Category: Birds

Red-winged blackbirds

6/24/2020

I was recently hiking at the Huron County Nature Center and Wilderness Arboretum in Port Austin, Michigan. Nice place, but bring the bug spray.

At the far end of the trail system there is a short boardwalk over some swampy ground, and saw this female red-winged blackbird with a mouthful of bugs.

Female red-winged blackbird

So I stopped to look around a bit more. Quite soon this male red-winged blackbird showed up and started chattering and displaying his wing feathers.

Male red-winged blackbird displaying wing patches

So probably by now you've guessed the final photo. There was a single fledgling in the underbrush. The male was trying to scare me away, while the female was bringing in a beakload of food.

Fledgling red-winged blackbird

I headed off to let them get back to things.

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Turkey Vulture

6/24/2020

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Well, what's to say. It is a vulture, and honestly looks a fair lot like a turkey. It's a turkey vulture.

Turkey vulture from near Kinde, Michigan

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Common Yellowthroat (female)

6/24/2020

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Male common yellowthroats have a bold black mask and sing "whichity whichity which" all day long, and thus are easy to spot and easy to identify. The female, however, is much more quiet, secretive and in general without field marks besides the coloration of the feathers, legs and bill. They aren't a bold as the males, but still quite attractive birds when you get a chance to see them.

Female common yellowthroat from near Kinde, Michigan

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Yellow Warbler Singing

6/24/2020

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This yellow warbler was singing away from his perch in a patch of multiflora rose. One of the most common warblers in the area, these have been seen pretty much every day.

Yellow warbler singing in the multiflora rose

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Mourning Warbler

6/24/2020

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I don't get to see these very often, but Michigan is far enough north to be within the breeding range of the mourning warbler. This male was foraging in a woodlot but not singing.

A male mourning warbler near Kinde, Michigan

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Rose-breasted Grosbeak

6/24/2020

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This rose-breasted grosbeak was hanging out the shade this morning in Kinde, Michigan.

A fine-looking male rose-breasted grosbeak in Michigan

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Double Crested Cormorant, Lake Huron Jetty

6/19/2020

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These are some really common birds, but the largest concentrations of them are at the Great Lakes. And here is one of them, just sitting on a channel marker on the end of a jetty in Lake Huron.

Fun fact: The "double crest" is kind of a mating thing and for most of the year really isn't visible so don't expect to see it too often. Kind of odd to name a bird after a feature you pretty much never see, but well, then there is the bald eagle named after a feature it does not even possess at all, as it isn't even close to being bald.

Double crested cormorant on a Lake Huron jetty.

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Great Blue Heron, Spotted Sandpiper and Shining Honeycreeper

3/19/2019

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Every time I post an image of a great blue heron, I say it will be my last. And then I post another one. In order to fix this I shall hereby state that this will not be my last great blue heron image, as for some reason I just keep coming up with reasons to post pictures of them.

This most patient bird was on the beach right in front of the Campanario Biological Station. And it would stand there for long periods of time, while only once catching a fish. It ate a couple little things it found near the rocks at one point, but it's fish to time ratio was pretty relaxed.

Great blue heron on the beach in front of Campanario Biological Station

Now what does a person do when they are at the ocean and a larger than average wave comes in? Toss up their hands and let it go by, right? Now what does a great blue heron do when they are at the ocean and a larger than average wave comes in? Here is the answer...

Great blue heron keeping its wings dry as a larger swell hits the beach

Also on the beach was a spotted sandpiper. Not sure if it is resident or heading north.

A spotted sandpiper at Campanario

And finally, to end on a colorful note, I ran into this shining honeycreeper down the shore a ways. Quite stunning birds and must say I didn't do a great job capturing the colors, but what a striking bird to see.

Shining honeycreeper from near Campanario Biological Station, Costa Rica

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Common Pauraque nesting at the Firestone Center, Costa Rica

3/13/2019

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The common pauraque, a bird in the nightjar family related to the whip-poor-will, likes open spaces and nests on the ground. During the day they don't much fly and are pretty much invisible due to their coloration, but since they are night fliers they do have special eyes. Which glow bright orange at night when hit with a headlamp, and I easily spotted this female on a nest beside the access road at the Firestone Center.
Normally they will let you get within 2 to 3 meters before flying off, but when on the nest they just stay put and I was able to get right up next to this one for the photo. Very attractive birds and not sure I really captured how pretty they are in the pic.

Common pauraque, a ground nester, sitting on the nest at the Firestone Center in Baru, Costa Rica

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Costa Rica Trip - Chestnut Mandibled Toucan

3/13/2019

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Alright, this has been a real struggle to get anything up given the conditions here in Costa Rica, but finally got all the pieces together and can put up a couple posts tonight.

And, without further ado, finally, another photo on the blog which has been very quiet during the winter break.

Chestnut mandibled toucan seen just a bit upstream from the Ecology Center at the Firestone Center in Baru, Costa Rica

These toucans can usually be found on the property, and are heard calling most days. But getting a real nice look at one can be tricky. I was just starting a hike of the property at the Firestone Center for Restoration Ecology (FCRE or Firestone Center for short) when I saw this beautiful bird. it was, surprisingly, alone as I generally see two or more of them together.

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<<Previous

Red-winged blackbirds

Turkey Vulture

Common Yellowthroat (female)

Yellow Warbler Singing

Mourning Warbler

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Double Crested Cormorant, Lake Huron Jetty

Great Blue Heron, Spotted Sandpiper and Shining Honeycreeper

Common Pauraque nesting at the Firestone Center, Costa Rica

Costa Rica Trip - Chestnut Mandibled Toucan

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