Daily Photo's Volume #304

Look at these unlikely companions; the Great Blue Heron and American Coots.

Lily_love - Nice capture of the Great Blue Heron and American Coots together.

Here's a collage of a Mourning Dove and a female Brown-headed Cowbird.

Hack

My last picture post is a collage of my tow most common birds at this time. A Robin and a Grackle.

Hack

Another Great Blue Heron on the tree. Thanks Hack, I'll be looking out for those Audubon Warblers.

Lily_love - I overlooked the nests made by the Barn Swallow under the bridge. Now that is too cool.

Hack

I'm very fond of the Doves, any kind of Doves. Your Robin looks like 'Elvis look-alike'. lol. (Someone has one aptly named Elvis with the hair do).

Hack, I've captured the activity at the Barn Swallows' community nest on video. I'll try to put that on utube tomorrow to share tomorrow. G'night to all.

Lily, I think we're out of luck in maybe seeing Audobon's Y-r Warbler. According to my Kaufmann book the farthest east they come, is mid Texas. It shows no visits to any state east of Texas - ever.

And I'm looking forward to seeing the Barn Swallow video.

Hack

Nice shots everyone!! Lily, your swallow's are actually Cliff Swallow's, which often nest under bridge's or the side's of building's.

Have a few shots from the feeder today.

Sorry forgot to say Chipping Sparrow for the first bird.

Common Grackle

another shot...

one more of the Common Grackle

Wow! You guys are smokin!!! Already up to 48 replies in the newest thread! Roll on!!!

Hack... great start with your lifer! Beautiful bird that Indigo Bunting! Also a good view of the "crests" on the cormorants!

Nanny... great shots of the Towhee!

Dellrose... that is such a good shot of the Pheobe on the fence!

Adelbertcat... like your dove and towhee.

Sacarvounis... that male bluebird is really pulling out the stops isn't he? How sweet he is!

Gardenpom... great mix of birds in your collage.

Lily! Wow! It's a barn swallow condominium!!! Love it!

Great job to all!

All I have is another photo or two from the zoo trip...

Peacock

Blue Jay from early this morning..

one more of the Blue Jay...

a couple shots of the Brown-headed Cowbird.

Nice shot VA_Wild_Rose!

2nd shot of B-h Cowbird

Temminck's Tragopan (Thank you Resin!)

He sure is attractive!


This message was edited Apr 6, 2010 12:28 AM

Caught him cracking his seed...

Burd... your Grackle is so irridescent! And I love the second Blue Jay!

Sorry we're cross-posting Burd!

This little guy is another beauty! He has been ID'd as a Blue-crowned Motmot! Thank you rockminer (Bill)!

Yes, he lives at National Zoo too!

This message was edited Apr 5, 2010 12:18 PM

last one of B-h Cowbird...

Last shot...female House Finch

Thanks ok VA_Rose it happens...

Burd, thought you may be interested in knowing that there are two forms of the Common Grackle. Your second Grackle pic (brown body, black head), according to p336 of Kaufmann's North American Birds field guide, is a form of the Common Grackle known as a "Bronzed Grackle" ("the book said bronzy body contrasts with blue-black head").

I've seen several Bronzed Grackles around here, but have no pics. The usual ones I see around here are a form called the "Purple Grackle". Kaufmann described it as: "having a purple and green gloss, less contrast." Though, the ones I see are more purple gloss.

Hack

This message was edited Apr 5, 2010 12:11 AM

VA_Wild_Rose - the one you that said was another beauty but you didn't know his name - that thing is gorgeous. Were you at the zoo still?

Hack

This message was edited Apr 5, 2010 12:15 AM

Hack, yes Purple form is in the south-east but I swear I got a photo of a (purple form) somewhere in the mountain of pictures I have. It looked like yours does...purple.

Wow, look at how many posts have been made on the new thread already! Thanks for the new thread Hack. I really like how you make those collage photo's, some day I'm going to try to learn how to do that!

Great pic's everyone! Va_Wild_Rose: Love those shots you got at the zoo, especially that second one, gorgeous color on that pretty bird, I will be curious to hear the name of that beauty!

