Daily Pictures Volume # 302

Double-crested Cormorant...

A Scew... ??? Nope... but it IS a Smew! Thanks Resin!!!

(Edited to correct the name, thanks to Resin!)



This message was edited Mar 31, 2010 9:46 PM

Last is a Wood Duck (I think)... please correct me if wrong!

"A Merganser, but I am usure of his full name" - Hooded Merganser

"A Scew... ???" - Smew. Native to northern Europe.

Resin

Those zoo birds are spectacular, Rose. Love the Mandarins and the Toucan especially. I guess if I really want to see an Owl, I better go to the zoo!

Thank you Wild Rose for sharing those wonderful pics. Thanks to Resin for help on identifying some of the unknown. Nan, happy belated B-day. It's so beautiful when our wishes came true. Hack, thank you I'm glad you've enjoyed my Baltirmore Oriole.

My Eastern Phoebes are here in number, but have yet found their nesting site. It's lovely to hear them sing among other songbird's in the morning. Pelle I'm hoping you're getting better everyday.

One the last thread, great photos everyone. Hack, loved your evil grackle!!

Gras, thanks for the great start. Your goldfinch looks so pretty against the blue sky. Loved that "portrait" of the dove-she's just beautiful. That hawk count was awesome. Thanks for the lesson on "kettle" which I've not heard. I can't believe there were so many seen at one time-think the most I've ever seen at once was three. Great pictures, especially that Phaino! That's one bird that is on my "must photograph" this year. Our local birders just see one or two here a year so we're all keeping watch.

Met, beautiful photos! Love that male cardinal and I'd probably think I was photographing a mockingbird if I ever saw that female phaino. Now I know-love this board because I learn so much from everyone. What a spectacular sight to see so many hawks.

Adel, hope the sun is out there today. Cute robin.

Burd, great pictures of the Cooper's.

GP, wonderful photos, especially of the catbird and last wp-wowsers!

Lily, beautiful catches on the towhee and oriole.

Red, cute one of the bbs.

Nanny, spectacular wp-congrats on the sighting.

Wildrose, amazing photographs!! I loved the first Mandarin Ducks and the colors of the Toucan.

Lily, your little Phoebe is a cutie too!

Our Bald Eagles are really enjoying the wind and rain. They always seem more active at that time. This morning two adults were flying back and forth and one finally sat on a tree below our house for over an hour.

One of my many Brewers Blackbirds.

Here's one Tree Swallow that I got through the window.

The House Sparrows have been gone for two days so my DH put the birdhouses back up for the swallows. They're already peeking in them and sitting below on their usual branches. Crossing my fingers the sparrows don't return.

I took this picture standing about 5 feet away from them. As long as I move slowly, they will not leave the perch. Funny, they'll even allow our two dogs to walk up close to them.

This California Towhee looked cute with the Redbud tree in bloom behind it.

VA, Beautiful shots of all the birds at the zoo!!! Of course I adore Toucan Sam. :-)

Lily, Wonderful shot of the Phoebe!!

Duc, Excellent shot of the Eagle and those Tree Swallows are gorgeous. You live in a wonderful area for birds!

Thanks Pelle. Hope you're feeling stronger today.

I just watched the news and saw all the flooding in the northeast. I hope all our DG friends are safe.

Most of us seem to be, wouldn't know about people in R.I.

The hard drive on my laptop crashed last night so I've been off-line all day .. Wow! Look at all the beautiful birds I've missed!

Grasmussen: Thanks for the new thread. Those Lesser Goldfinches are lovely! I've never seen one before. Great shot of the Dove, love the close up of that beautiful face! Thanks for the education on those Swainson's Hawks, very interesting. I've never heard that term "Kettle". So glad you explained the picture of the one with the ant in it's talons! I kept looking at that photo and wondered why it looked odd. How cool!

Methodical: Love, Love, Love the Cardinals ... beautiful shots! And, that bird with no common name is interesting. When I first clicked to enlarge the picture I thought it looked like a black Cardinal!

adelbertcat: Great Robin pic! Look at that worm it found! We get lots of Robins during the winter and I've never seen one actually get a worm.

Burd: Nice shots of the Cooper's Hawk!

GP: Love the Collared Dove, don't think I've ever seen one around these parts. I'll have to check my bird book and read about them. Wow, really nice photo of the Catbird!

Lily: Nice one of the male Towhee! I love that tree he's perched in too, is it a willow of some sort? The Cherry blossoms are gorgeous!

Reddirttree: Oh, that is a great picture of the Bluebirds! They are so pretty!

Nanny: Love that big Pileated Woodpecker!

