DAILY PICS VOL. 24

Resin, the size difference isn't very apparent when they are a 100 meters away, and they are feeding. Because, when they are feeding all you see is the tail half of the bird. The heads don't stay above water for more than a few seconds when they come up for a breath of air. I have to dump dozens of pictures because I was too slow on the shutter button to catch the head above water.

Gary

This message was edited Oct 16, 2007 11:19 AM

This message was edited Oct 16, 2007 11:21 AM

Linthicum, I'm pleased my pics of the Pheasant brought back memories for you! A wonderful pic of li'l duck leading big duck, I keep looking at the baby duck's head and it looks to be bulging at the back, or is it my eyes? LOL!

Such a shame about the Trumpeter swans, I never imagined turtles to be a problem with them.

Great pics too Grasmussen!

Resin, I think Pheasants are car dumb because they are bred and released, it's usually the autumn ones which are unwise. They are possibly used to the Keeper's vehicle coming to feed them so don't worry, but I could be wrong!

No new pics for today, the weather turned wet.

I don't watch you while you eat, do I.

I miss my Goldfinches. Thanks adel for posting them.

Lol adel!

Nice pic Resin!

Hey pelle - the space/time continuum is getting a little croweded! :)

Hey! Sybil, it was a long tough flight from Mn. to N. Ca. but I made it. Thought you might like to know.

Awww - thanks for checking in to let me know you are safe and have plenty to eat! Don't forget to come back next spring. I'll be waiting with those hearts of BOSS you like so much. :)

Sybil...when they were at your place did they have enough sense to come in out of the rain? These don't, it was raining cats and dogs and they were still out in the open munching out.

Here's a pic of one of the Poodles that came down.

When things are slow, one deviates from the norm. So bear with me ....

This Spring, in the late afternoon sun, I noticed about 7 or 8 deer grazing in the field. As I looked on, I observed this little white spot just below them. With my 500mm lens, I quickly was able to identify a Bald Eagle feasting on a deer carcass. This cropped photo is the message as I saw it .....

Very cool Linth!!

On our daily walk in Mathison Park today, I saw a Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike in a distant tree. The next thing I knew it had flown across and landed in a tree right beside me. I have wanted to get a good photo of this bird for a long time and suddenly I was presented with a chance in glorious sunshine.
The bird proved to be an immature, without a full black face, but I was nevertheless pleased with the result.
Here is the immature Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina novae-hollandiae), newly arrived this spring (probably born here last year).
These are handsome birds with soft grey backs and an almost completely black head on a full adult. They are in the family Campepagidae, which means caterpillar-eaters and caterpillars are their main diet. Here in the South-east of Australia, they are only summer visitors and one name for this bird is Summer Bird. Another interesting name is Shuffle Bird and this arises from the way the birds land on a perch. They have a distinctive dipping flight and when they land, they always, without fail, raise the shoulder of one wing and then settle the wing back and then do the same with the other wing. This is so distinctive that you can recognise the bird by it at a great distance. This bird duly performed its wing shuffle when it landed in the tree for its photo session.

Here is another pictured after it moved even closer, although its face was rather more in shadow

Wonderful pics kennedy!

Thanks for all the interesting information on this bird; I'm glad the weather and bird were cooperative. Pelle

adel-we didn't have any rain in the summer but this fall we did and no, they didn't care. They only disappeared at night.

Lucky you, Linth!!

Sunny California my ------. Or should it be "rain drops falling on my head...............

This message was edited Oct 17, 2007 8:53 AM

adel-what kind of bird is that?

Western Scrub Jay

Oh - it looks rounded on its edges like a bluebird. Our jays are more angular looking.

I hope you can appreciate my elegant scientific descriptions!

One never knows when those personal observations and discriptions may be important.

They're in the back yard now.

That looks like a mutation of a prairie chicken/quail cross. Maybe it's just the photo? Maybe it's me...?

I never tire of the Pileated's visits. I was wondering today if hummers ever buzz his head...

Wonderful photo sybil!!!

sybil - is that suet on the tree?

pelle - I wish I had a camera that took crisp photos. :(

dw- peanuts.

I think he means the different color bark on the tree near the wp's head and chest; is that right Dave?

You did great sybil! :-)

Right.

If its not peanut butter that its just where the bird or something else might have stripped the first layer of bark away.

Oh - it's a crabapple tree and it's old and it's bark is various colors and shredded and totally beat up by the visiting woodpeckers and sapsuckers and did I mention, its old?

No, I did not smear the tree with goop for the birds - but I suppose I could have! :)

Here's a better view of the tree.

sybil...it's a very cold and wet Quail.

Great pics everyone!

adelbertcat, you must have a few acres back yard with all those birds!

Getting very late/early here, gone 2am, took lots of pics today and spent ages sorting them.

I went to the field just up the road to see if I could get birds which were flying from one woods to another, as they were going over the corner of that field. Three Pheasants were feeding along the edge, too far for good pics but I stalked them. As I stalked, a Pheasant flew from near the side of me and flew low back towards the other hedge side.

I flew into action, swooped with my camera after it, got some shots which could be better but I got them!

A little better...

The hedge was a long way off, and the sun low in the same direction, but this shot shows it putting the brakes on before landing.

Landing gear ready.......wings glinting in the sun...