Winged Wednesday 4.26.2023

Eric Gofreed

Well-Known Member
I'll start off Winged Wednesday with birds photographed in my yard. The desert habitat is home to a variety of birds with limited colors. I'll share the typical desert birds in flight to make them more exciting than they are. Next week I'll post the more colorful birds I see in the spring and fall migration.

I have been awed by the quality of bird photography on Focal World and the variety of birds too. My eyes thank all of you. I won't be home on Wednesday so I'm posting Tuesday afternoon.

 Ladder-backed woodpecker-08467-Edit.png

Female ladder-baked woodpecker

Crissal thrasher-9725-Edit.jpg

Crissal thrasher

Woodhouse's scrub jay-01679-Edit.jpg

Woodhouse's scrub-jay

Juniper titmouse-.png

Hard to find a bird plainer than the Juniper titmouse. However, the oak titmouse is an identical match. At one time the Oak and Juniper titmice were one species appropriately named the plain titmouse.

Northern Cardinal FW.png

Northern Cardinal (what a red bird in the desert?)
 
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Trent Watts

Well-Known Member
I'll start off Winged Wednesday with birds photographed in my yard. The desert habitat is home to a variety of birds with limited colors. I'll share the typical desert birds in flight to make them more exciting than they are. Next week I'll post the more colorful birds I see in the spring and fall migration.

I have been awed by the quality of bird photography on Focal World and the variety of birds too. My eyes thank all of you. I won't be home on Wednesday so I'm posting Tuesday afternoon.

View attachment 59520
Female ladder-baked woodpecker

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Crissal thrasher

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Woodhouse's scrub-jay

View attachment 59529
Hard to find a bird plainer than the Juniper titmouse. However, the oak titmouse is an identical match. At one time the Oak and Juniper titmice were one species appropriately named the plain titmouse.

View attachment 59530
Northern Cardinal (what a red bird in the desert?)
I love them all Eric. For some reason the Cardinal really grabs my eyes.
 

Trent Watts

Well-Known Member
This last week was exciting for seeing the Peregrines plus I have a few other shots.

While not a great pictures as I was on the ground and the birds are high up at the top of a hotel. I saw a flurry of activity after one of the Peregrines flew off its perch on another high building and towards the top of the hotel where (unknown to me the female was sitting. I just pointed my camera and managed to capture the pair copulating. It is a pretty quick event and the male rolled away.
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I imaged this California Gull was averting its eyes as it flew by the 'love nest'
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I was invited out to an acreage to look for crocuses (first flower on the prairies) and saw a few birds at my friends home.

American Robin
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Black-capped Chickadee landing on my friend's hand.
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Taking off with a peanut.
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A Hairy Woodpecker just about to go to a feeder.
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Ken Rennie

Well-Known Member
Down to a local pond to see what I could photograph.
Tufted Duck
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Goosander
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Coot, if you have never watched Coots they glide along serenely and then for no apparent reason the take off in a flurry and run along the water and attack another Coot. The whole exercise from swim to attack takes less than a second so much faster than I can react to. Ken
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Eric and I went to Scottsdale to photograph a Great Horned Owl nest. We didn't get there early enough the first time because the sun was too high and was shining directly into the eyes of the owls. This caused them to turn around and look in the opposite direction. So, we went back much earlier the next day and did get some decent images.

This is a family portrait.

Great Horned Owl Family.jpg


Two of the chicks decided to snuggle with mom.

Great Horned Owl snuggle time.jpg
 
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Eric Gofreed

Well-Known Member
This last week was exciting for seeing the Peregrines plus I have a few other shots.

While not a great pictures as I was on the ground and the birds are high up at the top of a hotel. I saw a flurry of activity after one of the Peregrines flew off its perch on another high building and towards the top of the hotel where (unknown to me the female was sitting. I just pointed my camera and managed to capture the pair copulating. It is a pretty quick event and the male rolled away.
View attachment 59532

I imaged this California Gull was averting its eyes as it flew by the 'love nest'
View attachment 59533

I was invited out to an acreage to look for crocuses (first flower on the prairies) and saw a few birds at my friends home.

American Robin
View attachment 59534

Black-capped Chickadee landing on my friend's hand.
View attachment 59535

Taking off with a peanut.
View attachment 59537

A Hairy Woodpecker just about to go to a feeder.
View attachment 59536
Excellent birding and excellent photography, Trent
 

Eric Gofreed

Well-Known Member
Down to a local pond to see what I could photograph.
Tufted Duck
View attachment 59553
Goosander
View attachment 59555
Coot, if you have never watched Coots they glide along serenely and then for no apparent reason the take off in a flurry and run along the water and attack another Coot. The whole exercise from swim to attack takes less than a second so much faster than I can react to. Ken
View attachment 59554
Outstanding photography, Ken. Love that coot!
 

Eric Gofreed

Well-Known Member
Eric and I went to Scottsdale to photograph a Great Horned Owl nest. We didn't get there early enough the first time because the sun was too high and was shining directly into the eyes of the owls. This caused them to turn around and look in the opposite direction. So, we went back much earlier the next day and did get some decent images.

This is a family portrait.

View attachment 59564

Two of the chicks decided to snuggle with mom.

View attachment 59565
Outstanding photos, Doug! I wish I was there. Oh wait, I was there.
 

Ken Rennie

Well-Known Member
A late entry. We have had a chaffinch flying at our windows for the last few days. No warning, any of the windows 10 or so times an hour throughout the day. I finally managed to get a shot through the double glazing. By the crushing of its breast feathers I think that I have it at impact. 1/2000s
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this is 1 frame later 1/7th s
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This is almost sharp
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