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top 25 items viewed per day
Week reset Sunday, Month reset the 1st, Year reset 1/1 |
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(226 views)
This photo was taken late March of this year and many birds were still in just black and white. For courting and breeding the necks and chest acquire a rusty or tan color.
They really seem to enjoy their mud-flats.
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(223 views)
This female Killdeer is standing over eggs in its "nest." Three eggs are actually present but only one is clearly visible. Even the clearly visible one is very well camouflaged.
It is reputed their call sounds like "kill deer" and thus the name. I don't hear it myself but maybe that's just me.
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(222 views)
Killdeer are a shy and fast bird. Consequently I rarely get a good shot of one. I was lucky this day to get that elusive shot.
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(220 views)
When Canada Geese trumpet their arrival while flying directly overhead, no-one could possibly pass up the opportunity to photograph them.
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(220 views)
A gosling is so darn cute when it's little. It's hard to believe that there is an entire industry devoted to the task of making them go away. When large flocks of adult geese show up in a
"wrong locations"
they are considered by some to be a nuisance.
Would you want them in your swimming pool? Your Koi pond? Your child's
playground?
It's really a matter of make peace or make them go away. There's always a choice.
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(219 views)
The female Killdeer in this picture is adopting a wounded bird pose and making a distress call. She is trying to lure me away from her nest by convincing me she is easy prey. Luckily for her I only wanted her photo.
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(219 views)
Here is a photo of a lion
doing what a lion does best.
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(219 views)
I took this photo April 4th of this year while in London. I didn't know what it was at the time but I knew I had never seen this duck before. I was quite taken with the brilliant gold of it's head. When the sun shone on its head there was an amazing metallic sheen which really has to be seen in person to be appreciated.
These pochards
are not found in the United States.
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(218 views)
These two large tortoises ambled about and were not as sluggish as one might expect. I dont know which species of tortoise this is because I forgot to photograph the sign.
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(218 views)
This is a photo of three very well camouflaged eggs in a Killdeer "nest." Because Killdeer often lay their
eggs on gravel,
the parking lot at the sanctuary had become a favorite nesting spot for them. Unfortunately a parking lot is a dangerous place for eggs, which leads to much failure for the Killdeer who lay eggs there.
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(217 views)
I was fascinated to watch this egret hunt
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He moved very patiently and slowly, then his head would dart into the shallow water and he would come up with a little fish. It must take a lot of little fish to fill such a large bird.
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(217 views)
Yesterday I thought these birds might be Australian Pelicans
but with further research I found they are
American White Pelicans
in non-breeding plumage.
I'm glad that's settled.
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(217 views)
Taking photos from a boat was a new experience. I was able to get much closer to this flock of Pelicans before they took flight.
These appear to be Australian Pelicans
because of the pink bills. Or do American White Pelicans have pink bills in the winter? Further research needed.
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(217 views)
At the sanctuary, there is a group of palm trees next to the large pond that provides prime nesting spots. It is fenced off to ensure the breeding birds are not disturbed.
In late March, this was one of many night herons nesting amongst the snowy and great egrets. Its usually yellow legs are pink because it's breeding season.
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(217 views)
I didn't see a pheasant when I looked at this tree, only the Egret. As the boat drew nearer to the tree the pheasant burst out, startling the egret and me. I tried to get a shot of them as they flew past, but I was much too slow. It wasn't until I looked at the photos at home that I had the pleasure to see I had gotten a shot of the pheasant after all.
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(217 views)
This is a close-up of a typical nest with the adult peering out. Mud gathering has made its bill appear lighter than it actually is.
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(217 views)
These large egrets are graceful and breathtaking in flight. I watched this bird flying back and forth several times bringing nesting material back to it's mate.
There was only one pair that I saw amongst dozens of the smaller Snowy Egrets.
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(217 views)
This female
peafowl,
called a peahen, was well camouflaged. She was just off the paved path and dozens of people passed within two feet of her and never realized she was there. I noticed her because I was looking for local birds while admiring the captive inhabitants. Just as at many zoos, peafowl are set loose to wander the grounds as they wish.
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(217 views)
I got this shot just as the egret was landing. Look closely and you can see the feet haven't quite come to rest on the pipe.
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(216 views)
This photo of a Harbor Seal was taken very near the
Lucy Evans Interpretive Center
at the bird sanctuary. I was very surprised to see it but the ranger verified that they have been known to occasionally appear.
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(216 views)
Flying shots are hard to get.
The bird
was on the path when I lifted the camera but I managed to get this
photo without cutting off any part of its body, just barely.
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(216 views)
To get a shot of a graceful bird flying is always a coup.
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(216 views)
Taken Early May, they are guarding a nest and looking lovely. Maybe next trip out there I can get a shot of some Avocet chicks.
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(216 views)
This view shows the extent of the buff coloring avocets acquire on neck and chest in the breeding season. They stand about 15 to 20 inches tall and
Wikipedia
has more info on these birds if you're interested.
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(216 views)
The bird on the left is a young adult who won't achieve the look of the mature bird on its right for another year.
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