Va_Wild_Rose: Those Mandarin Ducks are really beautiful! And the photo of the Toucan is awesome ... looks like a rainbow! I love Owls ... don't know why but have always loved those eyes! Thanks for sharing your visit to the Nat'l Zoo!

duc: The Barn Swallows are lovely, I especially like the one singing his heart out, and the little Towhee is so cute ... but the Eagle in flight is really Awesome!

Plantladylin, yes that's a weeping willow. The Cherry is Yoshino Cherry. I caught this Housefinch munching on the cherry blossom this afternoon. It was just a pickin' the petals and dropped them, but apparently he was enjoying the motion. Naughty, naughty boy!

...

I thought it looked like a Willow! Oh, the Yoshino Cherry tree is so beautiful!

Well, I lost a couple thousand pictures when my computer crashed last night. My husband installed a new hard drive this evening and updated some software or something, so I just downloaded a couple of pictures I took this afternoon.

This Blue Jay seemed to be posing for the camera:

Okay....I was doing yard work today and look at all the great pics here now!

Wild_Rose...nice shots from the zoo!

Duc...awesome shot of the eagle!

Lily...your tree is makes for very pretty photo ops!

The Tufted Titmouse on the suet...They must be getting busy nesting, not here as much right now!

Resident Mockingbird:

Nanny: The Tufted Titmouse is adorable! I've seen a couple around but can't get a pic for the life of me ... they are quick little birdies!

Here's one of our resident Red-bellied's:

Mourning Dove:

Jay on a wire getting ready to swoop in for a peanut:

A little Cardinal perched on top of a martin house ... no martins in residence, probably wrens.

Thanks to Resin for the IDs on my earlier photos!

Duc... Your tree Swallows are just spectacular! That photo of the pair is just stunning! I love your eagle too!

Nanny... Congrats on your Pileated! They are really cool WPs! Happy belated Birthday too!

Met... I really like your cardinals... especially "The Lady"!

Reddirtretiree... Great shot of the BBs on the nestbox... actually looked like a lovers' spat to me!

Gardenpom... Your red-bellied looks a bit different than mine, but he sure is pretty! Are you near the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge? A Flickr contact of mine was talking about the owls there.

Lily... I love your Oriole in the cherry blossoms!

Burd... Mr. Cooper is looking quite dapper!

Grasmussen... I especially like the dove and the Swainson's Hawk.

If I missed anyone, I am sorry! I always enjoy all of the photos here!

Last one from me for now. An immature Cardinal perched in the Senna tree:

Plantlady...that Jay was posing nice for you...that mocker is so pretty!

I had 3 male Red-winged Blackbirds in the yard friday...I was so excited!

This message was edited Mar 31, 2010 10:12 PM

I was even able to get 2 in the same shot! Dh waited patiently for me to get a good shot. Then we went out eat. Had some good Cajun food!

This message was edited Mar 31, 2010 10:14 PM

Hi Lin! You and I cross-posted! Great shots! You must have a great backyard!

From a recent walk along the river...

Every March, the shad and herring swim up the Rappahannock to spawn... and the Great Blue Herons feast! I've seen as many as 20 out in the river fishing at one time. We've been having some flooding so there haven't been as many. Today the river is muddy... this was from the weekend.

Dont' think this RWB wanted to share with the Brown-headed Cowbird!

And the Osprey hover above the water, searching for the perfect opportunity and fish, then swoop down on it!

Sorry I keep crossing over you Nanny!

Nanny, I love the Red-winged Blackbirds. We've seen so many this year and there are still a couple hanging around and visiting the feeders. I lost all of my pictures when my laptop crashed last night. :( I've been wondering why some of them have brighter wing patches than others? I got this pic that I put in PF: http://davesgarden.com/guides/birdfiles/showimage/5194/ of two males at the feeder that had really bright colors in their wings. Haven't seen any more as bright. I've only seen one female Red-winged and didn't even know what kind of bird it was until someone here identified it for me, not nearly as colorful as the male but still pretty in her own way.

Rose: Wow, great pic's as always! We see Great Blue Heron's and other Heron's here on the waterways but never that many at once ... I bet that was a sight to see! The Osprey is such a pretty bird, love that in-flight photo! I forgot to take my camera when I went to Wal-Mart yesterday. I wanted to take some current pic's of the Osprey's nesting atop the lights in the parking lot. I made myself a note to take my camera next trip! I'm going to make a point to drive over to a park on the Intracoastal waterway to get some pic's in the next day or two, or may even go over to the beach to see what I can see.

Great shots so far, everyone. Red, here is one of my couple, taken today.

Here is one of the few juncos still hanging around. I took more than 30 shots before I caught hin in the air.

The Butter Butt is still hanging around, looking for a few meal worms.

Another shot of him.

Male American Robin

Female

Last shot has to be a bluebird.