Reader Colin Franks, whose photography website is here and Facebook page here, sent one of his infrequent but beautiful batches of photos. He promises more soon. The identifications are his:
Female Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna):
Male Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna):
[JAC: These next two are especially adorable!]
Baby Wood Duck (Aix sponsa):
Baby Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos):
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus):
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus):
American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana):
Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis):
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys):
Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii):
Thanks. Gorgeous.
Lovely stuff Colin! Thanks for sharing these.
Those are all great pics, thanks!
Sweet, just sweet.
These are wonderful, many thanks indeed for sharing!
Absolutely stunning. Thank you for sharing.
Fantastic images Colin!
These provide a rare intimate close-in view of these lovely creatures.
Great birds! This is why I returned to birding after years away. They are just so fun to see.
Great bird photos, it must have taken a lot of patience to get them.
Indeed! And not just a few mosquito bites, as well.
Q: I may have asked this here before, but nevertheless: Have there ever been any reports of avocets with the beak bend in the opposite direction? I would imagine the chirality is dependent on just one gene, perhaps even just one SNP of one gene. I would expect occasional mutations.
Given enough iterations, undoubtedly every variation shows up once in a while, including straight, and curved in different ways. There must be an advantage to the upward curve.
Just beautiful!
Wonderful, as always.
Ooh, Mr. (Dr.?) Franks’ photos are a special treat. Thanks for these beautiful examples.
You, Mr. Colin Franks, are a genius behind the lens! Thanks!