resources available, I have learned a lot about nature photography, much faster than I could have ever learned on my own. Also, like any other endeavor – practice makes you better. I have taken thousands of pictures in 2 years and spent lots of time in the field.
I also want to express my thanks to all of you who choose to receive these bulletins. I try to capture the beauty in the natural world. I hope that you get some pleasure from the pictures and I also will try to educate by pointing out the features of the bird that allow for field identification.
There are several people who deserve special thanks.
First, the Alexanders and Amunys, whom I met at LaFitte’s Cove in Galveston, during spring migration. They asked if I would send them some of the bird photos I was taking that day. This was the beginning of the Bulletins idea. It has grown, so that now I have about 40 people across the USA, Canada and Ireland receiving them.
Jay and Bill are 2 other photographers. We met at Anahuac NWR one Saturday in the summer and spent the day shooting together and have swapped photos since. We have only managed to get together once since as we are all too busy with our day jobs. Thanks for your encouragement and critiques.
Special thanks to the superb guides I used this year who found lots of birds for me and were very patient, as I tried to get the right picture. I highly recommend them all.
· Rick Fournier in Monterey California. His email is RimBirding@aol.com
· Paul Bithorn in Miami, Florida. His email is pblifeisgood@hotmail.com
· Roy Rodriguez in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas. His email is rjrodz@aol.com
The person who has helped me the most is Susan Billetdeaux. Susan is the webmaster of the Houston Audubon Society web site. She has critiqued my photos for almost 2 years, since I began submitting them for possible inclusion in the HAS bird gallery. It is an honor to have more than 30 photos in the gallery and to be included in the company of excellent photographers such as Alan Murphy, Wayne Nicholas and Joe Kennedy.
For anyone who might be interested in what equipment I use, web sites for information etc, I have put together a 2 page sheet in MS Word that I would be happy to send along. Please email me if you would like it.
I have now seen 1293 world species of birds with 28 lifers in 2007, the best year since I went outside the USA in 1997. Of these, 11 I found myself and the other 17 were with the guides listed above. I have photos of 350+ species, almost double the number I had at the beginning of 2007.
So for a summary of 2007, I’ll present my 10 favorite bird photos, my best butterfly and dragonfly photos and a non-wildlife photo. Some of these have been in previous bulletins, and some are shown for the first time. But, they all are special to me.
There are 3 reasons a photo might be special for me. The first is that rare time when a photo may transcend the snapshot and become a work of art. As these are all shot in the field and not staged, it doesn’t happen often. Usually I only appreciate it when I see it on the replay in camera or on the computer. Here are 3 that come close to ‘birds as art’ as Arthur Morris describes.
The Wandering Tattler in non-breeding plumage is a handsome gray bird with yellow legs. But what makes the photo special for me, is dark blue Pacific Ocean background.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477898
The Vermilion Flycatcher is the most beautiful flycatcher in the ABA area. I photographed this male in the Rio Grande valley of Texas in October. This is a simple uncluttered photo with only 3 colors.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480376
The third is this Burrowing Owl who spent last winter near Galveston. He became quite tame and approachable as many birders went to see him. I caught him here after an all day rain. He was sitting up in the sun to try and dry out. The background complements his big yellow eyes.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109487303
The second reason a photo is special for me is just a beautiful bird or a rare bird that I discovered and was just excited to find the bird. The next 5 photos are in this category.
This juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper was a life bird for me. I found him poking around the washed up kelp on Carmel River beach in California. What was unusual was that this bird is a rarity in California, but common in Texas. Yet I had never seen it in 17 years in Texas.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477217
Spring brings millions of songbirds through Texas on their way north to their breeding grounds. Many are very colorful – warblers, tanagers, orioles and finches. My favorite photo from this spring was this Indigo Bunting in a mulberry tree. He is as blue on the underside as on top!
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499850
Hummingbirds are a family of birds that I love. This fledgling Allen’s Hummingbird in California was still showing some downy feathers.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109464298
This Buff-bellied Hummingbird is famous, as he is on the Houston Audubon Society web site.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109483001
I was photographing some swallows perched on a low wire in Carmel, when the pair on Tree Swallows mated. This mating lasted only about 10 seconds, but because I was already on target, I captured the moment. I have never seen any other passerines mating before or since.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499851
The third reason a photograph is special is when the bird has allowed me to approach very closely. It is wonderful to gain the trust of a wild animal like this and to be allowed within its comfort zone.
I photographed this Common Loon (aka Great Northern Diver in Europe) 2 weeks ago at the Texas City dike. This large 32” bird was always a childhood favorite of mine growing up in Canada. Its haunting call at night can never be forgotten. Anyway, this bird was close to shore and allowed me to approach to within 20 feet. Thus the eye color and pupil was seen, as well as individual water droplets on his back. Normally, loons are seen at great distances of 40 – 50 yards or more.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499852
This Hermit Thrush was a winter resident of my yard last year. It was the first time I had seen this bird in Texas. He came to the bird bath every morning between 7:30 and 8:00 am. Then he would join the cardinals and doves on the ground under the feeders. I took many photos of him over several months, but this one had him right outside the kitchen window at eye level. I went outside and gradually moved to within 15 feet which is the closest I can use with the 500mm lens. He is also a famous HAS gallery bird.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499853
I started taking photos of butterflies and dragonflies when the birding slowed down during the summer months. This was a whole new challenge to capture these tiny creatures ‘on film’.
This is a Gulf Fritillary on a passion vine flower. Thanks to Chris LaChance for IDing the flower for me.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499855
The best dragonfly photo was the female Four-spotted Pennant. It was the only photo I got that showed all 3 pairs of legs holding onto the perch. It was a very windy day in Galveston when I took the photo.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476121
However, the photograph this year that I liked the best, and received the most comments from observers was my Carmel Cross. It is sunrise at Carmel River beach. When people exclaim ‘You took this?’ or ‘It sends chills up my spine!’, I know that I have created something special. It is also the photograph that I get asked the most for prints.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477909
I wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Monday, December 31, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Bulletin #23 - Texas Hill Country #2
David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
December 17, 2007
Bulletin #23 – Texas Hill Country - part 2
Hello friends,
I was in the Hill Country, west of Austin for a weekend in early November. I visited Pedernales Falls State Park on a Friday morning. They have a very nice bird blind. They put out multiple feeders of all types as well as food on logs etc to attract as wide an assortment of birds as possible. They also have a bird bath and water drip. In addition there was a very nice couple of volunteers who live in the park over the winter and restock the feeders twice a day. The volunteers know all the birds and are happy to help the visitors with ID problems, as well as anecdotes etc.
The sun was directly behind the feeders in the morning when I was there, so it was difficult to get photos except when the birds got into the shadows of trees etc. Otherwise the birds were all backlit. Next time, I would go in the afternoon and hopefully the light would be better.
Here is the Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris).The male has the red crown, horizontal striped back and 2 narrow facial stripes.
http://www.pbase.com/image/10949976
The female is similar but without the red crown.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/10949977
The beautiful Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculates) was very shy. He would dart out from a brush pile to get some seed and then quickly return to the brush and out of sight. However, I eventually got a photo of him. This is the first time I have seen this bird outside California.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499772
Another member of the New World Sparrow family was the Lincoln’s Sparrow (Melanospiza lincolnii). He has a striped chest with caramel colored band across the chest. Here are 2 photos – on the ground and in the bird bath.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499773 click ‘next’ once
The only warbler that day was an Orange-crowned Warbler (Vermivora celata). This drab bird has almost no markings. There is a hint of an eyestripe, but no wing bars. It is gray to olive to a little yellow depending on subspecies. The most distinguishing feature is the slight streaking on the breast. It is another bird named for its field mark that is seldom seen. The volunteers stated that the orange crown is only visible when the bird is wet and the feathers on the head stand up a little. I have seen pictures in magazines that have demonstrated that feature, but I had never seen the orange crown. Fortunately with the bird bath, he eventually went in and played around in the water. In this case, the backlit sunlight actually was helpful, as the orange crown lit up from behind. The first photo shows the streaked breast and the second shows his orange crown.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499775 click ‘next’ once
Other birds seen that morning that I didn’t get good photos due to the lighting were Northern Cardinal, Common Ground Dove, Black-crested Titmouse, House Finch, Western Scrub-Jay and White-crowned Sparrow.
On the way out, I saw this butterfly. It is a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499777
I spent about 2 hours at the blind and it was birdy and most enjoyable. Another time, I would try and go in the afternoon when hopefully the sun would be in a better location. So if any of you are photographers and plan on visiting this site, you might keep that advice in mind.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Friendswood Texas
December 17, 2007
Bulletin #23 – Texas Hill Country - part 2
Hello friends,
I was in the Hill Country, west of Austin for a weekend in early November. I visited Pedernales Falls State Park on a Friday morning. They have a very nice bird blind. They put out multiple feeders of all types as well as food on logs etc to attract as wide an assortment of birds as possible. They also have a bird bath and water drip. In addition there was a very nice couple of volunteers who live in the park over the winter and restock the feeders twice a day. The volunteers know all the birds and are happy to help the visitors with ID problems, as well as anecdotes etc.
The sun was directly behind the feeders in the morning when I was there, so it was difficult to get photos except when the birds got into the shadows of trees etc. Otherwise the birds were all backlit. Next time, I would go in the afternoon and hopefully the light would be better.
Here is the Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris).The male has the red crown, horizontal striped back and 2 narrow facial stripes.
http://www.pbase.com/image/10949976
The female is similar but without the red crown.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/10949977
The beautiful Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculates) was very shy. He would dart out from a brush pile to get some seed and then quickly return to the brush and out of sight. However, I eventually got a photo of him. This is the first time I have seen this bird outside California.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499772
Another member of the New World Sparrow family was the Lincoln’s Sparrow (Melanospiza lincolnii). He has a striped chest with caramel colored band across the chest. Here are 2 photos – on the ground and in the bird bath.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499773 click ‘next’ once
The only warbler that day was an Orange-crowned Warbler (Vermivora celata). This drab bird has almost no markings. There is a hint of an eyestripe, but no wing bars. It is gray to olive to a little yellow depending on subspecies. The most distinguishing feature is the slight streaking on the breast. It is another bird named for its field mark that is seldom seen. The volunteers stated that the orange crown is only visible when the bird is wet and the feathers on the head stand up a little. I have seen pictures in magazines that have demonstrated that feature, but I had never seen the orange crown. Fortunately with the bird bath, he eventually went in and played around in the water. In this case, the backlit sunlight actually was helpful, as the orange crown lit up from behind. The first photo shows the streaked breast and the second shows his orange crown.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499775 click ‘next’ once
Other birds seen that morning that I didn’t get good photos due to the lighting were Northern Cardinal, Common Ground Dove, Black-crested Titmouse, House Finch, Western Scrub-Jay and White-crowned Sparrow.
On the way out, I saw this butterfly. It is a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499777
I spent about 2 hours at the blind and it was birdy and most enjoyable. Another time, I would try and go in the afternoon when hopefully the sun would be in a better location. So if any of you are photographers and plan on visiting this site, you might keep that advice in mind.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Bulletin #22 - Texas Hill Country #1
David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
December 9, 2007
Bulletin #22 – Texas Hill Country - part 1
Hello friends,
I was in the Hill Country, west of Austin for a weekend in early November. I have birded there numerous times in the last 5 years and I never expect to see a new life bird, but this trip I did.
