We have never seen so many Cedar Waxwings in one location. It was fun watching them come in for a drink. In all the photos I captured of them drinking, there was always one Cedar preforming the task of “lookout”. Photos taken in April 2014 in South Llano State Park, Junction, Texas. I was using my Canon 70D with Canon EF 75-300mm 1:4-5.6 lens.
What a beautiful little bird measuring only 5 1/4 to 5 3/4 inches
Today’s Feathered Friend:
Indigo Bunting
Male:
`deep-colored bright blue overall (breeding plumage)
`only North American small finch to appear blue all over
`blue-purple head
`dark blue to black lores
`blue edging to blackish wings and tail
`dark gray conical bill
Female:
`plain, but beautiful brown
`two tawny buff wing bars
`short, gray, conical bill
`blue-edged feathers on wings and tail
Facts:
`populations are expanding with the creation of disturbed habitat after logging, highway and power line construction and from farmland abandonment (yeah to expanding)
`likes forest edges, roadsides, hedges, dry brush lands, orchards, open woods, creeks and rivers
`eats grasshoppers, beetles, weevils, aphids, cicadas, cankerworms, span worms, flies, dandelion seeds, aster, thistle, grasses, grains, berries and more
`nests in raspberry and other shrubs
`song is a sweet-sweet, where-where, here-here, see-it/see-it (pretty melody)
`many are killed, while migrating at night, striking power lines and tall buildings (wind farms next?)
`neotropical migrant, flight speed measured at 20 m.p.h
`common hosts to cowbird parasitism 😦
Deep blue with purple sheen on head
“Splish-Splash I’am taking a bath”
**If you want to learn more about the Indigo Bunting, please go to The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds, Smithsonian Handbooks, Birds of North America and Stokes Field Guide to Birds. I used these sources for my information.
Artsy background highlighting a beautiful Indigo Bunting (I played with the background in this photo.)
Added to my Birding Life List
on o7/12/88
Sky Rocket Road, Loveland, Colorado
(with my amazing birding mentor- Ann Means)
Photos taken at South Llano River State Park in April of 2014 while sitting in a bird blind. I was using my Canon 70D with Canon EF 75-300mm 1:4-5.6 lens (no stabilization).
Such a tiny little bird, only 4.25 inches! It looks like a very small mockingbird.
`Male has bluish-gray upper parts and the female is more gray
`White eye ring
`Long black tail with white outer feathers
`Black bill
`Black legs
The white eye ring gives this lovely little bird big facial expressions
The Blue-gray gnatcatcher feed entirely on insects, which it pursues actively through the foliage of tall trees. Catches insects in flight. May hover briefly above food before taking it in its bill.
Its nest is interesting, a small cup made up of plant fibers, down and decorated on the outside with bits of lichen. This lovely little bird can be spotted in woodlands, thickets and chaparral.
When breeding it is monogamous and is a solitary nester. Its eggs are incubated 13 days by both sexes, stays in nest for 10-12 days and fed by both sexes. They usually will have one brood per year maybe two in the far south.
**information above taken from Smithsonian handbooks, National Geographic Society, Birds of North America**
Breeding male I believe, bacause of black line on sides of crown.
Conservation: neotropical migrant. Common victim of cowbird parasitism
Population: common, increasing with range expanding northeasterly
Neotropical Migrant – (noun) A bird that spends the summer in its breeding range in North America but migrates to Central or South America for its nonbreeding range in winter. The winter range may also include the Caribbean, and the general dividing line between breeding and nonbreeding ranges is the Tropic of Cancer at 23 degrees north latitude, though the entire range does not need to be either north or south of that division for the bird to be considered a neotropical migrant.
More than 200 species of birds are considered neotropical migrants, including at least a few species in most bird families. Many warblers,hummingbirds and shorebirds are neotropical migratory birds, as are some hawks and many other songbirds.
The exact distance and route of migration between breeding and nonbreeding ranges varies for each species, and migration time between the separate ranges may take anywhere from just a few weeks to several months. It is essential to conserve habitat not only in the birds’ different ranges, but also along principle migratory flyways so birds will have sufficient feeding and resting areas to successfully complete their journeys. (taken from the web, written by Melissa Mayntz.
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher (long black tail with white outer feathers)
I took these photos, on April 13, 2014, sitting in the coach with the window glass open and the screen pulled back; what a nice bird blind it made. This oak tree was not too far away and this little guy fluttered around catching insects for awhile. We were camped at South Llano River State Park in Junction, Texas.
Since a lot of birders are talking about the Orioles and their migration, I thought I would post my Friday’s Feathered Friend on the Orchard Oriole. It was fun seeing this bird for the first time a few weeks ago.
I will say, as everyone is pointing out, its time to put your Oriole feeders out; it is easy to do. Cut a few oranges in half and place some grape jelly in a dish and you might have a beautiful Oriole in your yard. Here in Colorful Colorado we have the Bullock’s Oriole.
Orchard Oriole
Orchard Oriole:
Male:
`small Oriole 6-7.75 in length
`black-hood, back and wings
`burnt-orange underparts
`single-white wing bar
`white-edged flight feathers on wings
`chestnut underparts
`chestnut rump and shoulders
`black-tail with narrow white tips
Female:
`olive upperparts
`yellowish underparts
`dusky wings with two white wing bard
Their song sounds like this:
look here, what cheer, wee yo, what cheer, whip yo, what wheer
I happy bird I would say!
Population status: common to fairly common in open woodland, farmlands, scrub-mesquite, shade trees and orchards. Declining in parts of western range. They eat fruit and nectar.
Conservation: Neotropical migrant, Common host to cowbird parasitism (sad)
**information above taken from Smithsonian handbooks, Birds of North America**
Killdeer added to my Birding Life List in April of 1986
(Loveland, CO)
~
Killdeer:
`largest of the ringed plovers and the only double-banded plover
`probably the most familiar shorebird in North America
`in the summer it is found across (almost) the entire continent south of the tundra
`two black bands across chest
`red eye ring
`slim black bill
`bright rufous-orange rump and upper tail coverts
`white underparts
`long-pointed wings with long white stripe
`loud cry sounding like, kill-dee or kill-deear
`monogamous, solitary nester, often returns to same mate and breeding site
`nests on open ground
`juveniles are similar in appearance, but have only one black band across the chest
**information above taken from Smithsonian handbooks, Birds of North America**
On April 10th we arrived in Kerrville, Texas staying for three nights at the Buckhorn Lake Resort. Howard and I were out walking the doggies and we heard then spotted a pair of Killdeer. After a few minutes of watching them we discovered they had three babies. These little guys were running all over the place and their parents were going crazy trying to keep track of them. I read that the babies feed themselves, but the parents tend to them. They will fly at around 25 days old.
I was so disappointed I didn’t have my camera with me. I ran back to the coach, picked up my camera and ran back to take a few shots of the babies. Well, I don’t know where they went, but I never did spot them again.
However, I did capture one of the parents faking injury to lure me away from the babies. It was amazing to watch this display. I had only seen this performed once before by a Nighthawk.
I didn’t want to disturb the family too much so I stayed well back from them.
Under behavior in one of my bird books it states the following about this fake injury display and it is very actuate.
Leads intruders away from nest and young with “broken wing” act, rapid calls, one or both wings dragging, tail spread, and often limping or listing to one side.
Killdeer, pretending to be hurt to lure me away from young
“Come after me, can’t you see I have a broken wing!”
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