If you have good photos, please send them to me while I’m on my trip, which will begin next Monday and end on Oct. 19. But today please enjoy a selection of bird photographs—plus one gratis mammal—by Colin Franks (Facebook page here, photography website here):
Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri):
Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis):
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus):
Barred Owl (Strix varia):
Bonaparte’s Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia):
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca):
Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata; I shot this from a kayak):
Harbour Seal (Phoca vitulina):
Didnt know where to post this, fascinating look at animal body sizes and their use of energy
http://noticing.co/on-size-and-metabolism/
Wonderful, as always. The Auklet picture reminds me of a vacation we took this summer, where we stayed by a lake. There was a family of loons (a male and female and one tiny chick) living on the lake. We could approach them in a kayak. We would have needed a good telephoto lens to get a picture, since they kept their distance and we did not want to upset them, but it was still fun being in their element.
The auklet picture is somewhat… Lovecraftian.
No, THIS is Lovecraftian (and feline):
http://i.imgur.com/683SId9.jpg
Cute shot! Your cat(s)?
No, it’s from twitter.
Gorgeous photos! I especially love the Barred Owl – he looks wise as an owl indeed, and his plumage is amazing. The Western Kingbird is a pretty little creature.
Barred owls are my absolute favorite. They’ve become very common in the Houston suburbs in the last twenty years. Their calls are simply amazing. Mated pairs make a terrifying series of territorial calls at the beginning of breeding series. I was quite surprised by it the first time I heard it.
You can hear it in the first two sound clips on this page:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/sounds
Thank you! That was terrific! I lived out in the country for years (I’m now a city dweller), and my favorite part of the day in the country was to have my coffee out on the porch before dawn and listen to the owls hooting in my woods. Ahhh, just thinking about it makes me happy!
I don’t know why, but pictures of seals always make me smile.
I recently made a whole album of seals on my Facebook page.
Beautiful pictures!
How the heck did that auklet catch six fish simultaneously?
Not all at once, they keep collecting them.
Yes, but–how do they keep hanging onto them like that?! 😀
Beautiful shots, Colin. I especially like the eye-level view of the Western Sandpiper which, for you non-birders out there, is slightly smaller than a North American bluebird.
Well young Colin certainly knows how to wield a camera! Fabulous shots!
Thanks. (Not so sure about the young part though) 🙂