Cathy
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Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
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I was in the Galapagos on March 12 of this year. These are Blue Footed Boobies doing a mating dance. There were lots of vocalizations which I got on video. Truly an amazing experience and in the time of COVID I am so thankful I squeaked that one it.
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The White-crowned Sparrow, the Double-crested Cormorant, and the California Quail are all ubiquitous where I live. I was surprised that the California Quail seems to be the least common bird of the three. I learned that it is also found in South America in an area that has a similar climate. The Double-crested Cormorant is found all over the country and I had assumed that it was a bird only found near the ocean. The White-crowned Sparrow is pretty common, but seems to follow the warmer weather.
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Activity 1: I have been trying to sort in my own mind how to tell these three shorebirds apart, so yesterday I went out with my camera to an empty beach at 7:00 in the morning. Their body shape and coloring look pretty similar to my untrained eye, at least from a distance. Their bills are distinctively different, the Whimbrel's is curved down, the Willit's is much shorter and the Godwit's is longer with an apricot colored part. The Willit is easy to identify when it is flying because it has a distinctive white band on it's wings, the Whimbrel has a stripe on it's head. Now I just have to remember which is which.
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@Carole What a cutie!
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I took this picture this morning, (4-25-2020) at the Heron Rookery, Morro Bay, California. This is, I believe, a Snowy Egret. The feet give it away! We have many Snowy Egrets and Great Egrets on the Central Coast of California. Because they are fairly common, don't usually move too quickly, and are pretty striking, they are easy to identify. As a beginning birder, it is fun to be able to instantly identify a couple of birds. They can be quite funny to photograph, and are always stunningly beautiful.
I was in the Galapagos on March 12 of this year. These are Blue Footed Boobies doing a mating dance. There were lots of vocalizations which I got on video. Truly an amazing experience and in the time of COVID I am so thankful I squeaked that one it.
The White-crowned Sparrow, the Double-crested Cormorant, and the California Quail are all ubiquitous where I live. I was surprised that the California Quail seems to be the least common bird of the three. I learned that it is also found in South America in an area that has a similar climate. The Double-crested Cormorant is found all over the country and I had assumed that it was a bird only found near the ocean. The White-crowned Sparrow is pretty common, but seems to follow the warmer weather. 
Activity 1: I have been trying to sort in my own mind how to tell these three shorebirds apart, so yesterday I went out with my camera to an empty beach at 7:00 in the morning. Their body shape and coloring look pretty similar to my untrained eye, at least from a distance. Their bills are distinctively different, the Whimbrel's is curved down, the Willit's is much shorter and the Godwit's is longer with an apricot colored part. The Willit is easy to identify when it is flying because it has a distinctive white band on it's wings, the Whimbrel has a stripe on it's head. Now I just have to remember which is which. 
I took this picture this morning, (4-25-2020) at the Heron Rookery, Morro Bay, California. This is, I believe, a Snowy Egret. The feet give it away! We have many Snowy Egrets and Great Egrets on the Central Coast of California. Because they are fairly common, don't usually move too quickly, and are pretty striking, they are easy to identify. As a beginning birder, it is fun to be able to instantly identify a couple of birds. They can be quite funny to photograph, and are always stunningly beautiful. Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)