Birds I Saw on my Trip to New York

June, 2009

My parents have a Willow Flycatcher nesting under their porch -- my Mom was able to identify it by its call. They also have a Belted Kingfisher nesting in a burrow on the hillside overlooking their pond.

We saw huge Osprey nests on the drive to Vermont, saw at least one Great Blue Heron (maybe it's the one that puts his big old beak through the trout in Dad's pond, only to leave them belly-up because they're too big to eat), and passed a few Ring-necked Pheasants along the roadside.

Oh, and let's not forget the Ruby-throated Hummingbird that visits my parents' feeder.

Birds I Saw on my Trip to Vermont

June, 2009

Probably I saw other birds, too, but the ones I noted were: Double-crested Cormorant (on the shore of Lake Champlain near the ECHO center), Killdeer (in a field at Shelburne Farms), and Wild Turkey (also at Shelburne Farms).

Birds I've Seen Around Arizona - Killdeer

Killdeer
Originally uploaded by J Gilbert

I was surpirsed to see this guy on my way home from the in-laws' house last night. He was right along the same stretch of road where I see all the burrowing owls -- near a canal at the edge of a field of some kind of crop that I don't recognize... alfalfa maybe?

At any rate, I noted the two stripes across his chest and recognized him as some kind of lanky shorebird. For whatever reason, I always think "sandpiper" when I see this bird. I've never, to my knowledge, actually seen a sandpiper, though. Looked him up to be sure... yup. A killdeer.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Killdeer/id

Birds I've Seen in my Yard - Barn Owl

Barn Owl
Originally uploaded by marj k

First we saw the owl pellets -- little clumps of regurgitated grass with mouse skull parts and other bones -- on the lawn beneath our palm tree. Then we found more in the same place. And poop. Lotsa bird poop. Sorta narrowed down where his perch might be.

And so Saturday evening I looked up from our driveway. I happened to be at just the right angle to see his rounded head amidst the spiky palm fronds. We took some photos, but none were as hi-res as this. Pretty cool to have an owl in the yard. Saw him again yesterday evening, too. He's up there!

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barn_Owl/id