The only wren in the ABA area that I had not seen is the Canyon Wren (Catherpes mexicanus). I found the bird sitting on a low rock wall along a creek that I had birded at least 10 times previously. As these birds are non-migratory, I guess I just missed him all those other trips. The bird is 5.75” long with long bill, white throat and breast, chestnut belly, and spotted back. The sexes are similar coloration. To me, it is the prettiest of the wrens and so distinctive that when I saw him, I knew exactly what he was and started snapping photos.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109499406 click ‘next’ once
There are 9 species of wrens in the ABA area. The same morning I found the Canyon Wren, I saw 3 other wren species along the same 50 yard stretch of the creek. These photos were taken previously.
The next is Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludivicianus). This is the common wren in the southeastern USA. The bright eye stripe and rufous breast and belly are diagnostic.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499408
The Bewick’s Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) is more common in central USA. This photo was also taken in the Texas Hill Country. It also has a bright eye stripe, but gray underside.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109499410
And the 4th wren I saw there was the House Wren (Troglodytes aedon). This bird breeds in northern USA and Canada, but winters in Texas. It is drab brown with some barring on belly.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499411 click ‘next’ once
The day was hot for November (low 80’s). There were a number of birds bathing in pools along the creek. I captured this male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) trying to cool off.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109499413
Driving along the back roads, you always come across some roadkill. And where there are dead animals, there are vultures. A pair of Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) were sitting on power poles and stayed still while I unpacked my camera and set up to get these close-ups.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109499414 click ‘next’ once
Lastly, I saw this beautiful white and orange butterfly along the same creek as the wrens. I took the photo, and after buying a butterfly field guide, I was able to ID it as a Common Mestra (Mestra amymone). This Mexican species extends its range into south Texas.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499416
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Notice – photos with name preceded with an asterisk (*) were updated for this blog and the text was edited accordingly
Friendswood Texas
December 9, 2007
Bulletin #22 – Texas Hill Country - part 1
Hello friends,
I was in the Hill Country, west of Austin for a weekend in early November. I have birded there numerous times in the last 5 years and I never expect to see a new life bird, but this trip I did.
The only wren in the ABA area that I had not seen is the Canyon Wren (Catherpes mexicanus). I found the bird sitting on a low rock wall along a creek that I had birded at least 10 times previously. As these birds are non-migratory, I guess I just missed him all those other trips. The bird is 5.75” long with long bill, white throat and breast, chestnut belly, and spotted back. The sexes are similar coloration. To me, it is the prettiest of the wrens and so distinctive that when I saw him, I knew exactly what he was and started snapping photos.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109499406 click ‘next’ once
There are 9 species of wrens in the ABA area. The same morning I found the Canyon Wren, I saw 3 other wren species along the same 50 yard stretch of the creek. These photos were taken previously.
The next is Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludivicianus). This is the common wren in the southeastern USA. The bright eye stripe and rufous breast and belly are diagnostic.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499408
The Bewick’s Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) is more common in central USA. This photo was also taken in the Texas Hill Country. It also has a bright eye stripe, but gray underside.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109499410
And the 4th wren I saw there was the House Wren (Troglodytes aedon). This bird breeds in northern USA and Canada, but winters in Texas. It is drab brown with some barring on belly.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499411 click ‘next’ once
The day was hot for November (low 80’s). There were a number of birds bathing in pools along the creek. I captured this male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) trying to cool off.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109499413
Driving along the back roads, you always come across some roadkill. And where there are dead animals, there are vultures. A pair of Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) were sitting on power poles and stayed still while I unpacked my camera and set up to get these close-ups.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109499414 click ‘next’ once
Lastly, I saw this beautiful white and orange butterfly along the same creek as the wrens. I took the photo, and after buying a butterfly field guide, I was able to ID it as a Common Mestra (Mestra amymone). This Mexican species extends its range into south Texas.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109499416
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Notice – photos with name preceded with an asterisk (*) were updated for this blog and the text was edited accordingly
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Bulletin #21 - Upper TX coast #3
David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
Nov 22, 2007
Bulletin #21 – Upper Texas Coast – Fall 2007 – part 3
Hello friends,
Happy Thanksgiving!
Fall migration along the upper Texas coast is another exciting time as there are several species of birds that are more numerous than during spring migration. Also, many birds are in non-breeding plumage which can make for difficult identification problems.
I went to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge on a Saturday when they had an open hose for the public and many demonstrations. One of them was a wildlife rehabilitation lady who brought 4 owl species for display.
These 4 owls are year round residents of the Houston area.
The smallest is the Eastern Screech-Owl (Otus aiso). It is 8.5 inches in length and has small ears tufts. There are several color variations – red, brown and gray. The only one I have seen is the gray phase like the one here and in the previous photo from the Rio Grande Valley trip.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109487287
The Barred Owl (Strix varia) is the owl popularly known in the southeast USA as the hoot owl. It is closely related to the endangered Spotted Owl of the northwest USA. It is the only dark owl in our area with dark eyes. It has vertical barring on the breast. It is a big bird at 21 inches in length.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109487292
And here is a face close-up.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109487293
The next owl is the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). This bird lives all through the Americas – from Alaska in the north to Tierra del Fuego at the extreme southern tip of South America. It is another large owl at 22 inches. It has large ear tufts or ‘horns’. According to the handler, their favorite prey is skunks!
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109487295 click ‘next’ once
The above 3 owls are called typical owls. The other family of owls is the barn owls of which there is only one in the USA. It is appropriately called the Barn Owl (Tyto alba). If you see a large beige bird flying at dawn or dusk, it is likely this bird. The face is the heart shaped disk including the mouth of the bird. It is a medium sized owl at 16 inches. It also has no ear tufts.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109487299 click ‘next’ once
There are several other species of owls that occasionally winter along in the Houston area. A Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) spent the winter near Galveston and I was able to get his photo. This is one of my favorite photos ever. It was after a very rainy day and his feathers were soaked. The sun had come out and he was trying to dry out. He looks ‘like a drowned rat’. The very long legs are characteristic of this owl that lives in burrows in the ground. He is a small owl at 9.5 inches in length. This bird became quite tame and was approachable to within 20 feet!
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109487303
Here is another photo of this bird on a dry day. This photo is on the Houston Audubon web site under their bird gallery.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109487305
Texbirds is a web service devoted to birds and birders in Texas. Several photographers post pictures of local birds and I have learned much on difficult bird identification, but also that some birds occur locally that I wasn’t aware of.
One of these is the Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritis). This was another life bird for me this week. But it was only because of posted photos, that I was able to correctly identify the bird as it closely resembles the Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) in the non-breeding plumage. There are 4 Horned Grebes currently along the Texas City dike. So here are the 2 birds for comparison in non-breeding plumage.
The Horned Grebe has all white below the eye, white neck anteriorly, and white tip on the bill. Lastly, the peak of the head is well behind the eye. This photo was taken yesterday.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109487308
The Eared Grebe also occurs on the upper Texas coast, although I have not seen it here. This photo was taken in California. Notice the dark face extends well below and behind the eye and the anterior aspect of the neck is dark. The tip of the bill is dark. The peak of the head is right above the eye.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109487310
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Friendswood Texas
Nov 22, 2007
Bulletin #21 – Upper Texas Coast – Fall 2007 – part 3
Hello friends,
Happy Thanksgiving!
Fall migration along the upper Texas coast is another exciting time as there are several species of birds that are more numerous than during spring migration. Also, many birds are in non-breeding plumage which can make for difficult identification problems.
I went to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge on a Saturday when they had an open hose for the public and many demonstrations. One of them was a wildlife rehabilitation lady who brought 4 owl species for display.
These 4 owls are year round residents of the Houston area.
The smallest is the Eastern Screech-Owl (Otus aiso). It is 8.5 inches in length and has small ears tufts. There are several color variations – red, brown and gray. The only one I have seen is the gray phase like the one here and in the previous photo from the Rio Grande Valley trip.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109487287
The Barred Owl (Strix varia) is the owl popularly known in the southeast USA as the hoot owl. It is closely related to the endangered Spotted Owl of the northwest USA. It is the only dark owl in our area with dark eyes. It has vertical barring on the breast. It is a big bird at 21 inches in length.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109487292
And here is a face close-up.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109487293
The next owl is the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). This bird lives all through the Americas – from Alaska in the north to Tierra del Fuego at the extreme southern tip of South America. It is another large owl at 22 inches. It has large ear tufts or ‘horns’. According to the handler, their favorite prey is skunks!
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109487295 click ‘next’ once
The above 3 owls are called typical owls. The other family of owls is the barn owls of which there is only one in the USA. It is appropriately called the Barn Owl (Tyto alba). If you see a large beige bird flying at dawn or dusk, it is likely this bird. The face is the heart shaped disk including the mouth of the bird. It is a medium sized owl at 16 inches. It also has no ear tufts.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109487299 click ‘next’ once
There are several other species of owls that occasionally winter along in the Houston area. A Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) spent the winter near Galveston and I was able to get his photo. This is one of my favorite photos ever. It was after a very rainy day and his feathers were soaked. The sun had come out and he was trying to dry out. He looks ‘like a drowned rat’. The very long legs are characteristic of this owl that lives in burrows in the ground. He is a small owl at 9.5 inches in length. This bird became quite tame and was approachable to within 20 feet!
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109487303
Here is another photo of this bird on a dry day. This photo is on the Houston Audubon web site under their bird gallery.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109487305
Texbirds is a web service devoted to birds and birders in Texas. Several photographers post pictures of local birds and I have learned much on difficult bird identification, but also that some birds occur locally that I wasn’t aware of.
One of these is the Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritis). This was another life bird for me this week. But it was only because of posted photos, that I was able to correctly identify the bird as it closely resembles the Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) in the non-breeding plumage. There are 4 Horned Grebes currently along the Texas City dike. So here are the 2 birds for comparison in non-breeding plumage.
The Horned Grebe has all white below the eye, white neck anteriorly, and white tip on the bill. Lastly, the peak of the head is well behind the eye. This photo was taken yesterday.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109487308
The Eared Grebe also occurs on the upper Texas coast, although I have not seen it here. This photo was taken in California. Notice the dark face extends well below and behind the eye and the anterior aspect of the neck is dark. The tip of the bill is dark. The peak of the head is right above the eye.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109487310
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Bulletin #20 - Upper TX coast #2
David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
Nov 15, 2007
Bulletin #20 – Upper Texas Coast – Fall 2007 – part 2
Hello friends,
Fall migration along the upper Texas coast is another exciting time as there are several species of birds that are more numerous than during spring migration. Also, many birds are in non-breeding plumage which can make for difficult identification problems.
The first bird is the Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia). Here is the juvenile with a large orange beak with black tip, as well as extensive brownish feathers. The Caspian Tern is the largest USA tern at 21” long.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109486290
The Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) is a distinctive relative of gulls and terns with its lower mandible longer than the upper. I have seen this bird many times, but in Sibley they show a picture of the bird lying flat on the ground with its bill outstretched. I had not seen this posture previously, so I took his picture.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109486293
Fall migration brings a huge number of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) through the upper Texas coast as all the birds in eastern North America migrate around the gulf into Mexico and beyond.