I really like the sleek, shiny colors of the Grackle's and Cowbirds. We've got a couple of Grackles hanging around but I haven't seen any cowbirds in a couple of weeks so I guess they have moved on to greener pastures. During the winter we had very large flocks of both cowbirds and grackles. I can't tell the difference in grackles, they all look the same to me except I know the Boat-tailed Grackle is larger than the Common Grackle.

Well, I don't have much to share right now but I did get this shot today of a Great Big Bird. Space Shuttle Discovery launched at 6:21 a.m. this morning. I think it's the last night time launch before the shuttle program is retired. Nothing much to see except the bright orange flame of light flying through the sky, but it sure is pretty.

Holy Smokes you guys are on a tear!!!!

Sacar, I love your very sweet Bluebird pair!

GP, Nice collage and individual pics! Good Mockingbird shot!

Lily, Congratulations on the Cliff Swallows!!! Beautiful scene with the Great Blue Heron and Coots!

Hack, Love your collages! The Mockingbird is so handsome!

Burd, Great shots of your backyard birds! The Grackles are so striking!

Hi Lin, Good one of the Space Shuttle!!!

VA, The Peacock, is beautiful and the one between the Cowbirds is absolutely stunning!!!

Just spotted a male Downy Woodpecker and a female Red-bellied at two different suet feeders. It's a bit foggy here this morning, so this isn't the clearest shot. Female Red-bellied Woodpecker:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KZv6ue8Ns0

Above is a short clip on the Swallow's Nests. Wild Rose, Swallow's condos. is so appropriate a name. lol. Love the colorful birds pics. you've share from your trip to the Zoo, thank you. I especially wanted the Peacock but afraid neighbors won't agree if I adopt one for a backyard's bird. lol.

Burd thank you for the correction on the Swallows' Identity. Thank also goes to Resin for the confirmation. Nice shot of the Red Bellied Woodpecker under the morning sun lit, Lin.

p.s. It's my voice in the video saying "Baby" instead of "babies" and "Zooming in" since the audio quality isn't very audible. It was my first impression that there were babies in the condos, but I could be wrong (again).

Lily: Thanks for sharing that cute video, loved it! That is so cool watching them fly in and then squeezing into those little entrance holes! I bet there are babies in some of those nests, at least from the way that one bird was hanging on the edge and bending in and out, gives me the impression that it was feeding it's young.

Thank Lin, glad you've enjoyed the video. I was so tickled when I discovered the nests--again this year at a different location. Last year I first discovered them at a different bridge. Last Friday I went back to the old site, and all the old "condos." were gone. Then hubby decided to go look for them on our boat ride yesterday and finding them (swallows) again was a treat!

Another Great Blue Heron patiently waiting for a meal to surface.

Sun bathing, guarding its nest. We spotted the nest (for the first time last Friday), as we arrived at the site yesterday on our boat below. Two of these lovelies came by and checked us out. This one stood here and watch us, another one landed near by.

We were litterally within arm-reach of these two Mallards. They are so used to being around people, they didn't pay us no mind. lol.

Lily: Those are really great shots of the Heron. I hope you will add them with the others in Bird Files: http://davesgarden.com/guides/birdfiles/go/61

Love the shot of the Mallards with the female's head under water!

Lin, I've added my zipcode reports. Will see about adding some pics. as I can sort out which photo to add. Thanks for the the encouragement.

Yesterday I saw two Squiggies (Squirrels) robing these poor Red Headed Woopeckers' nest. I was surprised that at the same time, I saw the woodpecker pecking on the very next tree (next to the nest their home!) as I shared the picture which Hack and Duc saw yesterday. I was stunted that the birds didn't respond to the Squiggies in regard to their unfriendly bahavior. Well this morning, the Squirrels are gone. The Redheaded WP reclaimed its tree. I'm glad to see a happy ending out in the wild, wild East. lol

Welcome Rockminer (Bill) and thank you for the I.D. on the beautiful Motmot.