These Quails live around my daughter's house in Utah. I saw them early one morning when I was visiting, but don't know what kind they are. You can't see it in these photos, but the adults have some fleshy thing hanging from the tip of their beaks. Can any of you Westerners tell what they are from these terrible photos?
I love quail. I only observed a couple of species when I lived out West. Maybe you'll be able to get another photo sometime.
This came up, but doesn't help you really. Just information.
http://wildlife.utah.gov/uplandgame/quail/quail.php
California Quail in northern Utah, Gambel's Quail in central and southern Utah.
Resin
1. This Goldfinch was trying to land on the window after having succeeded on the screen nearby. He had been feeding from my sunflowers prior to this and after entertaining us, went right back to eating.
2. Why do Swallows congregate on the road? In the morning I could understand while it's cool, but this was in the heat of the day. A very warm day. We always slow down for them, but I imagine there might be casualties by other drivers.
What a funny Goldfinch!
This article says Swallows sit on roads to pick up gravel for their gizzards to help digest food and to sunbathe. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/18/cliff-swallows-road-deaths/1988363/
Thanks, Muddy, for finding that explanation. I know birds eat gravel, but it didn't register with Swallows.
I saw a female Goldfinch at the Maxis today, and then a male chased her off. Maybe he felt she needed to get back to the nest because he followed her up into a tree.
These two were chasing each other around and I had hoped to catch at least one while perched. It is hard to tell from the photo, but it is a pair of Kingfishers. I think a male and female but it could be parent and juvie same sex.
Nice dirt...also love the blue "smears" flying by!
I have to remember to stop deleting all my "appallingly bad pictures". Actually, most of my pictures are appallingly bad. :o)
I really don't know what to say about this...
It's very....ummm...green! What were you photographing?
It was a Red Mulberry, and there might have been a Cardinal in there somewhere.
Shooting from a moving truck in a nursery field was not a benefit to the final product...
It's rather artistic, though; it looks like something that belongs in a modern art museum!
I was just thinking the same thing. Abstract art is very popular.
I think you've got something there, Viburnum!
It could be called "A Rhapsody in Green" or "A Dream of Greens" ; - )
This rather plump-looking Hummingbird was partaking of my Salvia 'Black and Blue' today.
I suppose it's a Ruby-throated Hummingbird because those are pretty much the only ones we get in my area, but it was larger than the ones I normally see around here. Can anyone spot features in these wonderful photos (LOL!) that might point to a different kind of Hummer?
I cannot see anything but a Ruby-throated... it is good and fat for the migration south. :) We had two hummies visit this week, but now they're gone. Bummer... I was hoping this year would be a record late date. Local birders say to keep nectar out in October because, if there will be a rarity, this is when they'll come.
Here are two unidentified ducks, they are too embarrassing to get an identification. Maybe they are Gadwalls. ???
Yes, I guess it does look like a female Ruby-throated; the dark throat patch threw me.
As for your photo - I can tell they're ducks : - )
Muddy, some of the hummers get really chubby just before leaving. I've noticed over the years that not all of them "chub out" quite as much as others.
I didn't see any today at all and I was gone for much of yesterday, but this is usually when mine leave...boo. I always leave my feeders up for at least two to three weeks after they're gone, sometimes longer if it doesn't freeze...just in case there are any stragglers passing through.
Nice pic, Chilly. The blur makes me feel like I'm seeing double. :o)
Love it! :o)
Still trying for that Flicker in flight...
Well, at least you can tell it's a bird. :)
...and it's a nice clear photo! What kind of Flicker is that?
It is Flicker season in the yard, so I am having plenty of opportunities. But my clicker finger is not fast enough. One time I thought it was about to take off, so used the burst setting. And he just sat there, but he shifted and had one wing out. I wonder if he was laughing at me for all my lame attempts.
Thanks, Resin. I never realized their wings were so yellow.
This is why I've been wanting to get them in flight. That's when the yellow shows.
Here is the photo of its one wing. :)
Now why the heck did that bird only raise one wing?! That could have been a perfect shot!
Here's my contribution
Very good!
Yellow rumped Warbler?
Yes, Muddy. They are also called "Butterbutts". :) I call them Butters for short.
Those are wonderful, Methodical!
Thanks, Chillybean.
Yes, Methodical, I forgot to add that those are beautiful photos!
This could almost make me cry... two of my favorite birds (Harris's Sparrow and Junco) perched near each other and I get this. I've learned how to change lighting settings pretty quickly, but not the F-stops. I think that is what changes the focus range.
When I looked outside this morning, I saw Blue Birds, the usual assortment of Blue Jays, Cardinals, etc., and a large mixed flock of Robins and Starlings which were only there for the water. The Robins were so thirsty that they sipped muddy water under the bird bath while waiting for a turn. I have 2 birdbaths, but that wasn't enough so I put out 2 more temporarily.
I then noticed 6 Cedar Waxwings, which I have never seen in my yard before. What a treat! I didn't realize they were so small. I think they were traveling with the others.
I grabbed my iPhone and took a bevy of bad, blurry photos. They might have been better if I hadn't photographed through the screen, but then you wouldn't get to laugh at my bad photos!
This message was edited Jan 7, 2016 11:56 PM
No one has posted really bad photos for awhile, so I couldn't resist sharing two more!
Glad you revived this thread, muddy. Those may be bad pictures, but it is better than none! We have had Cedars in our yard and the photos icky, but it's proof they were here and good enough to warrant a spot in my photo album until a better one takes its place.
Here are two recent ones. Yes, we really saw Snow Buntings on the last day of the year, but I could cry. The second one was difficult to take, trying to zoom back far enough to show the number of birds on the tree. The camera kept wanting to focus on the glass covered in plastic for the winter. The majority of the birds were house finches.
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