Here are a couple of photos of females this year. The first is the only time I have been able to completely freeze the wings of a hummingbird, so that every feather is visible and clear.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109486296
The next shows the white tips on the tail feathers of the adult female.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109486298
Next is the Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus). I had missed this bird in California where it lives, both in May and September this year. Yet a few of them migrate and winter along the upper Texas coast. Thanks to Chris (one of the subscribers) this beautiful male was visiting some flowers at her workplace only 7 miles from my house. I went over and got photos of this bird. Go figure – I travel 1500 miles to see it and miss it twice and later it shows up 7 miles away from home. This bird is only 3.75” long.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109486301 click ‘next’ once
I found this American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliates) sitting quietly on a rock just offshore at the Texas City dike. As the tide was out, I was able to get within 25 feet of the bird and he didn’t move. Here is a close up of this bird.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109486305
However, the reason he didn’t move was because his right foot was tangled in fishing line and he was only standing on his left foot. I never did see him put his right foot down. The fishing line is clearly visible against a grackle, behind the oystercatcher. Many birds are maimed or killed by careless fishermen who discard pieces of monofilament line into the water. I hope this beautiful bird survives.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109486307
Adjacent to the oystercatcher was this juvenile Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus). It is a semipalmated by the dark back. The juvenile is distinguished by the scaly appearance of the head and back as the feathers are all edged with cream. Semipalmated means partially webbed feet. The partial webbing between the toes is easily seen on the right foot.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109486308
Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) pass through here in the fall. The juvenile has a yellowish beak as opposed to the adult with a black beak.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109486310
And here is a group of 2 juveniles and 1 adult aloft. Notice the necks outstretched and the black on the wings.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109486311
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Friendswood Texas
Nov 15, 2007
Bulletin #20 – Upper Texas Coast – Fall 2007 – part 2
Hello friends,
Fall migration along the upper Texas coast is another exciting time as there are several species of birds that are more numerous than during spring migration. Also, many birds are in non-breeding plumage which can make for difficult identification problems.
The first bird is the Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia). Here is the juvenile with a large orange beak with black tip, as well as extensive brownish feathers. The Caspian Tern is the largest USA tern at 21” long.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109486290
The Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) is a distinctive relative of gulls and terns with its lower mandible longer than the upper. I have seen this bird many times, but in Sibley they show a picture of the bird lying flat on the ground with its bill outstretched. I had not seen this posture previously, so I took his picture.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109486293
Fall migration brings a huge number of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) through the upper Texas coast as all the birds in eastern North America migrate around the gulf into Mexico and beyond.
Here are a couple of photos of females this year. The first is the only time I have been able to completely freeze the wings of a hummingbird, so that every feather is visible and clear.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109486296
The next shows the white tips on the tail feathers of the adult female.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109486298
Next is the Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus). I had missed this bird in California where it lives, both in May and September this year. Yet a few of them migrate and winter along the upper Texas coast. Thanks to Chris (one of the subscribers) this beautiful male was visiting some flowers at her workplace only 7 miles from my house. I went over and got photos of this bird. Go figure – I travel 1500 miles to see it and miss it twice and later it shows up 7 miles away from home. This bird is only 3.75” long.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109486301 click ‘next’ once
I found this American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliates) sitting quietly on a rock just offshore at the Texas City dike. As the tide was out, I was able to get within 25 feet of the bird and he didn’t move. Here is a close up of this bird.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109486305
However, the reason he didn’t move was because his right foot was tangled in fishing line and he was only standing on his left foot. I never did see him put his right foot down. The fishing line is clearly visible against a grackle, behind the oystercatcher. Many birds are maimed or killed by careless fishermen who discard pieces of monofilament line into the water. I hope this beautiful bird survives.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109486307
Adjacent to the oystercatcher was this juvenile Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus). It is a semipalmated by the dark back. The juvenile is distinguished by the scaly appearance of the head and back as the feathers are all edged with cream. Semipalmated means partially webbed feet. The partial webbing between the toes is easily seen on the right foot.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109486308
Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) pass through here in the fall. The juvenile has a yellowish beak as opposed to the adult with a black beak.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109486310
And here is a group of 2 juveniles and 1 adult aloft. Notice the necks outstretched and the black on the wings.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109486311
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Bulletin #19 - Upper TX coast #1
David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
Nov 8, 2007
Bulletin #19 – Upper Texas Coast – Fall 2007 – part 1
Hello friends,
Fall migration along the upper Texas coast is another exciting time as there are several species of birds that are more numerous than during spring migration. Also, many birds are in non-breeding plumage which can make for difficult identification problems.
I obtained a number of new species photos along with several improved photos of other species. The most memorable however, was Nov 4th when I got a life bird. It has been a long time since I had a lifer in my home territory and this one was only 15 miles from the house!
So, I’ll start with the lifer. Franklin’s Gull (Larus pipixican) is a smallish black-headed gull that breeds in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba as well as the extreme northern plains states. It winters in Central America. I had heard of occasional sightings along the upper Texas coast. I assumed that it would be indistinguishable from the common Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla). However, this year on Texbirds, a photographer posted many pictures of Franklin’s Gull from Galveston, Texas City etc and showed the differences from the Laughing Gull. The first chance I had to look for them was 3 days ago and bingo – success, even though they hadn’t been reported for 2 weeks.
The main differences are smaller size 14.5” vs 16.5” for the Laughing Gull. Because it is smaller, the legs are thinner and the bird sits closer to the ground. Of course relative size is tough if there is only one bird type present. The main feature is the more prominent black hood on the Franklin’s Gull that extends below the level of the eye onto the neck.
So here is a 1st winter Franklin’s Gull with still a considerable black hood in November. It also has white wing tips.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109485243
By contrast, here is the 1st winter Laughing Gull. Notice there is no white on the wing tips at all. There is also a lot of grey on the breast
.http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109485245
The adult Franklin’s Gull has more residual black hood and larger white spots on the wing tips than the laughing Gull.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109485247
So OK how did I know this was a Franklin’s Gull? Here is the whole photo with both birds side by side. Notice how much smaller the Franklin’s on the left is and how thin are its legs! Also, notice how much further down the neck, the hood extends.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109485248
After I took the gull photos I drove along the shore and found a cooperative Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe). Notice there is no eye-ring and no wing bars.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109485250
The next bird is a Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus). Notice the hooked beak. This common bird is often confused with Northern Mockingbirds as their coloration is similar.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109485252
The Nashville Warbler (Vermivora ruficapilla) is seen more commonly during the fall migration. The male has a gray hood but with a yellow throat, and eye-ring.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109485253
The Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) is a common winter resident of the Texas coast. This bird at Anahuac NWR allowed me to approach him to within 15’, the closest that my camera and 500mm lens can focus. The field marks are pink bill, streaked breast and bit of yellow above the eye.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109485255
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Notice – photos with name preceded with an asterisk (*) were updated for this blog and the text was edited accordingly
Friendswood Texas
Nov 8, 2007
Bulletin #19 – Upper Texas Coast – Fall 2007 – part 1
Hello friends,
Fall migration along the upper Texas coast is another exciting time as there are several species of birds that are more numerous than during spring migration. Also, many birds are in non-breeding plumage which can make for difficult identification problems.
I obtained a number of new species photos along with several improved photos of other species. The most memorable however, was Nov 4th when I got a life bird. It has been a long time since I had a lifer in my home territory and this one was only 15 miles from the house!
So, I’ll start with the lifer. Franklin’s Gull (Larus pipixican) is a smallish black-headed gull that breeds in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba as well as the extreme northern plains states. It winters in Central America. I had heard of occasional sightings along the upper Texas coast. I assumed that it would be indistinguishable from the common Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla). However, this year on Texbirds, a photographer posted many pictures of Franklin’s Gull from Galveston, Texas City etc and showed the differences from the Laughing Gull. The first chance I had to look for them was 3 days ago and bingo – success, even though they hadn’t been reported for 2 weeks.
The main differences are smaller size 14.5” vs 16.5” for the Laughing Gull. Because it is smaller, the legs are thinner and the bird sits closer to the ground. Of course relative size is tough if there is only one bird type present. The main feature is the more prominent black hood on the Franklin’s Gull that extends below the level of the eye onto the neck.
So here is a 1st winter Franklin’s Gull with still a considerable black hood in November. It also has white wing tips.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109485243
By contrast, here is the 1st winter Laughing Gull. Notice there is no white on the wing tips at all. There is also a lot of grey on the breast
.http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109485245
The adult Franklin’s Gull has more residual black hood and larger white spots on the wing tips than the laughing Gull.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109485247
So OK how did I know this was a Franklin’s Gull? Here is the whole photo with both birds side by side. Notice how much smaller the Franklin’s on the left is and how thin are its legs! Also, notice how much further down the neck, the hood extends.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109485248
After I took the gull photos I drove along the shore and found a cooperative Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe). Notice there is no eye-ring and no wing bars.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109485250
The next bird is a Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus). Notice the hooked beak. This common bird is often confused with Northern Mockingbirds as their coloration is similar.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109485252
The Nashville Warbler (Vermivora ruficapilla) is seen more commonly during the fall migration. The male has a gray hood but with a yellow throat, and eye-ring.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109485253
The Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) is a common winter resident of the Texas coast. This bird at Anahuac NWR allowed me to approach him to within 15’, the closest that my camera and 500mm lens can focus. The field marks are pink bill, streaked breast and bit of yellow above the eye.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109485255
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Notice – photos with name preceded with an asterisk (*) were updated for this blog and the text was edited accordingly
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Bulletin #18 - RGV TX #3
David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
Nov 1, 2007
Bulletin #18 – Rio Grande Valley Oct 5-7, 2007 – part 3
Hello friends,
I had a quick weekend trip to the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas the first weekend in October. This is a unique location in the ABA birding area as it contains several Mexican species that just cross over the border into the USA.
I hired a guide to show me around and locate the birds for me to photograph. My guide was Roy Rodriguez, who was extremely knowledgeable for all the wildlife and plants. Roy can be reached on his cell phone at 956-221-1340.
There are 2 parrot species to be found in the RGV. The first of these is the Red-crowned Parrot which I had already photographed in Miami, so I omitted that bird as a target for this RGV trip.
The other is the Green Parakeet (Aratinga holochlora). This species lives in Northeast Mexico, but in the last dozen years has moved into south Texas in large numbers. They are easily found in large communal roosts along power lines in several of the cities. These photos were taken about 6 pm in McAllen along a main street. Certainly the easiest parrots to see, as usually you are looking for a green bird in a green tree. This was a lifer for me as well.
The first is a pair on a palm frond. They look like a pair of love birds.
