View allAll Photos Tagged sharpness
Starting with this Sharp-tailed Grouse, the theme for my next few posts will be birds that nest on the ground.
It comes as a mild surprise to me that this group of birds can ever raise their young. The list of critters in various habitats that will eat their eggs and prey on their young is long. But evolution has provided ways for these birds to survive and thrive.
Nesting for this species is described by the Cornell Lab:
"Females select the nest site in grassland with brushy cover, usually less than a mile from the lek, in a place with vegetation at least 3 inches high. The female builds a nest that is an oval-shaped depression incorporating nearby plants—grasses, sedges, ferns, mosses, forbs, and leaves, sometimes lined with breast feathers. Nests are about 7 inches wide and 2.8 inches deep."
This pretty female was photographed in Custer State Park, South Dakota.
Take care when picking brambles, you may come across some sharp thorns! A close up of some nasty thorns seen at the local park.
Twice yesterday (March 2) this bird made kills. Here it is eating a House Finch. For those who may not know. the diet for Sharp-shinned hawks is mostly birds. This is in my backyard, Yakima County, Washington. I don't like the white snow background but that was my only option. Although it is not evident from this photo the hawk is sitting on large snow covered planter. I will upload photos of the second return of this bird which killed and ate a California Quail in the afternoon. IMG_4636
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is related to our Pectoral Sandpiper, and like that species it is a long-distance migrant, traveling from Siberia to Australia and New Zealand. A few reach North America every year, mostly fall migrants in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
You hear them all over Iceland as they pop up with sharp criesand they circle their territory with "drumming" sounds. Once they begin their descent, their downward swoop causes this "drumming" sound as the wind vibrates their outer tail feathers. They are difficult to see on the ground as they are secretive and shy. Early this morning, my luck changed as this sleepy snipe stayed long enough for this image. The background is a field of yellow buttercups.
Photographed in my back yard. This bird stopped by or flew by at least 4 times yesterday. As of mid-day, Feb 11 I saw 2 Sharp-shinned hawks chasing a junco or maybe one was trying to chase the other away and at the same time going for the junco so maybe I saw more than one SSHA yesterday. IMG_0860
These little scissors sport amazingly SHARP blades! One of many tools in a Swiss Army Knife. This one's outer cover is blue: an L.L.Bean edition.
Theme: "Sharp"
Thank you for taking the time to view my photo, and for the faves and comments you make, thank you.
I wasn't going to upload more photos today but this hawk showed up and let me get a few photos. It moved around so I am posting 3 shots from different positions. This is in my backyard, Yakima County, Washington. This adult bird has now stopped by 3 consecutive days. IMG_6966
What’s up guys? Here is another stormy image from the Windy City. I had high expectations for this sunset that didn’t pan out as expected. At least I got there just in time to catch the last few moments of light just before sun got covered with the thick layer of clouds. What do you think?
I thought this was a Sharp-shinned hawk when I first saw it and it may be. What do you think? It is smaller (maybe 12 inches in length) than the adult Cooper's Hawk that I have photographed several times, and may have slightly skinnier legs.
Yesterday (Feb. 5) I saw this bird on my apricot tree out the back window. I walked out my front door and looked around the corner and didn't see it until it hopped up on another branch. I got one photo, which is the 3rd photo in this series. Then it flew towards me and landed on a fence only 20 feet from where I was standing, which is the 2nd photo. A short time latter it flew down to where I took the last picture, which is the first in this series. There was a bird, probably a junco under the propped up plywood. The little bird flew under my car with the hawk in hot pursuit. IMG_5815
Green sharp knife cutting a cherry tomato :)
Macro Mondays - theme: "Sharp"
Our Daily Challenge - theme: "Daily Routine"
A Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus ) perched on a fence post on the edge of a prairie meadow near Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada.
2 June, 2011.
Slide # GWB_20110602_2077.CR2
Use of this image on websites, blogs or other media without explicit permission is not permitted.
© Gerard W. Beyersbergen - All Rights Reserved Worldwide In Perpetuity - No Unauthorized Use.
The Sharp-shinned Hawk is a small, agile, and acrobatic raptor that's the smallest of North America's bird-hunting accipiters. They're about the size of a blue jay, with long legs, short wings, and long tails. Adults are blue-gray above with red-orange bars on their chests.
Photographed at Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge,
Coastal SC, USA
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Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Whiffin Spit, Sooke, BC
A relatively rare visitor to the Victoria area. I stumbled across this bird foraging along the shore at Whiffin Spit with Black Turnstone and Dunlin.
Smooth snow drifts contrast with the sharp barbs on a fence near Bennington, Idaho. We had a couple of inches of new snow over the last few days and a lot of wind blew it into drifts around piles of plowed snow. Late afternoon shadows help define the drift shapes.
Happy "Looking close... on Friday!" with "combinations of soft & sharp".
... and thank you so much for your views, faves and comments! :-)