Send in your photos, please!
Today’s bird photos come from reader Paul Edelman, who has contributed before through his wife. Today he sends us the photos himself. Edelman is a professor of mathematics and law at Vanderbilt University, and his commentary is indented. Click on the photos to enlarge them.
Rather than have my wife, Suzanna Sherry, do my dirty work, this time I am submitting some photos for you to post on WEIT. They were taken on our recent trip to Kiawah Island, a barrier island near Charleston, SC. As before, all the pictures were taken with a Nikon D500 camera and Nikkor 500mm f/5.6 lens
On the very first day there I got a nice picture of a painted bunting (Passerina ciris). They nest on Kiawah and are remarkably common to see.
On the same day I captured this female ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilocus colubris).
I saw many great crested flycatchers (Myiarchus crinitus) and caught this one with his lunch.
Common gallinules [also known as moorhens] (Gallinula galeata) were nesting in the ponds. One picture shows all the developmental stages from baby to juvenile to mature. The other shows the mother feeding the babies.
Around the ponds we found this green heron (Butorides virescens).
And finally two babies: a juvenile Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) and a juvenile tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor), the latter of which plopped itself down on the ground with its wings splayed.
The flycatcher is a handsome little devil. Lovely photos.
I think the titmouse is sunning itself in that position, to reduce parasites and fungus.
Very fine pictures. The island seems an interesting place.
Lovely pictures. That bunting is amazing for its colors.
Excellent avian photos. It would seem the island is a haven for birds.
You made my day, Prof. Edelman. The Painted Bunting is one of my all-time favourite birds. Sheer splendour! I must visit that island someday where they nest.
Minor comment on the female Ruby-throated Hummingbird – in fact, it is a first-year bird and so impossible to tell the sex. You can tell it is a young bird by how the feathers appear like scales, with lighter margins. Adult birds are more uniformly colored without such scaling. Great pictures regardless!
Thank you for this comment. I am a novice still learning about these nuances. I appreciated the feedback and correction!