The second photo shows them squabbling for a spot on the wire. They have yellow under their wings, and a few orange spots on neck and wing.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109483984 click ‘next’ once
There are several orioles in the RGV. The only one we found was the Altamira Oriole (Icterus gularis). At 10” in length, this is the largest oriole in the ABA area. It was another lifer for me. The adults are similar plumage. This bird has an orange streak on the upper wing and white wing bars below.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109483997 click ‘next’ once
This bird builds a typical oriole long hanging nest. Here is a photo of the Altamira Oriole nest.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109484003
We spent Saturday evening and early Sunday morning looking for owls. This is my first successful night photo of an owl. Here is an Eastern Screech-Owl (Otus asio).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109484006
The next bird is the Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus). This is the largest wren in the ABA area (8.5”). The first photos are an adult. Notice the spots on the breast coalesce into almost a large black spot on the chest and throat. Here are 2 photos of the same bird. The curved bill, white eye stripe and brown coloration are typical of all wrens.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109484010 click ‘next’ once
Next we have a juvenile. The spots are quite distinct and not as dark as the adult.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109484016 click ‘next’ once
The last bird is the Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons). This bird has a black & white striped back with yellow on the face. The male also has a red patch on crown of head. Here is the male. The yellow patch above the bill is just visible.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109484022
The female has no red but notice she also has a yellow belly! Compare with the upper Texas coast Red-bellied Woodpecker.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109484025
The last photo is of a Javelina or Collared Peccary (Tayassu tajacu). This mammal is a close relative of the pig family and is a common native of the southwestern region of the USA. Notice the white collar and a tusk is just showing.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109484027
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Friendswood Texas
Nov 1, 2007
Bulletin #18 – Rio Grande Valley Oct 5-7, 2007 – part 3
Hello friends,
I had a quick weekend trip to the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas the first weekend in October. This is a unique location in the ABA birding area as it contains several Mexican species that just cross over the border into the USA.
I hired a guide to show me around and locate the birds for me to photograph. My guide was Roy Rodriguez, who was extremely knowledgeable for all the wildlife and plants. Roy can be reached on his cell phone at 956-221-1340.
There are 2 parrot species to be found in the RGV. The first of these is the Red-crowned Parrot which I had already photographed in Miami, so I omitted that bird as a target for this RGV trip.
The other is the Green Parakeet (Aratinga holochlora). This species lives in Northeast Mexico, but in the last dozen years has moved into south Texas in large numbers. They are easily found in large communal roosts along power lines in several of the cities. These photos were taken about 6 pm in McAllen along a main street. Certainly the easiest parrots to see, as usually you are looking for a green bird in a green tree. This was a lifer for me as well.
The first is a pair on a palm frond. They look like a pair of love birds.
The second photo shows them squabbling for a spot on the wire. They have yellow under their wings, and a few orange spots on neck and wing.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109483984 click ‘next’ once
There are several orioles in the RGV. The only one we found was the Altamira Oriole (Icterus gularis). At 10” in length, this is the largest oriole in the ABA area. It was another lifer for me. The adults are similar plumage. This bird has an orange streak on the upper wing and white wing bars below.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109483997 click ‘next’ once
This bird builds a typical oriole long hanging nest. Here is a photo of the Altamira Oriole nest.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109484003
We spent Saturday evening and early Sunday morning looking for owls. This is my first successful night photo of an owl. Here is an Eastern Screech-Owl (Otus asio).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109484006
The next bird is the Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus). This is the largest wren in the ABA area (8.5”). The first photos are an adult. Notice the spots on the breast coalesce into almost a large black spot on the chest and throat. Here are 2 photos of the same bird. The curved bill, white eye stripe and brown coloration are typical of all wrens.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109484010 click ‘next’ once
Next we have a juvenile. The spots are quite distinct and not as dark as the adult.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109484016 click ‘next’ once
The last bird is the Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons). This bird has a black & white striped back with yellow on the face. The male also has a red patch on crown of head. Here is the male. The yellow patch above the bill is just visible.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109484022
The female has no red but notice she also has a yellow belly! Compare with the upper Texas coast Red-bellied Woodpecker.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109484025
The last photo is of a Javelina or Collared Peccary (Tayassu tajacu). This mammal is a close relative of the pig family and is a common native of the southwestern region of the USA. Notice the white collar and a tusk is just showing.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109484027
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Bulletin #17 - RGV TX #2
David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
Oct 25-2007
Bulletin #17 – Rio Grande Valley Oct 5-7, 2007 – part 2
Hello friends,
I had a quick weekend trip to the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas the first weekend in October. This is a unique location in the ABA birding area as it contains several Mexican species that just cross over the border into the USA.
I hired a guide to show me around and locate the birds for me to photograph. My guide was Roy Rodriguez, who was extremely knowledgeable for all the wildlife and plants. Roy can be reached on his cell phone at 956-221-1340.
The New World Sparrows are well represented in South Texas. The Olive Sparrow(Arremonops rufivirgatus) only occurs there in the ABA area. This bird has a distinctive olive green back with a clear breast.
Here is the front view and a bit of the olive color can be seen on left side.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109482985
Here is the same bird from the side, and he obviously is in the process of molting as he has no tail feathers at all.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109482989
The next sparrow is also a south Texas specialty. The Cassin’s Sparrow (Aimophila cassinii) is a drab LBJ (little brown job). However, he was positively IDed by my capable guide. This bird was a lifer for me.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109482991 click ‘next’ once
The third sparrow I was able to photo was the Black-throated Sparrow (Amphispiza bilineata). This male is very distinctive and readily identified with the black throat patch and black & white facial markings. This bird was also a lifer for me.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109482996 click ‘next’ once
There is a beautiful local hummingbird in the valley. It occasionally strays north in the fall and I actually had one of these beauties in my back yard all winter long about 12 years ago. This is the Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia yucatanensis). The male pictured here has a bicolored bill with red base and black tip. The iridescent green throat is stunning. The tail is a rufour red color and the belly is buffy. Here are a couple of photos of this bird. The second shows the bill color nicely.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109483001 click ‘next’ once
There are several members of the corvidae (crows and jays) family that are unique to the RGV. The only one we found was the Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas). This beautiful bird is pictured on many calendars, tourist guides etc.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109483005
Here is one after a bath.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109483006
The only raptor I was able to photograph is another RGV specialty. This Gray Hawk (Asturina nitida) is a juvenile with the spotted breast.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109483009
Another RGV specialty is the Plain Chacalaca (Ortalis vetula). This 22” bird is the only ABA area member of the cracidae family which includes guans, curassows and chacalacas. Here are 2 photos. The second one has a male displaying with tail spread out similar to members of the grouse family.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109483011 click ‘next’ once
The last bird for this bulletin is the White-tipped Dove (Leptotila verreaux). This 11.5” dove is the same size as a White-winged Dove. It is rather drab, but has some iridescent markings on neck and white tips to the tail feathers.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109483016
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Friendswood Texas
Oct 25-2007
Bulletin #17 – Rio Grande Valley Oct 5-7, 2007 – part 2
Hello friends,
I had a quick weekend trip to the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas the first weekend in October. This is a unique location in the ABA birding area as it contains several Mexican species that just cross over the border into the USA.
I hired a guide to show me around and locate the birds for me to photograph. My guide was Roy Rodriguez, who was extremely knowledgeable for all the wildlife and plants. Roy can be reached on his cell phone at 956-221-1340.
The New World Sparrows are well represented in South Texas. The Olive Sparrow(Arremonops rufivirgatus) only occurs there in the ABA area. This bird has a distinctive olive green back with a clear breast.
Here is the front view and a bit of the olive color can be seen on left side.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109482985
Here is the same bird from the side, and he obviously is in the process of molting as he has no tail feathers at all.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109482989
The next sparrow is also a south Texas specialty. The Cassin’s Sparrow (Aimophila cassinii) is a drab LBJ (little brown job). However, he was positively IDed by my capable guide. This bird was a lifer for me.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109482991 click ‘next’ once
The third sparrow I was able to photo was the Black-throated Sparrow (Amphispiza bilineata). This male is very distinctive and readily identified with the black throat patch and black & white facial markings. This bird was also a lifer for me.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109482996 click ‘next’ once
There is a beautiful local hummingbird in the valley. It occasionally strays north in the fall and I actually had one of these beauties in my back yard all winter long about 12 years ago. This is the Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia yucatanensis). The male pictured here has a bicolored bill with red base and black tip. The iridescent green throat is stunning. The tail is a rufour red color and the belly is buffy. Here are a couple of photos of this bird. The second shows the bill color nicely.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109483001 click ‘next’ once
There are several members of the corvidae (crows and jays) family that are unique to the RGV. The only one we found was the Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas). This beautiful bird is pictured on many calendars, tourist guides etc.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109483005
Here is one after a bath.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109483006
The only raptor I was able to photograph is another RGV specialty. This Gray Hawk (Asturina nitida) is a juvenile with the spotted breast.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109483009
Another RGV specialty is the Plain Chacalaca (Ortalis vetula). This 22” bird is the only ABA area member of the cracidae family which includes guans, curassows and chacalacas. Here are 2 photos. The second one has a male displaying with tail spread out similar to members of the grouse family.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109483011 click ‘next’ once
The last bird for this bulletin is the White-tipped Dove (Leptotila verreaux). This 11.5” dove is the same size as a White-winged Dove. It is rather drab, but has some iridescent markings on neck and white tips to the tail feathers.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109483016
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Monday, October 15, 2007
Bulletin #16 - RGV TX #1
David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
Oct 15, 2007
Bulletin #16 – Rio Grande Valley Oct 5-7, 2007 – part 1
Hello friends,
I had a quick weekend trip to the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas the first weekend in October. This is a unique location in the ABA birding area as it contains several Mexican species that just cross over the border into the USA.
I had birded there only once before in the early 1990’s, but had not been back since I started doing photography. I had to postpone the trip once already due to excessive rain in the summer that made some of the target areas inaccessible.
I hired a guide to show me around and locate the birds for me to photograph. My guide was Roy Rodriguez, who was extremely knowledgeable for all the wildlife and plants. He gives back much to the Hispanic community with outreach programs in the schools etc. Birding is mostly confines to the white community. However, I feel that it is important for the future to encourage minorities to learn about nature and the benefit animals & birds can have to the economic health of their community as well as the positive psychological effects on the person. Roy is doing yeoman work in this regard in the ‘valley’. He is even teaching the blind to bird by ear and having birding contests among various groups. Roy can be reached on his cell phone at 956-221-1340.
The first group of birds belong to the Mimidae family – mockingbirds and thrashers.
The Long-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma longirostre) has black streaking on the breast. He also has white wing bars similar to the more common Brown Thrasher. This was a lifer for me. Here are 3 photos.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109480366 click ‘next’ twice
The Curve-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre) just has some faint spots on his breast and no wing bars. Here are 2 views of this bird.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480371 click ‘next’ once
Lastly, a Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) was sitting on top of a bush about 6 feet from the Curve-billed Thrasher in the first picture above, so I had to take a photo of this wonderful bird as well.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480374
The next group belong to the Tyrannidae – the tyrant flycatchers. This huge Neotropical family has many plain dull colored birds, but there are also some beautiful members.
The Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) is the most beautiful flycatcher in the USA. This male allowed me to approach within 30 feet as he sat on top of a cactus about 10 feet off the ground.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480376
A typical dull colored flycatcher is the Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet (Camptostoma imberbe) This tiny bird (4.5 inches) is shorter than his name written out. He has buffy wingbars and a bushy crest, but is best identified by voice. He occurs only in extreme south Texas and southeastern Arizona in the USA.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480378
The Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) is a large (10”) vociferous flycatcher. He calls out his name constantly.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480380
The last flycatcher is Couch’s Kingbird (Tyrannus couchii). This bird is identical with Tropical Kingbird and can only be separated by voice. The first photo shows the olive back along with gray face with black strip through the eye.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480383
The next photo shows the bright yellow breast and dark tail without any white. This field mark separates this bird from the similar Western Kingbird.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480385
Lastly, the tail is notched as shown in this photo.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480386
The next bird is a member of the thrush family. The Clay-colored Thrush (Turdus grayi) is another Mexican species that just makes it across the border into south Texas. It isn’t particularly colorful, but its shape sure resembles the American Robin.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480388
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Notice – photos with name preceded with an asterisk (*) were updated for this blog and the text was edited accordingly
Friendswood Texas
Oct 15, 2007
Bulletin #16 – Rio Grande Valley Oct 5-7, 2007 – part 1
Hello friends,
I had a quick weekend trip to the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas the first weekend in October. This is a unique location in the ABA birding area as it contains several Mexican species that just cross over the border into the USA.
I had birded there only once before in the early 1990’s, but had not been back since I started doing photography. I had to postpone the trip once already due to excessive rain in the summer that made some of the target areas inaccessible.
I hired a guide to show me around and locate the birds for me to photograph. My guide was Roy Rodriguez, who was extremely knowledgeable for all the wildlife and plants. He gives back much to the Hispanic community with outreach programs in the schools etc. Birding is mostly confines to the white community. However, I feel that it is important for the future to encourage minorities to learn about nature and the benefit animals & birds can have to the economic health of their community as well as the positive psychological effects on the person. Roy is doing yeoman work in this regard in the ‘valley’. He is even teaching the blind to bird by ear and having birding contests among various groups. Roy can be reached on his cell phone at 956-221-1340.
The first group of birds belong to the Mimidae family – mockingbirds and thrashers.
The Long-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma longirostre) has black streaking on the breast. He also has white wing bars similar to the more common Brown Thrasher. This was a lifer for me. Here are 3 photos.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109480366 click ‘next’ twice
The Curve-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre) just has some faint spots on his breast and no wing bars. Here are 2 views of this bird.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480371 click ‘next’ once
Lastly, a Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) was sitting on top of a bush about 6 feet from the Curve-billed Thrasher in the first picture above, so I had to take a photo of this wonderful bird as well.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480374
The next group belong to the Tyrannidae – the tyrant flycatchers. This huge Neotropical family has many plain dull colored birds, but there are also some beautiful members.
The Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) is the most beautiful flycatcher in the USA. This male allowed me to approach within 30 feet as he sat on top of a cactus about 10 feet off the ground.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480376
A typical dull colored flycatcher is the Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet (Camptostoma imberbe) This tiny bird (4.5 inches) is shorter than his name written out. He has buffy wingbars and a bushy crest, but is best identified by voice. He occurs only in extreme south Texas and southeastern Arizona in the USA.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480378
The Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) is a large (10”) vociferous flycatcher. He calls out his name constantly.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480380
The last flycatcher is Couch’s Kingbird (Tyrannus couchii). This bird is identical with Tropical Kingbird and can only be separated by voice. The first photo shows the olive back along with gray face with black strip through the eye.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480383
The next photo shows the bright yellow breast and dark tail without any white. This field mark separates this bird from the similar Western Kingbird.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480385
Lastly, the tail is notched as shown in this photo.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480386
The next bird is a member of the thrush family. The Clay-colored Thrush (Turdus grayi) is another Mexican species that just makes it across the border into south Texas. It isn’t particularly colorful, but its shape sure resembles the American Robin.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109480388
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Notice – photos with name preceded with an asterisk (*) were updated for this blog and the text was edited accordingly
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Bulletin #15 - Monterey CA #3
David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
Oct 10, 2007
Bulletin #15 – Monterey CA birds September 2007 – part 3
Hello friends,
I was back in California on vacation over the week of Labor Day.
There is a bird banding facility in Big Sur at Andrew Molera State Park. Thanks to Jay for telling me of this place. I went there 2 mornings and was able to get close-up photos of several small passerines. Thanks a million to Josh Scullen and his staff for allowing me to photograph the birds as they were banding them.
The first is the Wilson’s Warbler (Wilsonia pusilla). The yellow bird with black cap is diagnostic.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109479697
The next is the Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis). I had tried to get photos in May of this small empid, but he wouldn’t sit still long enough. This bird is actually a juvenile as the wing bars are buffy. In the adult they are white.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479698
The next is the Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata). This is a very secretive bird who keeps to the underbrush. I have seen it many times, and heard it hundreds of times, but getting a photo in the wild is tough. He actually belongs to the family of Old World Warblers. Notice the white iris. The second photo is a close up of the face.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479699 click ‘next’ once
The next bird is a Hutton’s Vireo (Vireo huttoni).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479703
The close up shows the broken eye-ring with a dark area above eye. The lores are also white. The hooked beak, characteristic of vireos, is easily discernible.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479704
Lastly, the Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) is a tiny bird that I photoed in May, but here is a close up. He appears somewhat similar to the Wrentit in hand, but the iris is buffy. In the wild, small flocks of Bushtits move through the canopy and are easy to see.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479706
The last bird was a bonus for me. I had seen the American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) a couple of times in Colorado. I knew that it was listed as living along the Big Sur River, but I had never found it on earlier trips. Well it turned out that the banding station was beside the river and the Dipper is a regular. I waited beside the river and in about 15 minutes I found the bird and got some photos.
For those unfamiliar with Dippers, these cute little birds are the only aquatic passerines. They can swim and also dive under the water to catch insect larvae. The adults are uniformly gray with gray beak. The juvenile shown here has a yellow beak and light gray throat. The second photo shows the thick white eyelids.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479707 click ‘next’ once
Another favorite area for viewing wildlife is the Point Lobos State Preserve. This park is on the coast about 2 miles south of Carmel. Mule Deer, Sea Otters, California Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, and Douglas Ground Squirrels are readily found in the park. The birds include sea birds gulls etc as well as a variety of land birds. One of the interesting habitats is the kelp beds just offshore. Kelp is a giant seaweed that reaches to the waters surface. Many birds pluck food off the leaves, but the most interesting thing to me is to see wading birds walking on the kelp or driftwood in the kelp beds.
The first is a Snowy Egret on some kelp behind a pair of Harbor Seals.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479709
The next is a Great Egret on some driftwood.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479711
And lastly, a Great Blue Heron on another driftwood log.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479712
One last unique phenomenon in Point Lobos is the orange growths on branches and rocks right by the shore. It is actually a green algae species that makes carotene (the dye in carrots) giving the orange appearance. This is a very arid area, but the fog is so dense that the algae can survive. It doesn’t harm the trees at all.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479713
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Friendswood Texas
Oct 10, 2007
Bulletin #15 – Monterey CA birds September 2007 – part 3
Hello friends,
I was back in California on vacation over the week of Labor Day.
There is a bird banding facility in Big Sur at Andrew Molera State Park. Thanks to Jay for telling me of this place. I went there 2 mornings and was able to get close-up photos of several small passerines. Thanks a million to Josh Scullen and his staff for allowing me to photograph the birds as they were banding them.
The first is the Wilson’s Warbler (Wilsonia pusilla). The yellow bird with black cap is diagnostic.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109479697
The next is the Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis). I had tried to get photos in May of this small empid, but he wouldn’t sit still long enough. This bird is actually a juvenile as the wing bars are buffy. In the adult they are white.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479698
The next is the Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata). This is a very secretive bird who keeps to the underbrush. I have seen it many times, and heard it hundreds of times, but getting a photo in the wild is tough. He actually belongs to the family of Old World Warblers. Notice the white iris. The second photo is a close up of the face.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479699 click ‘next’ once
The next bird is a Hutton’s Vireo (Vireo huttoni).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479703
The close up shows the broken eye-ring with a dark area above eye. The lores are also white. The hooked beak, characteristic of vireos, is easily discernible.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479704
Lastly, the Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) is a tiny bird that I photoed in May, but here is a close up. He appears somewhat similar to the Wrentit in hand, but the iris is buffy. In the wild, small flocks of Bushtits move through the canopy and are easy to see.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479706
The last bird was a bonus for me. I had seen the American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) a couple of times in Colorado. I knew that it was listed as living along the Big Sur River, but I had never found it on earlier trips. Well it turned out that the banding station was beside the river and the Dipper is a regular. I waited beside the river and in about 15 minutes I found the bird and got some photos.
For those unfamiliar with Dippers, these cute little birds are the only aquatic passerines. They can swim and also dive under the water to catch insect larvae. The adults are uniformly gray with gray beak. The juvenile shown here has a yellow beak and light gray throat. The second photo shows the thick white eyelids.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479707 click ‘next’ once
Another favorite area for viewing wildlife is the Point Lobos State Preserve. This park is on the coast about 2 miles south of Carmel. Mule Deer, Sea Otters, California Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, and Douglas Ground Squirrels are readily found in the park. The birds include sea birds gulls etc as well as a variety of land birds. One of the interesting habitats is the kelp beds just offshore. Kelp is a giant seaweed that reaches to the waters surface. Many birds pluck food off the leaves, but the most interesting thing to me is to see wading birds walking on the kelp or driftwood in the kelp beds.
The first is a Snowy Egret on some kelp behind a pair of Harbor Seals.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479709
The next is a Great Egret on some driftwood.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479711
And lastly, a Great Blue Heron on another driftwood log.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479712
One last unique phenomenon in Point Lobos is the orange growths on branches and rocks right by the shore. It is actually a green algae species that makes carotene (the dye in carrots) giving the orange appearance. This is a very arid area, but the fog is so dense that the algae can survive. It doesn’t harm the trees at all.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109479713
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Bulletin #14 - Monterey CA #2
David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
Oct 3-2007
Bulletin #14 – Monterey CA birds September 2007 – part 2
Hello friends,
I was back in California on vacation over the week of Labor Day.
This bulletin will be devoted to shorebirds and other non-passerines.
The first bird is the Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani). I have taken hundreds of photos of oystercatchers, but this one, taken last month, is the best ever. The light was right etc.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109477894
Here is the Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) in non-breeding plumage.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477895
Here is the juvenile plumage Semi-palmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477897
The Wandering Tattler (Tringa incana) is a sandpiper that breeds in Alaska along streams and winters along the Pacific coast. It inhabits rocky areas rather than beaches. Here it is in the non-breeding plumage. The yellow legs, overall plain gray coloration and white eye-ring are the field marks.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477898
The Black Turnstone is another Alaska breeder, but along the coast. It also winters along the Pacific coast. Here is the non-breeding plumage.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477899
In an earlier bulleting, I had photos of breeding plumage Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus). Here is the juvenile plumage. The streaking on the back indicate a juvenile.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477900
Sometimes the light is just right to give a striking photo. I caught this Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) at dawn, just as he reached the crest of the beach and came into the sunlight.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477901
The Carmel River mouth has a nice fresh water lagoon and marsh and is a nature preserve. Because marshy areas are infrequent along the California coast, it is a good location for rails as well as other marsh loving wildlife.
Here is a Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola). This is the adult plumage. The long red bill is diagnostic.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477902
Here is the juvenile plumage Sora (Porzana carolina). Notice there is no black on the throat. The short yellow bill is the field mark for this rail.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477903
I attended a NANPA (North American Nature Photographer Association) seminar in Houston in August 2006. It helped me tremendously to take my photos to a higher level of quality. One of the speakers said that an important thing to do is when you have spent some time looking in one direction for subjects, turn 180 degrees and perhaps the best photo opportunity is behind you.
