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I found a fairly large flock of these bluebirds that had still not migrated south. They had stopped for a drink at a local lake. The lake was mostly frozen but they found little melted spots.
Happy National Bird Day!
A shorebird you can see without going to the beach, Killdeer are graceful plovers common to lawns, golf courses, athletic fields, and parking lots. This time the killdeer is behaving like a typical Shorebird, searching the mud flats.
Bar tailed Godwit - Liomosa Laponica
Norfolk
The bar-tailed godwit is a long-billed, long-legged wading bird which visits UK shores for the winter. Most usually seen in its grey-brown winter plumage, birds in spring may show their full rich chestnut breeding plumage. In flight it shows a white patch stretching from the rump up the back, narrowing to a point. It breeds in the Arctic of Scandinavia and Siberia and hundreds of thousands of them pass through the UK, on their way further south, or stop off here for the winter.
The bar-tailed godwit breeds on Arctic coasts and tundra mainly in the Old World, and winters on coasts in temperate and tropical regions of the Old World and of Australia and New Zealand. Its migration includes the longest known non-stop flight of any bird and also the longest journey without pausing to feed by any animal.
The bar-tailed godwit migrates in flocks to coastal East Asia, Alaska, Australia, Africa, northwestern Europe and New Zealand.
It was shown in 2007 to undertake the longest non-stop flight of any bird. Birds in New Zealand were tagged and tracked by satellite to the Yellow Sea in China. According to Dr. Clive Minton (Australasian Wader Studies Group): The distance between these two locations is 9,575 km (5,950 mi), but the actual track flown by the bird was 11,026 km (6,851 mi). This was the longest known non-stop flight of any bird. The flight took approximately nine days. At least three other bar-tailed godwits also appear to have reached the Yellow Sea after non-stop flights from New Zealand.
One specific female of the flock, nicknamed E7 flew onward from China to Alaska and stayed there for the breeding season. Then on 29 August 2007 she departed on a non-stop flight from the Avinof Peninsula in western Alaska to the Piako River near Thames, New Zealand, setting a new known flight record of 11,680 km (7,258 mi).
I am honored that this capture has won the second place in the November 2021 Photo Contest in Flickrology.
Wolf in the rain, the Mercantour National Park, France
Since 1992, the wolves that had been exterminated in France over a hundred years ago are living here again. They kept migrating across the Italian ‘green border’.
Today, there are 25 to 30 wolves divided into packs of five to six, roaming through the seven valleys of the park again.
The Mercantour National Park is a unique nature reserve located in the very southeast corner of France. It covers an area of 2152 square kilometers, almost the size of the Principality of Monaco. The Mercantour is a unique nature reserve that aims at integrating distinguished ideals such as the protection of nature, the local and economic advancement and the preservation of traditional land use.
Pampas deer (male) - is a species of deer that live in the grasslands of South America at low elevations. They are known as venado or gama in Spanish and as veado-campeiro in Portuguese. Their habitat includes water and hills, often with winter drought, and grass that is high enough to cover a standing deer. Many of them live on the Pantanal wetlands, where there are ongoing conservation efforts, and other areas of annual flooding cycles. Human activity has changed much of the original landscape. They are known to live up to 12 years in the wild, longer if captive, but are threatened due to over-hunting and habitat loss. Many people are concerned over this loss, because a healthy deer population means a healthy grassland, and a healthy grassland is home to many species, some also threatened. Many North American birds migrate south to these areas, and if the Pampas deer habitat is lost, they are afraid these bird species will also decline.]There are approximately 80,000 Pampas deer total, with the majority of them living in Brazil. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pampas_deer
Have a nice Tuesday! Stay healthy!
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A migrating bird from Africa, not what you would expect to see on a cricket field in the UK. A first sighting in England for me.
Taken on the last day before departing for warmer climates.
Collingham, West Yorkshire
A song bird makes a brief stop near the Lake Erie shoreline on his journey north during the spring migration. (Explore # 292)
We knew it was time to go to Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge as the birds are in the middle of migrating. We realized we were not the only ones with this thought as the Auto Tour had more cars than normal, and it was a weekday. There were thousands of snow geese everywhere in the preserve. So we concentrated on getting just the right picture at just the right time.
The adult males are difficult to find. During the migration they are the first to leave on their road South. I felt fortunate to catch this one zipping around the backyard the last of August.
