Being back home, I can now begin catching up on the backlog of readers’ wildlife photos, but before I do I’ll put up some pictures that came in just a few days ago from the ever-diligent Stephen Barnard, who is moving on to new animals:
I’ve been taking a lot of hummingbird photos and getting a little bored with them. Here’s a Rufous (Selasphorus rufus) and a Black-chinned(Archilochus alexandri). I’m also including two new birds for Aubrey Spring Ranch: a pair of Wilson’s Phalaropes (Phalaropus tricolor) and a Western sandpiper (Calidris mauri):
Note: the range of the Western Sandpiper, as shown on the Cornell map, doesn’t include Idaho, so perhaps this one was migrating, or a stray:
The first Rufous picture is splendid. The best presentation of the species that I have seen at this notablog, I think.
I really enjoy your fantastic photographs of the hummingbirds, especially the one that show how their wings go in a figure eight pattern. I got that information from reading about them, but your still photos made it possible to see how the twist their wings to do that. I saved those pictures. yes on YouTube their are videos of them doing that in slow motion, but your pictures were great. I thank you for me and for others who do not respond! Thank you, Jerry Coyne! —I am reading Faith Versus Fact!
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New birds are always a welcome sight. Nice!
Your photos are always stunning Stephen. They’ve given me an appreciation and understanding of a bird’s “design” that I just didn’t have before.
You’ve got some great angles on those hummers!
Stunning images!
No pictures to show for it, but while looking for some local Bald Eagles today we were instead treated to a swimming and diving show by a group of about 37 juvenile Common Mergansers. I imagine there were a couple of adult females in there, but I’m not sure. A Great Blue Heron and a Green were in the area too, but no eagles.