One morning at sunrise, the sun was a brilliant red ball. I was photographing the birds on the beach. I turned and looked back at the sun. It was reflecting on the lagoon, as a flock of Brown Pelicans swam through the reflection. This gave a photo of the pelicans in silhouette.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477905
A little further along the beach, there is a cross on a hill above the beach. I caught the sun behind the cross.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477909
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Notice – photos with name preceded with an asterisk (*) were updated for this blog and the text was edited accordingly
Friendswood Texas
Oct 3-2007
Bulletin #14 – Monterey CA birds September 2007 – part 2
Hello friends,
I was back in California on vacation over the week of Labor Day.
This bulletin will be devoted to shorebirds and other non-passerines.
The first bird is the Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani). I have taken hundreds of photos of oystercatchers, but this one, taken last month, is the best ever. The light was right etc.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109477894
Here is the Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) in non-breeding plumage.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477895
Here is the juvenile plumage Semi-palmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477897
The Wandering Tattler (Tringa incana) is a sandpiper that breeds in Alaska along streams and winters along the Pacific coast. It inhabits rocky areas rather than beaches. Here it is in the non-breeding plumage. The yellow legs, overall plain gray coloration and white eye-ring are the field marks.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477898
The Black Turnstone is another Alaska breeder, but along the coast. It also winters along the Pacific coast. Here is the non-breeding plumage.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477899
In an earlier bulleting, I had photos of breeding plumage Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus). Here is the juvenile plumage. The streaking on the back indicate a juvenile.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477900
Sometimes the light is just right to give a striking photo. I caught this Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) at dawn, just as he reached the crest of the beach and came into the sunlight.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477901
The Carmel River mouth has a nice fresh water lagoon and marsh and is a nature preserve. Because marshy areas are infrequent along the California coast, it is a good location for rails as well as other marsh loving wildlife.
Here is a Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola). This is the adult plumage. The long red bill is diagnostic.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477902
Here is the juvenile plumage Sora (Porzana carolina). Notice there is no black on the throat. The short yellow bill is the field mark for this rail.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477903
I attended a NANPA (North American Nature Photographer Association) seminar in Houston in August 2006. It helped me tremendously to take my photos to a higher level of quality. One of the speakers said that an important thing to do is when you have spent some time looking in one direction for subjects, turn 180 degrees and perhaps the best photo opportunity is behind you.
One morning at sunrise, the sun was a brilliant red ball. I was photographing the birds on the beach. I turned and looked back at the sun. It was reflecting on the lagoon, as a flock of Brown Pelicans swam through the reflection. This gave a photo of the pelicans in silhouette.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477905
A little further along the beach, there is a cross on a hill above the beach. I caught the sun behind the cross.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477909
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Notice – photos with name preceded with an asterisk (*) were updated for this blog and the text was edited accordingly
Friday, September 28, 2007
Bulletin #13 - Monterey CA
David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
Sept-28-2007
Bulletin #13 – Monterey CA birds
Hello friends,
I was back in California on vacation over the week of Labor Day. Despite vacationing there for the past 25 years, I always seem to pick up new birds!
The first lifer for me was the Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis). I saw this unusual bird on the Carmel River mouth beach in the washed up kelp. I took some photos. When got back to my hotel and looked at them carefully, I was convinced that it was this species. This is a common migrant spring and fall on the upper Texas coast, but in 15 years had never found it. It is a rare migrant along the California coast and is a reportable bird! I saw the bird 3 days in a row and got many photos of it. In the Peterson’s western birds, it says that most of the birds found in California are juveniles. This bird was a juvenile. I called the bird in to the Monterey bird hotline and others came and saw it!
http://www.pbase.com/image/109477217
There are a couple of species of gulls and terns that breed in Mexico and then disperse northwards along the coast after breeding. These birds are only seen in the fall in Monterey County.
The first is the Heerman’s Gull (Larus heermanni). This is the most distinctive of all the ABA area gulls with its dark gray coloration. I was able to find several different plumages in the large flocke of these gulls.
Here is the adult non-breeding plumage.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477219
The next is 2nd winter plumage. The face is darker and the plumage has some brownish feathers.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477220
Lastly is the 1st summer plumage with a pinkish bill and very dark all over.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477222
The other bird that breeds in Mexico and also extreme southern California is the Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans). Again, despite birding Monterey for 15 years, I had never found this bird until this trip. Actually, there are few terns along this area of the California coast. I found a flock of them at Moss Landing harbor. They are mid-sized terns (17”) with a long slender bill, bushy crest and a pinkish wash on the breast in some plumages.
Here is the adult non-breeding with black legs, orange bill and the pinkish wash on the breast.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477223
The juveniles have a yellow beak and orange legs. These 2 photos seem to show a couple of juveniles with partial adult features. The first has a yellow beak but the black legs.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477225
This next one seems to be a juvenile who has an adult orange beak, but still has the orange legs, although they have black patches starting.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477226
If you remember an earlier bulletin (#3) about the Alcid family of seabirds, I found this Common Murre (Uria aalge)swimming just off the beach. This photo is the non-breeding plumage with white on the face
.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477228
The very large Western Gull was featured in bulletin #3 as well. On this visit I found some babies. It was sort of strange to see this huge 24” dark baby gull following its parent around on the beach begging for food. Here is the baby in the begging posture on the beach.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477230
And here he is getting regurgitated food from the parent.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477234
The last new bird I found on this trip (a lifer) but it isn’t ABA countable yet, is the California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus). These magnificent birds have been brought back from the brink of extinction with captive breeding programs at the San Diego and Los Angeles zoos. They are now being released back into the wild in Big Sur area and along the Grand Canyon in Arizona. They are all labeled and tracked. Also, the released birds are starting to pair up and have some wild offspring! What a success story.
Here is the adult with pink neck. Notice the tag #13 (same as this bulletin #!) on the wing. A number of them also have transmitters on their back so they can be tracked.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477236
Here are a couple of juveniles. They have black necks. This photo sort of reminds me of an Edgar Allen Poe story with the carrion birds hanging around the house.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477239
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Friendswood Texas
Sept-28-2007
Bulletin #13 – Monterey CA birds
Hello friends,
I was back in California on vacation over the week of Labor Day. Despite vacationing there for the past 25 years, I always seem to pick up new birds!
The first lifer for me was the Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis). I saw this unusual bird on the Carmel River mouth beach in the washed up kelp. I took some photos. When got back to my hotel and looked at them carefully, I was convinced that it was this species. This is a common migrant spring and fall on the upper Texas coast, but in 15 years had never found it. It is a rare migrant along the California coast and is a reportable bird! I saw the bird 3 days in a row and got many photos of it. In the Peterson’s western birds, it says that most of the birds found in California are juveniles. This bird was a juvenile. I called the bird in to the Monterey bird hotline and others came and saw it!
http://www.pbase.com/image/109477217
There are a couple of species of gulls and terns that breed in Mexico and then disperse northwards along the coast after breeding. These birds are only seen in the fall in Monterey County.
The first is the Heerman’s Gull (Larus heermanni). This is the most distinctive of all the ABA area gulls with its dark gray coloration. I was able to find several different plumages in the large flocke of these gulls.
Here is the adult non-breeding plumage.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477219
The next is 2nd winter plumage. The face is darker and the plumage has some brownish feathers.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477220
Lastly is the 1st summer plumage with a pinkish bill and very dark all over.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477222
The other bird that breeds in Mexico and also extreme southern California is the Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans). Again, despite birding Monterey for 15 years, I had never found this bird until this trip. Actually, there are few terns along this area of the California coast. I found a flock of them at Moss Landing harbor. They are mid-sized terns (17”) with a long slender bill, bushy crest and a pinkish wash on the breast in some plumages.
Here is the adult non-breeding with black legs, orange bill and the pinkish wash on the breast.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477223
The juveniles have a yellow beak and orange legs. These 2 photos seem to show a couple of juveniles with partial adult features. The first has a yellow beak but the black legs.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477225
This next one seems to be a juvenile who has an adult orange beak, but still has the orange legs, although they have black patches starting.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477226
If you remember an earlier bulletin (#3) about the Alcid family of seabirds, I found this Common Murre (Uria aalge)swimming just off the beach. This photo is the non-breeding plumage with white on the face
.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477228
The very large Western Gull was featured in bulletin #3 as well. On this visit I found some babies. It was sort of strange to see this huge 24” dark baby gull following its parent around on the beach begging for food. Here is the baby in the begging posture on the beach.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477230
And here he is getting regurgitated food from the parent.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477234
The last new bird I found on this trip (a lifer) but it isn’t ABA countable yet, is the California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus). These magnificent birds have been brought back from the brink of extinction with captive breeding programs at the San Diego and Los Angeles zoos. They are now being released back into the wild in Big Sur area and along the Grand Canyon in Arizona. They are all labeled and tracked. Also, the released birds are starting to pair up and have some wild offspring! What a success story.
Here is the adult with pink neck. Notice the tag #13 (same as this bulletin #!) on the wing. A number of them also have transmitters on their back so they can be tracked.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477236
Here are a couple of juveniles. They have black necks. This photo sort of reminds me of an Edgar Allen Poe story with the carrion birds hanging around the house.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109477239
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Monday, September 17, 2007
Bulletin #12 - Texas birds
David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
Sept-17-2007
Bulletin #12 – Misc Texas birds
Hello friends,
Summer is a slow time for birding. However with the babies and juveniles, there are some new plumages to photograph.
July 4th weekend found me in the Texas Hill Country west of Austin. I was able to pick up several new species and some improved photos of species of which I already had photos.
The first is House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). A pair were very cooperative on the bird feeder. First is the male.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109476076
Here is the female.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476081
The local hummingbird in this area in the Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri). The male has a purple throat patch with black above. It is very difficult to see the purple gorget on this bird, but with flash, the camera picked it up rather nicely.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476084
The female has no throat patch, just some dark spots.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476087
Another local bird I was able to photograph just before leaving the area was the Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476090
The last bird of note is the distinctive Lark Sparrow. The facial pattern and clear breast with central spot are diagnostic of this species. This bird was on the ground under a feeder. This makes life simple for the photographer! The first photo is on the Houston Audubon web site.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476093 click ‘next’ once
The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) nests in my yard and daily visits the sunflower seed feeders. The juveniles have black beaks rather than the red beaks of their parents. The juvenile male has considerable red on the breast.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476102
The juvenile female is plainer.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476106
A trip to Anahuac NWR in August produced some good photos. The first was a singing male Dickcissel (Spiza americana).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476109
The next was a Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) perched on a fence post.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476111
The last bird was a Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris). This secretive bird usually stays hidden in the reeds. However, that particular day there were many singing. I waited patiently, and finally he popped up to the top of the reeds to sing and I was able to get a couple of good photos.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476114 click ‘next’ once
As the summer is slow, and I was at Anahuac NWR I decided to try my luck with dragonflies. There were far more numerous than birds that day. I think they are rather colorful and interesting to learn about. I had to buy a guide book to see what species were in the pictures.