A member of the widespread jay group, and about the size of the jackdaw, it inhabits mixed woodland, particularly with oaks, and is a habitual acorn hoarder. In recent years, the bird has begun to migrate into urban areas, possibly as a result of continued erosion of its woodland habitat. Before humans began planting the trees commercially on a wide scale, Eurasian jays were the main source of movement and propagation for the European oak (Q. robur), each bird having the ability to spread more than a thousand acorns each year. Eurasian jays will also bury the acorns of other oak species, and have been cited by the National Trust as a major propagator of the largest population of Holm oak (Q. ilex) in Northern Europe, situated in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight.[5] Jays have been recorded carrying single acorns as far as 20 km, and are credited with the rapid northward spread of oaks following the last ice age.[6]
My favourite shot a Vireo from earlier this spring. This shot was taken through some low vegetation which is why parts of the bird are slightly blurred, I love the colours and level of detail in this shot!
Was a scramble taking off the ND filter and changing settings to take this capture of the geese ... but was able to do so before they were out of the frame :)
I don't have a dedicated macro lens at this point (and it shows), so it's the cheaper route for now. But I've enjoyed and been inspired by so much of Peter Miles' work (www.flickr.com/photos/forumcz) that I still want to try my hand and just experiment a bit nonetheless. Here we have a small colored glass figurine from my china cabinet, with a fiery border to punch the orange and red tones.
Created for KP April 2019 Contest 71.
BiG THANKS to EVERYONE for your personal comments and also your support from selected groups.
Awards are always encouraging and especially appreciated from those add my work to their collection of 'faves'.
Cheerz G
Six inches of wet snow fell the morning where we went looking for waterfowl and Sandhill Cranes. This couple was strutting a pure white field in the marsh. Made for a great high key scene with the natural minimalism landscape.
Yes - I nearly got stuck - but experienced in driving in snow.
Pheucticus ludovicianus
(Rose-breasted Grosbeak / Degollado)
La Ceja, Colombia; 2.300 meters above sea level.
The rose-breasted grosbeak's breeding habitat is open deciduous woods across most of Canada and the northeastern USA. In particular the northern birds migrate south through the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, to winter from central-southern Mexico through Central America and the Caribbean to South America. The southern limit of its wintering range is not well known.
Wikipedia
Other than endless starlings and some red-winged blackbirds and Mallards, I haven't seen many migrating birds this fall. Happily this chipping sparrow stopped by long enough to pose for me. This is only the second time I've photographed this species here, and the first in the fall migration.
Some species info: www.inaturalist.org/taxa/9135-Spizella-passerina
She sat on the limb; so timid and watched all alone as the other birds were eating. I saw her sitting there and jumped up and found some fresh sunflower seeds and filled up the feeder to give them all easy access. I was sitting in my chair watching and soon she was right there on the feeder with the home birds eating happily. That was two days ago. I haven't seen her since. Happy Travels little bird.
Kingfisher - Alcedo Atthis
The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) also known as the Eurasian kingfisher, and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but migrates from areas where rivers freeze in winter.
This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed kingfisher profile; it has blue upperparts, orange underparts and a long bill. It feeds mainly on fish, caught by diving, and has special visual adaptations to enable it to see prey under water. The glossy white eggs are laid in a nest at the end of a burrow in a riverbank.
The female is identical in appearance to the male except that her lower mandible is orange-red with a black tip. The juvenile is similar to the adult, but with duller and greener upperparts and paler underparts. Its bill is black, and the legs are also initially black. Feathers are moulted gradually between July and November with the main flight feathers taking 90–100 days to moult and regrow. Some that moult late may suspend their moult during cold winter weather.
The flight of the kingfisher is fast, direct and usually low over water. The short rounded wings whirr rapidly, and a bird flying away shows an electric-blue "flash" down its back.
The common kingfisher is widely distributed over Europe, Asia, and North Africa, mainly south of 60°N. It is a common breeding species over much of its vast Eurasian range, but in North Africa it is mainly a winter visitor, although it is a scarce breeding resident in coastal Morocco and Tunisia. In temperate regions, this kingfisher inhabits clear, slow-flowing streams and rivers, and lakes with well-vegetated banks. It frequents scrubs and bushes with overhanging branches close to shallow open water in which it hunts. In winter it is more coastal, often feeding in estuaries or harbours and along rocky seashores. Tropical populations are found by slow-flowing rivers, in mangrove creeks and in swamps.
Like all kingfishers, the common kingfisher is highly territorial; since it must eat around 60% of its body weight each day, it is essential to have control of a suitable stretch of river. It is solitary for most of the year, roosting alone in heavy cover. If another kingfisher enters its territory, both birds display from perches, and fights may occur, in which a bird will grab the other's beak and try to hold it under water. Pairs form in the autumn but each bird retains a separate territory, generally at least 1 km (0.62 mi) long, but up to 3.5 km (2.2 mi) and territories are not merged until the spring.
Very few birds live longer than one breeding season. The oldest bird on record was 21 years.
They are also listed as a Schedule 1 species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act offering them additional protection.
