Another one like the American Kestral I posted yesterday... isn't it unusual to see them this far north in winter? When leaving he flew the opposite direction, or I would have tried to capture the white wing bar... (Smaller patch of white compared to Mockingbird).
Maybe next time...
Suppose he is combing the fields for grasshoppers and small rodents...
Nice one. Tried to see if I could make a Northern Shrike of it, but I can't.
Sibley maps Loggerhead as resident throughout Texas, so not too far north for the winter.
Resin
Nice pics deb!! Their a handsome bird!!
Cool Resin,
Guess I need to get a Sibley, lol. What do the maps reflect about the Am. Kestral? Just curious.
Where I have been driving is all farm land.. Alfalfa and cover crops cover the land as far as the eye can see. Amazing what we can see when we look around. These aren't so rare, just unrecorded in certain books, I guess.
Thx Pelle!
This message was edited Jan 26, 2007 4:11 PM
[quote]What do the maps reflect about the Am. Kestrel?[quote]
Resident throughout the contiguous US except for the central far north (northern Idaho to northern MI) and the south of TX & LA (where a winter visitor only); summer visitor further north to include most of Canada.
Resin
Thank you Resin;->
You are a sweetheart!
:>
Deb, great photos! So are you out driving around to see what kinds of birds you can spot? I'm trying to do that a bit - mostly on the island where I live, but also when I head into the Seattle area.
Actually, My sister lives in a town just north of here, and I drive there a few times a week to taxi other family members. I watch along the roadside on the drive back mostly, because no one is with me to inconvenience by stopping, lol.
I took Ben to the park with me today to do some birding before it turns colder. We saw mostly Grackles in the tall oaks, maybe attempting to stake their nest claims in time for spring. The majority of them were male Boat-tailed. It began to turn cooler and we drove around the long way home. I actually saw more action in my own back yard today than at the park. Earlier this fall there were Goldfinches, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and a few more, but we ddin't see any of those today.
When I picked him up from school the other day and told him I saw an American Kestrel, he said, "No! You got to be kiddin me!!" The next day he gets in the car at school, and I said "you'll never guess what I saw today!" I told him Loggerhead Shrike.. He relives the whole thing with me, lol. He's become quite a fun birding buddy. He doesn't mind stopping to take pics at all, he knows how important it is to get a good picture of a bird when ya can.
Deb, how old is Ben? I don't have anyone in my family who would want to stop like I do except my mom, but she gets cold so easily and has such severe confusion with her Alzheimer's that I don't over do it. I had her out yesterday, though, and she was soooooo happy . . . it was cold, but I bundled her up, put a blanket on her legs, gloves, hand warmers, etc. I sure think fresh air is good for everyone!
Awwe sweet of ya to drive her places...
Ben is 8. :-) Very into birdwatching
Deb, how fabulous that Ben is into birdwatching!! I have a grandson who will be nine in about six weeks and I don't think he would be much interested. My oldest granddaughter who is 19 enjoys my pictures, but not sure she would want to sit in the cold with me while I take pic after pic after pic!!! My 5th grandchild is due in August - I'll have to start training him/her early on!!!
There ya go Murmur, start than one early, lol! Ben likes to hang with me a lot, so he likes gardening too. BIrdwatching has always been a big part of it though.
one of my favorite birds