The first is Eastern Pondhawk (male).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476119
The next is Four-spotted Pennant (female).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476121
The last one is Needham’s Skimmer (male).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476124
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
Photos copyright David McDonald 2007
Friendswood Texas
Sept-17-2007
Bulletin #12 – Misc Texas birds
Hello friends,
Summer is a slow time for birding. However with the babies and juveniles, there are some new plumages to photograph.
July 4th weekend found me in the Texas Hill Country west of Austin. I was able to pick up several new species and some improved photos of species of which I already had photos.
The first is House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). A pair were very cooperative on the bird feeder. First is the male.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109476076
Here is the female.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476081
The local hummingbird in this area in the Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri). The male has a purple throat patch with black above. It is very difficult to see the purple gorget on this bird, but with flash, the camera picked it up rather nicely.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476084
The female has no throat patch, just some dark spots.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476087
Another local bird I was able to photograph just before leaving the area was the Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476090
The last bird of note is the distinctive Lark Sparrow. The facial pattern and clear breast with central spot are diagnostic of this species. This bird was on the ground under a feeder. This makes life simple for the photographer! The first photo is on the Houston Audubon web site.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476093 click ‘next’ once
The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) nests in my yard and daily visits the sunflower seed feeders. The juveniles have black beaks rather than the red beaks of their parents. The juvenile male has considerable red on the breast.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476102
The juvenile female is plainer.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476106
A trip to Anahuac NWR in August produced some good photos. The first was a singing male Dickcissel (Spiza americana).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476109
The next was a Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) perched on a fence post.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476111
The last bird was a Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris). This secretive bird usually stays hidden in the reeds. However, that particular day there were many singing. I waited patiently, and finally he popped up to the top of the reeds to sing and I was able to get a couple of good photos.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476114 click ‘next’ once
As the summer is slow, and I was at Anahuac NWR I decided to try my luck with dragonflies. There were far more numerous than birds that day. I think they are rather colorful and interesting to learn about. I had to buy a guide book to see what species were in the pictures.
The first is Eastern Pondhawk (male).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476119
The next is Four-spotted Pennant (female).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476121
The last one is Needham’s Skimmer (male).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109476124
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
Photos copyright David McDonald 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Bulletin #11 - South Florida #6
David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
August-20-2007
Bulletin #11 – South Florida – part 6
Hello friends,
I have had the opportunity to visit Florida twice in the first half of 2007.
My first visit was to Sanibel Island in February. Last month, I had a business trip to Miami for a weekend and managed to spend about 2 full days birding with a great guide Paul Bithorn (305.431.5908 or email pbithorn@plumbers519.com.).
My wife, Linda, and I were staying on Sanibel Island, off the coast from Ft. Myers. It is famous as the best shelling location on the gulf coast. The beach has much human traffic and apparently the birds have become quite tame as they are very approachable. I have never before been able to walk to within 15’ from a group of gulls and terns.
Each late afternoon, a small mixed flock of gulls and terns was on the beach in front of the condo where we were staying. I was able to get close up pictures of several birds.
The first is a 1st summer plumage Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis). The second is the adult winter plumage.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109475101 click ‘next’ once
The next is a winter plumage Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis). Notice the black bill tipped with yellow.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109475105
Lastly, there was a larger gull that I saw one afternoon when I didn’t have my camera. Fortunately, he came back to the same place every day. I was ready for him and I got many photos. It had a black back, so I knew it was either Lesser or Greater Black-backed Gull. The difference is the leg color, with Greater BBG having pink legs and the Lesser BBG having yellow legs. The Greater is also much larger.This was a Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus). This medium sized (21”) gull is primarily a European resident along the Atlantic coast, but it occurs rarely along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the USA. It was a lifer for me. Here are a couple of photos. The field marks are the black back, yellow legs, yellow beak with red spot, and yellow eye. The brown wash on head and neck is the winter plumage. In summer, the head and neck are pure white.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109475107 click ‘next’ once
Several shorebirds also were very tame and allowed good photos.
This Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) shows a few black feathers under his wing. In fact the whole underwing is black, but this is the first and only photo where I saw the tips of the black feathers when the wings were folded.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109475110 click ‘next’ once
The Sanderling (Calidris alba) is a common winter resident all along the Gulf Coast. Here is the winter plumage.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109475114
The last photo is an Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) swimming. Unlike Cormorants who have at least some of the body visible while swimming, the Anhinga swims with its body completely submerged. Only the head and neck are visible. I saw this phenomenon twice in Florida, but managed only a single useful picture.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109475115
Lastly, here are a couple of photos of Manatees, and endangered mammal.
The first shows an adult with a baby beside. The second shows the animals back covered with barnacles. There is a location to see these huge beasts near Ft. Myers and these photos were taken from the bank of the river at that location.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109475117 click ‘next’ once
The Miami guide (Paul Bithorn) I used, was extremely knowledgeable, especially for the mangrove species and exotics. Many of the exotics occur in specific neighborhoods in the Miami area, and a casual birder would have a difficult time locating them. To contact Paul, call him at (305) 431-5908 or email him at pbithorn@plumbers519.com.
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David & Linda McDonald
Friendswood Texas
August-20-2007
Bulletin #11 – South Florida – part 6
Hello friends,
I have had the opportunity to visit Florida twice in the first half of 2007.
My first visit was to Sanibel Island in February. Last month, I had a business trip to Miami for a weekend and managed to spend about 2 full days birding with a great guide Paul Bithorn (305.431.5908 or email pbithorn@plumbers519.com.).
My wife, Linda, and I were staying on Sanibel Island, off the coast from Ft. Myers. It is famous as the best shelling location on the gulf coast. The beach has much human traffic and apparently the birds have become quite tame as they are very approachable. I have never before been able to walk to within 15’ from a group of gulls and terns.
Each late afternoon, a small mixed flock of gulls and terns was on the beach in front of the condo where we were staying. I was able to get close up pictures of several birds.
The first is a 1st summer plumage Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis). The second is the adult winter plumage.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109475101 click ‘next’ once
The next is a winter plumage Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis). Notice the black bill tipped with yellow.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109475105
Lastly, there was a larger gull that I saw one afternoon when I didn’t have my camera. Fortunately, he came back to the same place every day. I was ready for him and I got many photos. It had a black back, so I knew it was either Lesser or Greater Black-backed Gull. The difference is the leg color, with Greater BBG having pink legs and the Lesser BBG having yellow legs. The Greater is also much larger.This was a Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus). This medium sized (21”) gull is primarily a European resident along the Atlantic coast, but it occurs rarely along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the USA. It was a lifer for me. Here are a couple of photos. The field marks are the black back, yellow legs, yellow beak with red spot, and yellow eye. The brown wash on head and neck is the winter plumage. In summer, the head and neck are pure white.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109475107 click ‘next’ once
Several shorebirds also were very tame and allowed good photos.
This Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) shows a few black feathers under his wing. In fact the whole underwing is black, but this is the first and only photo where I saw the tips of the black feathers when the wings were folded.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109475110 click ‘next’ once
The Sanderling (Calidris alba) is a common winter resident all along the Gulf Coast. Here is the winter plumage.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109475114
The last photo is an Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) swimming. Unlike Cormorants who have at least some of the body visible while swimming, the Anhinga swims with its body completely submerged. Only the head and neck are visible. I saw this phenomenon twice in Florida, but managed only a single useful picture.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109475115
Lastly, here are a couple of photos of Manatees, and endangered mammal.
The first shows an adult with a baby beside. The second shows the animals back covered with barnacles. There is a location to see these huge beasts near Ft. Myers and these photos were taken from the bank of the river at that location.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109475117 click ‘next’ once
The Miami guide (Paul Bithorn) I used, was extremely knowledgeable, especially for the mangrove species and exotics. Many of the exotics occur in specific neighborhoods in the Miami area, and a casual birder would have a difficult time locating them. To contact Paul, call him at (305) 431-5908 or email him at pbithorn@plumbers519.com.
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David & Linda McDonald
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Bulletin #10 - South Florida #5
David & Linda McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
August-7-2007
Bulletin #10 – South Florida – part 5
Hello friends,
I have had the opportunity to visit Florida twice in the first half of 2007.
My first visit was to Sanibel Island in February. Last month, I had a business trip to Miami for a weekend and managed to spend about 2 full days birding with a great guide Paul Bithorn (305.431.5908 or email pbithorn@plumbers519.com.).
Between Sarasota and Ft. Myers and right off I75 is the Babcock-Webb preserve. It is one of the best place for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. The trees with the nest holes are marked etc. Unfortunately I didn’t see them. This is still a species I have never seen.
But I did get a different life bird there, the Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla). I was driving around and came upon a couple of birders who had a pair of nuthatches right beside the road. Here are a couple of photos. The second one shows the characteristic white spot on the nape of the neck.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109474250 click ‘next’ once
I also chased a beautiful male Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) for a considerable distance along a sandy trail to get the following photo.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474252
My wife, Linda, and I were staying on Sanibel Island, off the coast from Ft. Myers. It is famous as the best shelling location on the gulf coast. But, it is also famous for Ding Darling NWR. This fabulous wildlife sanctuary has a 4 mile paved road through mangrove swamps, forested area etc. Every day is as busy as High Island Texas in migration. One can drive along and pull off to the side to watch the birds or take pictures anywhere along the route. As well as lots of waders, there are alligators, raccoons and other mammals to see if one is lucky.
These next 3 photos were taken by my wife Linda, with the landscape camera. The first shows typical mangrove swampy area in Ding Darling at low tide.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474253
The next 2 show the extensive number of wading species and water birds seen in Ding Darling. How many species can you find in each photo?
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474255 click ‘next’ once
Here are some of my photos from Ding Darling. The birds are quite tame as there is so much vehicular traffic. Often with the 500mm lens, I would have to move away from the bird so I could get the whole bird in the photo!
The first is one of my favorite. It is a preening Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474257
There were many Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) seen here. Did you find the Wood Stork in the second picture above? Here are several photos of this magnificent bird. The first photo showed the pink feet. I did not know this feature of the Wood Stork. Notice the bare black neck and head. Also, they will completely submerse their head to capture food.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474258 click ‘next’ once
I also got a good photo of the Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor). This is a non-breeding adult.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474261
Red-breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator) were common and easy to photograph. Here are the male and female of this species at Ding Darling.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474262 click ‘next’ once
The Miami guide (Paul Bithorn) I used, was extremely knowledgeable, especially for the mangrove species and exotics. Many of the exotics occur in specific neighborhoods in the Miami area, and a casual birder would have a difficult time locating them. To contact Paul, call him at (305) 431-5908 or email him at pbithorn@plumbers519.com.
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David & Linda McDonald
Note – photos with the name preceded by an asterisk were updated for this blog and the text was edited accordingly.
Friendswood Texas
August-7-2007
Bulletin #10 – South Florida – part 5
Hello friends,
I have had the opportunity to visit Florida twice in the first half of 2007.
My first visit was to Sanibel Island in February. Last month, I had a business trip to Miami for a weekend and managed to spend about 2 full days birding with a great guide Paul Bithorn (305.431.5908 or email pbithorn@plumbers519.com.).
Between Sarasota and Ft. Myers and right off I75 is the Babcock-Webb preserve. It is one of the best place for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. The trees with the nest holes are marked etc. Unfortunately I didn’t see them. This is still a species I have never seen.