Population:
UK breeding:
3,800-6,400 pairs
Several of them paused on their way down to SW Mexico for a couple of days, feeding at a large butterfly bush in the yard. I spent some time with them in the dappled light. A morning glory vine made itself a happy home in this bush over the summer... thus the flower mixture in this shot :)
2,500 - 3,000 miles they travel between southern Canada/northern US down to the forests of Mexico. Ponder that for such a delicate creature!
It would have been impossible to count the number of wildebeests in this line. They were running one at a time across the road, much to the annoyance of the motorists opposite. It was not quite migration time but they were perhaps practising. It was quite a sight. Serengeti
We get large flocks of three kind of migrants this time of year, red-winged blackbirds, grackles and starlings. These are the grackles.
Crested Tit - Lophophanes cristatus
Abernethy
The European crested tit, or simply crested tit (Lophophanes cristatus) (formerly Parus cristatus), is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder in coniferous forests throughout central and northern Europe and in deciduous woodland in France and the Iberian peninsula.
In Great Britain, it is chiefly restricted to the ancient pinewoods of Inverness and Strathspey in Scotland, and seldom strays far from its haunts.
A few vagrant crested tits have been seen in England. It is resident, and most individuals do not migrate.
It is an easy tit to recognise, for besides its erectile crest, the tip of which is often recurved, its gorget and collar are distinctive. It is, like other tits, talkative, and birds keep up a constant zee, zee, zee ,similar to that of the coal tit.
It makes a nest in a hole in rotting stumps. This bird often feeds low down in trees, but although not shy, it is not always easily approached. It will join winter tit flocks with other species.
Like other tits it is found in pairs and it feeds on insects (including caterpillars) and seeds.
Population:
UK breeding:
1,500 pairs
UK wintering:
5,200-9,500 birds
First saw Black-bellied Whistling Ducks in the Rio Grande Valley, at the very south of Texas, three years ago. Today they are in large numbers in many colonies throughout my suburb of Houston, 3.5 degrees farther north in latitude, about 385 kilometers (240 miles). Global warming? This shot was taken on my morning walk about Double Lake, Sugar Land, Texas. Notice an Egyptian Goose in the background, also a new migrant, hanging out with the ducks.
It's late December and hordes of photographers are currently converging on Big Sur's Pfeiffer beach from all over the world. As one puzzled visitor asked me last week, "What's with all the photographers? What are they shooting?" The answer, of course, is the light pouring through the Keyhole Arch which only happens from mid December through January each year.
Just out of curiosity, I headed back this year on solstice to see if the light was any better than two years ago but while I was there, I discovered that Pfeiffer offers far more for photographers than just the light in the Keyhole Arch. For starters, this photo isn't from the Keyhole. It's from another small archway just South of the keyhole. Most photographers completely ignore this spot since the multitudes are flocking the the larger archway to the North. Secondly, the TIDE is a huge factor in what type of light will make it through the arch and for how long. Even though I was there on December 21, the light we had two years ago was far superior to what we had this year as the high water level actually cut off the light through the arch with at least 10 minutes of golden sunlight left. And lastly, the entire area is an incredible location to shoot. In spite of the many opportunities on this stretch of coastline, I watched almost 50 photographers leave en masse as soon as the sun dipped below the horizon, migrating back to their cars in droves while there was still plenty of good light and sunset color in the sky. Why? The sunlight in the archway had disappeared, and to them, the show was now over.
For more tips on shooting the Keyhole arch AND the rest of Pfeiffer Beach, please feel free to check out
Tips For Shooting Big Sur’s Pfeiffer Beach
which is up today on The Resonant Landscape.
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Love the way these vibrant, little Bittersweet berries seem to be flying. Yes, they're invasive but they truly are beautiful in the Fall & Winter landscapes. (Don't you agree, Carol?) :)
No nothing spectacular about this capture except I arrived at the lake thirty minutes before sunrise and everything was still when I started hearing faint noises and low and behold I watched literally thousands of birds far overhead flying North in V formations! It was a steady stream until sunrise. Spring indeed has arrived! ~
27/02 Migrating birds flying over a fishing lake in the outskirts of Tata
Komarom-Esztergom county, Hungary
Merlin
The Merlin (Falco columbarius) is a small species of Falcon from the Northern Hemisphere, with numerous subspecies throughout North America and Eurasia. A bird of prey once known colloquially as a Pigeon Hawk in North America, the Merlin breeds in the northern Holarctic; some migrate to subtropical and northern tropical regions in winter. Males typically have wingspans of 21–23 inches, with females being slightly larger. They are swift fliers and skilled hunters who specialize in preying on small birds in the size range of sparrows to quail. The Merlin has for centuries been well regarded as a Falconry Bird. In recent decades Merlin populations in North America have been significantly increasing, with some Merlin’s becoming so well adapted to city life that they forgo migration.
For more info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_(bird)