Bird Sightings 2014 - 2015

[NwMtGardener]

Ummmm...all I have to say is I love my new camera. Took over 600 photos today, wish I could share more with you all! Here's the highlights!

Redhead


This is an overall of one of the areas I was birding...see those little dots on the sandbar? That's how far away these birds were in pics 1, 3, 4 and 5! AWESOME zoom on this thing.


Pintail on the left, American widgeon on the right.


Tundra swan taking off.


Here's a new bird for me - Eurasian widgeon male on the back right, red head with buff colored stripe.


Downy woodpecker fluffing up his wings


Common goldeneye pair


Mallard showing off his lovely colors.


Bufflehead pair.


And my favorite, the Hooded Mergansers.

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

@TheSeedObsesser - don't ya hate when the lighting doesn't cooperate. From what I can see it does look like a Cooper's Hawk. I got a pretty good shot of one last year on April 13, they summer here. A Red-shouldered Hawk showed up in Feb. last year, but no sign of them yet. I usually hear the crows throwing a tantrum when the hawks are around.[/QUOTE]
It wasn't posing a threat. Hawks usually won't when there's a large flock of three-times-as-big-as-them geese guarding the chickens.

We have tons of hawks around here and the crows are nearly always going off, makes sense now.

SeedO, i also would say definitely a Coopers Hawk. have you done any photo editing before? I'm just starting to play around with it. You know that pic of the western bluebird i posted? The original was very much like your pic - backlit, so difficult to see color or detail, and most importantly you couldnt even see his eye. So i played around with it in a basic photo editor, took the Shadow bar and drug it way over to "lighten up" the shadow to be able to see detail. A few other minor tweaks too. But you might be able to play around with yours and get a really nice pic!

I have actually been taking classes for both Image and Web Design for the past year or so. I've got all of the things on my computer that I would need to do it, I just haven't yet. I might do some playing around with it later. I'll make sure to repost one of the photos after I mess with it a little bit. I use GIMP 2.6 at the moment (I find GIMP 2.0 to be easier to use), little sister and Ma use picmonkey (which looks way more simple than GIMP but you can do just as much on it, maybe even more.)

His is a Marraduna Basque (Euskal Oiloa). His comb doesn't look like that anymore. It's been a long, cold winter!

That is one good-looking chicken, I've never heard of the breed before! I would be really hesitant of slaughtering something like that. Any place to get chicks or maybe ha

 

[buckabucka]

@TheSeedObsesser
Are you on BYC at all? You can search the Basque thread there, or google them. A bunch of people sell hatching eggs. I am on one of the BYC lists as a breeder, but I am not. I just have a few birds, -other people have better quality.

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

@TheSeedObsesser
Are you on BYC at all? You can search the Basque thread there, or google them. A bunch of people sell hatching eggs. I am on one of the BYC lists as a breeder, but I am not. I just have a few birds, -other people have better quality.

I can't remember if I have an account there or not, if I do it's really old. They must be very rare, haven't seen them offered for sale. Are they good for eggs, meat, or both? Color of eggs?

 

[buckabucka]

The eggs are just tan. Good for eggs and meat and are a curious and friendly breed. Lots of information here, with links to lots more information at the bottom:
http://skeffling.squidoo.com/euskal-oiloas-or-basque-hens-my-favourite-chicken-breed

 

[Lavender2]

Ummmm...all I have to say is I love my new camera. Took over 600 photos today, wish I could share more with you all! Here's the highlights!

Redhead
View attachment 1653

This is an overall of one of the areas I was birding...see those little dots on the sandbar? That's how far away these birds were in pics 1, 3, 4 and 5! AWESOME zoom on this thing.
View attachment 1654

Pintail on the left, American widgeon on the right.
View attachment 1655

Tundra swan taking off.
View attachment 1656

Here's a new bird for me - Eurasian widgeon male on the back right, red head with buff colored stripe.
View attachment 1657

Downy woodpecker fluffing up his wings
View attachment 1658

Common goldeneye pair
View attachment 1659
Mallard showing off his lovely colors.
View attachment 1660
Bufflehead pair.
View attachment 1661
And my favorite, the Hooded Mergansers.
View attachment 1662

Looks like a jackpot day at the marsh! Beautiful photos... amazing one of the swan! That zoom would be so great to play with. Thanks for sharing your views, and your talent! Will you get any gardening done this year?

I hope to get some photos of the waterfowl on the pond before the cattails get too tall... DH has this 'thing' about me getting on the roof to take photos.

 

[NwMtGardener]

Will you get any gardening done this year?

Haha, good question! Once things get established, the drip system is dialed in and the plastic is off the greenhouse, I'm a pretty neglectful gardener! So I should be good to go spend all my time taking pictures!

I hope to get some photos of the waterfowl on the pond before the cattails get too tall... DH has this 'thing' about me getting on the roof to take photos.

HAHAHA, this reminds me of when I (with my old camera) snuck out into the cattails to try and get closer pics of this little bird...standing on a downed log...what can go wrong with that? Yup, WHOOPS! Slid right off the danged thing down into the muck. But yes, photo taking from the roof does not sound like a good idea!!!

 

[Lavender2]

HAHAHA, this reminds me of when I (with my old camera) snuck out into the cattails to try and get closer pics of this little bird...standing on a downed log...what can go wrong with that? Yup, WHOOPS! Slid right off the danged thing down into the muck. But yes, photo taking from the roof does not sound like a good idea!!!

... I hope you at least got the photo!
I know better than to venture too close to the pond, a pair of my sons shoes are still out there! He tipped the canoe and we had to pull him out with a rope.

 

[NwMtGardener]

Okay just one more! One more today that is... Hooded merganser who was cleaning and preening and bathing, took this on my lunch break yesterday.

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

Great pic! How many different species of waterfowl do you have up there!?