But I did get a different life bird there, the Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla). I was driving around and came upon a couple of birders who had a pair of nuthatches right beside the road. Here are a couple of photos. The second one shows the characteristic white spot on the nape of the neck.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109474250 click ‘next’ once
I also chased a beautiful male Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) for a considerable distance along a sandy trail to get the following photo.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474252
My wife, Linda, and I were staying on Sanibel Island, off the coast from Ft. Myers. It is famous as the best shelling location on the gulf coast. But, it is also famous for Ding Darling NWR. This fabulous wildlife sanctuary has a 4 mile paved road through mangrove swamps, forested area etc. Every day is as busy as High Island Texas in migration. One can drive along and pull off to the side to watch the birds or take pictures anywhere along the route. As well as lots of waders, there are alligators, raccoons and other mammals to see if one is lucky.
These next 3 photos were taken by my wife Linda, with the landscape camera. The first shows typical mangrove swampy area in Ding Darling at low tide.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474253
The next 2 show the extensive number of wading species and water birds seen in Ding Darling. How many species can you find in each photo?
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474255 click ‘next’ once
Here are some of my photos from Ding Darling. The birds are quite tame as there is so much vehicular traffic. Often with the 500mm lens, I would have to move away from the bird so I could get the whole bird in the photo!
The first is one of my favorite. It is a preening Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga).
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474257
There were many Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) seen here. Did you find the Wood Stork in the second picture above? Here are several photos of this magnificent bird. The first photo showed the pink feet. I did not know this feature of the Wood Stork. Notice the bare black neck and head. Also, they will completely submerse their head to capture food.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474258 click ‘next’ once
I also got a good photo of the Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor). This is a non-breeding adult.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474261
Red-breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator) were common and easy to photograph. Here are the male and female of this species at Ding Darling.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109474262 click ‘next’ once
The Miami guide (Paul Bithorn) I used, was extremely knowledgeable, especially for the mangrove species and exotics. Many of the exotics occur in specific neighborhoods in the Miami area, and a casual birder would have a difficult time locating them. To contact Paul, call him at (305) 431-5908 or email him at pbithorn@plumbers519.com.
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David & Linda McDonald
Note – photos with the name preceded by an asterisk were updated for this blog and the text was edited accordingly.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Bulletin #9 - Miami parrots
David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
August-2-2007
Bulletin #9 – South Florida – part 4 – Miami parrots
Hello friends,
I have had the opportunity to visit Florida twice in the first half of 2007.
My first visit was to Sanibel Island in February. Last month, I had a business trip to Miami for a weekend and managed to spend about 2 full days birding with a great guide Paul Bithorn (305.431.5908 or email pbithorn@plumbers519.com.).
The last group of exotic birds in Miami are the parakeets and parrots. These are all escaped or introduced birds. Miami and Los Angeles are home to more than a dozen mostly Neotropic birds in this family.
In Miami, they are very local in specific neighborhoods, and a good guide is essential to quickly navigate around the known areas. Paul Bithorn was superb and I had a great time seeing and photographing these birds. I have been to the tropics numerous times and the parrots are the hardest to see, but easy to hear with their squawking. Locating a mostly green bird in the rain forest is a challenge. In Miami, they were relatively easy to find in the scattered trees of a suburban area. We ended up with 7 species in 4 genera. There are numerous others for another visit to Miami, but these are the most commonly encountered.
The first is probably the most common parrot encountered in the USA. The Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) is a native of southern Brazil and Argentina. I have seen it in its home range. In the pet trade it is known as the Quaker Parrot. It builds large communal nests in trees or power transmission towers. According to Sibley, colonies can be found across the USA as far north as Oregon, Illinois and New York. We have them in numerous locations in the Houston area and I have actually had an occasional one fly over my house. It has been established long enough that it is an ABA countable species.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109472852
The next genus is the aratinga parakeets. As you know, parakeets are smaller parrots with long pointed tails. There are several species of these in Miami, but I was able to get photos of only 2 of them due to time restraints. They differ mostly with head, face and wing colorations. These parakeets are about 13.5 inches in length.
The first is the Mitred Parakeet (Aratinga mitrata). This was the most common aratinga that I saw on my visit. It is distinguished by red on face, red spots on head on neck and red socks. Here are a couple of photos of this bird.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472855 click 'next' once
The other aratinga is the Scarlet-fronted Parakeet (Aratinga wagleri). It has a deeper red on the face but only occasional other red spots on head and neck. It also has extensive red on the wing bend and underwing as shown. Here are 2 photos of this bird. Notice how closely these 2 parakeets resemble each other. Without my guide for confirmation of the ID of them, I would have been very confused.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472859 click ‘next’ once
Neither of these 2 aratinga species are ABA countable birds, but both were lifers for me.
The other parakeet genus that I saw was brotogeris. Originally called Sulphur-winged Parakeet, this was an ABA countable species. However about a decade ago, it was split but only 1 of the splits is ABA countable, even though both species of the split occur in Miami and the non-countable one is more numerous! Go figure! These are small parakeets only 8.75 inches long.
The countable species is the White-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris versicolurus). They have extensive white wing patches visible when flying, but perched, only an occasional bit of white is seen on the wing. It also has a large yellow wing patch. Look also at the face. There is a very pale blue patch between the eye and bill. These are the distinguishing marks from the other split partner. I was very confused seeing them in the wild, but with the photos, I can see clearly the differences that weren’t apparent through the binoculars. Here are a couple of photos of this bird.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472863 click ‘next’ once
The other half and non-countable split is the Yellow-chevroned Parakeet (Brotogeris chiriri). There is no white on the wings and the face is entirely green.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472869 click ‘next’ once
Parrots are larger than parakeets. The genus Amazona is a large group of neo-tropical parrots. The are heavy bodied and have square tails. There are several species in Miami of this genus.
The first is the Red-crowned Parrot (Amazona viridigenalis). This bird is native to northeastern Mexico and does occur in the Rio Grade valley of Texas naturally. But, most of these Texas birds are felt to be escaped pets. It also occurs in Miami and Los Angeles as escapes. It is an ABA countable species. Notice the red crown, blue nape of neck and square tail. He is 13 inches long.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472876
The other amazon is the Orange-winged Parrot (Amazona amazonica). This bird is native to South America and established in the Miami area. It is not an ABA countable species. The field marks are the yellow and blue on the head and the orange wing feathers (just visible in this photo.)
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472880
The Miami guide (Paul Bithorn) I used, was extremely knowledgeable, especially for the mangrove species and exotics. Many of the exotics occur in specific neighborhoods in the Miami area, and a casual birder would have a difficult time locating them. To contact Paul, call him at (305) 431-5908 or email him at pbithorn@plumbers519.com.
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
Friendswood Texas
August-2-2007
Bulletin #9 – South Florida – part 4 – Miami parrots
Hello friends,
I have had the opportunity to visit Florida twice in the first half of 2007.
My first visit was to Sanibel Island in February. Last month, I had a business trip to Miami for a weekend and managed to spend about 2 full days birding with a great guide Paul Bithorn (305.431.5908 or email pbithorn@plumbers519.com.).
The last group of exotic birds in Miami are the parakeets and parrots. These are all escaped or introduced birds. Miami and Los Angeles are home to more than a dozen mostly Neotropic birds in this family.
In Miami, they are very local in specific neighborhoods, and a good guide is essential to quickly navigate around the known areas. Paul Bithorn was superb and I had a great time seeing and photographing these birds. I have been to the tropics numerous times and the parrots are the hardest to see, but easy to hear with their squawking. Locating a mostly green bird in the rain forest is a challenge. In Miami, they were relatively easy to find in the scattered trees of a suburban area. We ended up with 7 species in 4 genera. There are numerous others for another visit to Miami, but these are the most commonly encountered.
The first is probably the most common parrot encountered in the USA. The Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) is a native of southern Brazil and Argentina. I have seen it in its home range. In the pet trade it is known as the Quaker Parrot. It builds large communal nests in trees or power transmission towers. According to Sibley, colonies can be found across the USA as far north as Oregon, Illinois and New York. We have them in numerous locations in the Houston area and I have actually had an occasional one fly over my house. It has been established long enough that it is an ABA countable species.
http://www.pbase.com/image/109472852
The next genus is the aratinga parakeets. As you know, parakeets are smaller parrots with long pointed tails. There are several species of these in Miami, but I was able to get photos of only 2 of them due to time restraints. They differ mostly with head, face and wing colorations. These parakeets are about 13.5 inches in length.
The first is the Mitred Parakeet (Aratinga mitrata). This was the most common aratinga that I saw on my visit. It is distinguished by red on face, red spots on head on neck and red socks. Here are a couple of photos of this bird.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472855 click 'next' once
The other aratinga is the Scarlet-fronted Parakeet (Aratinga wagleri). It has a deeper red on the face but only occasional other red spots on head and neck. It also has extensive red on the wing bend and underwing as shown. Here are 2 photos of this bird. Notice how closely these 2 parakeets resemble each other. Without my guide for confirmation of the ID of them, I would have been very confused.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472859 click ‘next’ once
Neither of these 2 aratinga species are ABA countable birds, but both were lifers for me.
The other parakeet genus that I saw was brotogeris. Originally called Sulphur-winged Parakeet, this was an ABA countable species. However about a decade ago, it was split but only 1 of the splits is ABA countable, even though both species of the split occur in Miami and the non-countable one is more numerous! Go figure! These are small parakeets only 8.75 inches long.
The countable species is the White-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris versicolurus). They have extensive white wing patches visible when flying, but perched, only an occasional bit of white is seen on the wing. It also has a large yellow wing patch. Look also at the face. There is a very pale blue patch between the eye and bill. These are the distinguishing marks from the other split partner. I was very confused seeing them in the wild, but with the photos, I can see clearly the differences that weren’t apparent through the binoculars. Here are a couple of photos of this bird.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472863 click ‘next’ once
The other half and non-countable split is the Yellow-chevroned Parakeet (Brotogeris chiriri). There is no white on the wings and the face is entirely green.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472869 click ‘next’ once
Parrots are larger than parakeets. The genus Amazona is a large group of neo-tropical parrots. The are heavy bodied and have square tails. There are several species in Miami of this genus.
The first is the Red-crowned Parrot (Amazona viridigenalis). This bird is native to northeastern Mexico and does occur in the Rio Grade valley of Texas naturally. But, most of these Texas birds are felt to be escaped pets. It also occurs in Miami and Los Angeles as escapes. It is an ABA countable species. Notice the red crown, blue nape of neck and square tail. He is 13 inches long.
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472876
The other amazon is the Orange-winged Parrot (Amazona amazonica). This bird is native to South America and established in the Miami area. It is not an ABA countable species. The field marks are the yellow and blue on the head and the orange wing feathers (just visible in this photo.)
http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/109472880
The Miami guide (Paul Bithorn) I used, was extremely knowledgeable, especially for the mangrove species and exotics. Many of the exotics occur in specific neighborhoods in the Miami area, and a casual birder would have a difficult time locating them. To contact Paul, call him at (305) 431-5908 or email him at pbithorn@plumbers519.com.
All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Happy Birding,
David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net
photos copyright 2007 David McDonald
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