The tank is about 3/4 full of readers’ photos, so if yours hasn’t appeared don’t worry. And I’m always looking for good wildlife photos, so send yours in—though be aware that it could be up to two months before they appear if they are good. I try to let readers know when their photos are up.
Today we have photos from two regulars. By now you’ll know Stephen Barnard from Idaho, who has some nice avocets for us.
Here are some American Avocets (Recurvirostra americana) out my back door that are nearly tame. I think this is at least their second year with us. Neither Deets [his border collie] nor I can spook them without special effects.
Origin of RECURVIROSTRA “New Latin, from Latin recurvus curved back (from re- + curvus curved) +
-i- + rostrum beak”
Some fun avocet facts from the Cornell bird website:
With its elegant profile and striking coloration, the American Avocet is unique among North American birds. In summer it can be found in temporary and unpredictable wetlands across western North America where it swings its long upturned bill through the shallow water to catch small invertebrates.
And a desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii):
Diana MacPherson sends some melanistic squirrels and, as always, anthopormorphizes them. Readers can tell us whether these are gray or fox squirrels (I suspect the former):
I saw this guy eating up all the seeds I left on the deck for the chipmunk. I didn’t have to crop to make bigger which is something I found very different from chipmunk photos – I usually crop to get more chipmunk in the photo and less of everything else. Here, I couldn’t even get the whole squirrel in!! The first photo is cute because he selects the seeds so delicately. You can really see his claws in both pictures and his tufty ear fur!
The American Avocet looks like it is enjoying its reflection. 🙂
And snuggling himself in the first one.
It looks like it is posing in the final photo.
That i one adorable bird!
Okay, I’ll guess Fox Squirrel because that is what the experts say I have here?
The Avocet region is just west of us and we do not see them around here. Too bad
I believe I live out of the range of fox squirrels so I’m pretty sure it’s a black variation of a grey squirrel.
Good — I’m batting zero on squirrels.
Great photos, Diana.
We’ve got some leucistic S. carolinensis ’round these parts (for decades, as my great grandma had them in her yard when I was a wee lad in the early 80’s), but also some that are normal-ish in body color but have bizarre faint, light-reddish tails along with the full “normal” ones. It’s nice to have three variations. Sorry I’m such a crap photographer or I’d share images.
Nice.
Stephen, you must have an amazing variety of birds. Is this mainly transient birds on their migration?
We also have a remarkable concentration of melanistic squirrels in our neighborhood. I’d estimate about half the squirrels are melanistic.
The Avocets hang out here for a while, but they don’t breed here. Right now there are Cinnamon Teal and Gadwall in the creek (in addition the the omnipresent Mallards), but they don’t breed here, either.
Here’s a list of the birds I’ve seen on the ranch:
Bald Eagle
Golden Eagle
Osprey
Red-tailed Hawk
Northern Harrier
Rough-legged Hawk
Swainson’s Hawk
Sandhill Crane
Great Blue Heron
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Black-billed Magpie
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Canada Goose
Common Merganser
Hooded Merganser
Trumpeter Swan
Eurasian Collared Dove
House Finch
Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Marsh Wren
Chickadee
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Starling
American Robin
Common Nighthawk
Tree Swallow
Rufous Hummingbird
American Avocet
Willet
Greater Yellowlegs
Ring-billed Gull
American White Pelican
Crow
Raven
Belted Kingfisher
Killdeer
Great Horned Owl
Spotted Towhee
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Long-eared Owl
Turkey Vulture
American Widgeon
Spotted Sandpiper
Gadwall
Brewer’s Blackbird
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Long-billed Dowitcher
American Coot
Lesser Yellowlegs
Western Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
60
Barrow’s Goldeneye
Black-necked Stilt
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Western Wood-Pewee
Vester Sparrow
Warbling Vireo
Western Tanager
Chipping Sparrow
Northern Pintail
70
Cedar Waxwing
Common Yellowthroat
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Virginia Rail
Hungarian Partridge
Snow Goose
Wilson’s Snipe
Violet-green Swallow
Bank Swallow
Tundra Swan
80
American Tree Sparrow
American Kestrel
Long-billed Curlew
Ring-necked Pheasant
Chukar
I would just add from my experience — having the water really adds to the list, wherever you live.
Stephen
A short while ago I believe Jerry posted some camera information along with your photos. You mentioned being impressed with the Panasonic DMC-FZ200 I believe. Is that what these photos were taken with? I’m interested in that camera and wondering if you had any further things to say about it – or any possible competitors. One question: it seems to offer a bit smaller megapixels than some competitors at 12.1 instead of 16+, do you find this to be at all limiting?
Thank You
(Really enjoy the photos by the way)
These photos were taken with a Canon 5D3 DSLR.
Regarding the Panasonic DMC-FZ200, its selling point is the sharp, fast Leica lens. Bridge cameras are a quickly evolving technology. Some have more reach than the Panasonic if that’s what you’re after.
Wow, thanks Stephen.
I thought we had a nice list (we live amidst: Woodland, marsh, meadow, and ponds, all in close proximity and we are in the Mississippi Flyway). Ours id 2-1/2 columns single-spaced, 12 point on 8-1/2 X 11 paper, so I’m guessing something like 50 species. We only count ones we’ve seen from our yard.
You are reminding me that I need to put our list into Excel! 🙂
Fifty species from your yard isn’t shabby. I’d be curious to see the list.
I live on a 300-acre ranch with diverse habitat and many migrants. As it gets harder and harder to spot a new species I become more of a birder and less of a photographer. What the heck are those tiny, active LGBs (Little Gray Birds — Cinereus avis) flitting around in the shadows?
Thanks for the spectacular photos!
The only time I’ve seen a chukar was when one blew into our yard in a huge storm. It could have been from a farm or maybe was someone’s pet, as they’re not found in Ontario, as far as I know. Gorgeous bird. We fed and watered it in the cat carrier and took it to the wildlife people.
Chukar are an introduced species. They’re a popular upland game bird, but they tend to live in very steep, rugged county so hunting them is a physical challenge.
I think I may have asked this before: Are there ever avocets with bills curved to the right? Even as a tiny, tiny minority?
I’ve never noticed one.