Showing posts with label Bonaparte's Gull. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bonaparte's Gull. Show all posts
Saturday, November 22, 2025
Sunday, January 5, 2025
Saturday, November 9, 2024
Monday, November 7, 2022
Saturday, February 20, 2021
Saturday, November 7, 2020
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Sunday, January 27, 2019
Saturday, January 26, 2019
December Melds Into January with New Year's More Recent Bird Trappings
Northern Harrier
Pied-billed Grebes
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Bonaparte's Gull
Red-shouldered Hawk
Ruddy Ducks
American Goldfinch
Northern Shoveler
Bonaparte's Gull
mid-December 2018 - mid-January 2019
The only photo worth getting at Christmas Bird Count on northwest Payne County was the distant Northern Harrier shot. It beautifully shows the white uppertail coverts so characteristic of the species.
The remainder are all from Boomer Lake Park, some mornings of which were on the colder side for ducks and other water birds.
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet seems to be coming less often, but as can be noted, it was a fairly good photo. These birds constantly tail flick and are on the move, rarely still for any appreciable amount of time.
The Bonaparte's Gulls were on the lake much more frequently this winter. We have had mostly light freezes but those have been few and far between. Today was more of a medium freeze found closer to the edges f the water, but spread out toward the inner part of the lake. Heron Cove was once again iced over.
We seem to be down to one Ruddy Duck now and winter's hawks make an occasional appearance.
The American Goldfinches are steady visitors this winter. Ducks have been visiting more during the cold, and fortunately this Northern Shoveler provided a nice in flight photo op. Pied-billed Grebes vary in numbers, but there is usually at least one most days and up to six have been observed.
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Saturday, February 18, 2017
Birding on a Shoestring--The Final Countdown from South Padre Island
Bonaparte's Gull
Solitary Sandpiper
Roseate Spoonbill
American Coot
Bonaparte's Gull
Black Skimmer
01-23-17
The first shot is Bonaparte's Gull from Boca Chica State Park, just south of South Padre Island.
The remainder is the last of the group from South Padre Island's jetty, and the last of the photos
from this trip. Thanks for viewing and I'll see you again at home in Oklahoma.
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Birding On a Shoestring At the Lower Rio Grande Valley In Coastal Waters
Reddish Egret
Ditto
Ditto
Redhead Pair
Bonaparte's Gull (top)
Ring-billed Gull (Bottom)
Reddish Egret
Reddish Egret
Ditto
Snowy Egret
Redheads in Flight
Female Redhead
Snowy Egret
Ditto
Ditto
Tri-colored Heron
01-23-17
This portion of the Lower Rio Grande Valley journey encompassed a couple of places on the coast, one of which I had never been.
These birds are old friends, and even though more will be shown to you later, these are some of my favorite birds, especially since I happen to be a heron specialist. In general, water birds are
intriguing to me, as they sometimes have to be wily and cunning in order to get a meal.
Just as an example, the Snowy Egret has yellow feet for that purpose. The feet resemble worms in the water, and this bird has a natural instinct to lift and move its feet in a circular motion in order to attract fish and small crustaceans, as well as swirling them to the surface. Isn't nature wonderful with some built-in ways to achieve the feeding goal?
The Reddish Egret is a canopy fisher, as you can see with its wings raised above its head. It also tends to run about in the water in order to stir fish to move toward the surface.
Ducks are also some of my favorites, having grown up in an area where there were and still are, water birds a-plenty.
The pictures of the Redheads will thrill you as much to view them, as it did for me to take the pictures.
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