Western Willet (Tringa semipalmata) photos by Larry Jordan

(Click on photos for full sized images)

The Willet (Tringa semipalmata) doesn’t look very interesting as it scours the shore, or in this case, the Arcata Marsh mudflats.

Its a rather nondescript wading bird consisting of two subspecies, the Western Willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus inornatus) pictured here, and the Eastern Willet (C. s. semipalmatus).

The Western Willet consists of populations breeding in inland, primarily freshwater habitats of western states and provinces while the Eastern Willet populations breed in the marshes of the Atlantic coast, from New Brunswick to Tamaulipas, Mexico¹.

I guess I should say Willets are rather nondescript until they fly…

or you hear that distinctive call!

I was able to snap some photos of this Western Willet in flight, showing off those broad white wing-stripes that run across the primaries and secondaries, bordered in black.

No other large shorebird has such a  striking in-flight wing pattern.

And then, when they land…

and they are backlit…

it’s even more striking…

leaving just a glimpse of their secret identity as they fold their wings back up.

To see a Western Willet in breeding plumage, check out my friend Kyle McCreary’s flickr photo here. If you want to see more great bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly!

And while you’re here, if you use Google Friend Connect, please consider joining my website via the widget in the right hand column of my blog and I will join yours in return.  Thanks for the visit!

References: ¹Birds of North America Online

Turkey Vuture (Cathartes aura) in Flight photos by Larry Jordan

Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) are so underrated and misunderstood.  Some people think they’re ugly, but not I (click on photos for full sized images).

That bare skin on their head serves a purpose.  Not only does it help keep their heads clean when partaking of a carrion meal, they use that featherless head to help regulate body temperature.

They can tuck their bare heads into their feather collared necks to help keep warm and when they are heat stressed they will increase blood flow to the head, neck and legs which dissipates heat by evaporative cooling¹.

Of course they also help regulate their body temperature using their famous spread-winged postures.  This is the “extended spread-wing posture”

usually used to warm up in the morning sun or dry the wings, but sometimes it seems, just for fun.

Then there is the “delta wing posture” when Turkey Vultures face the sun and often preen.

One of the coolest things to witness is the migration of these magnificent birds.  With a six foot wingspan, Turkey Vultures are nearly the size of a Golden Eagle.  Witnessing hundreds, sometimes thousands of Turkey Vultures flying overhead, heading south for the winter, is a real treat.

This phenomenon usually peaks in the month of October so be on the lookout.

For more great birds photos, check out Bird Photography Weekly and World Bird Wednesday!

References: ¹Birds of North America Online

Burrowing Owl Family (Athene cunicularia) photo by Larry Jordan

There seem to be more and more bird lovers, bird bloggers and bird photographers in our midst as “birding” is growing in popularity.  Do I think this is a good thing?  Of course I do!  To get outside and enjoy all of the beauty that nature has in store for us is not only a healthy activity, it is good for our souls.

I get concerned however about the objects of our love, the birds and other animals we observe and photograph, when I read posts about birders and photographers not respecting the habitat and wildlife we hold so dear.

I just read a couple of posts by Mia McPherson about some photographers trampling over active Burrowing Owl nest sites that just made me sick to my stomach.  Please take the time to read them here: Sequel to: Burrowing Owls – Loved to Death?

If you are a nature photographer, please read the North American Nature Photography Association’s Principals of Ethical Field Practices and I urge ALL of my fellow birders to read the American Birding Association’s (ABA) Principals of Birding Ethics.  As the ABA so eloquently puts it, “in any conflict of interest between birds and birders, the welfare of the birds and their environment comes first.”

Come on people, give us a break.

It’s up to us to be good stewards of the earth and respect our wildlife and their habitats.  We need to set an example for others, especially within our own birding and photography communities, that disrespect and disregard for the safety and prosperity of the wildlife that surrounds us will not be tolerated.  Spread the word.  Let people know.  Educate the people you bird with and your fellow photographers.

Do you enjoy bird photography?  Join us by posting your best bird photos for Bird Photography Weekly.

Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) Female photos by Larry Jordan

I have two 36 inch Nyjer seed tube feeders made by Droll Yankees that attract goldfinches and Pine Siskins like crazy.  Little did I know that Lesser Goldfinches (Spinus psaltria) like a bit of salad with their seeds.  Click on photos for full sized images.

According to one source I read, Lesser Goldfinches like the male pictured above, “nibble at leaf margins and eat small new leaves.”  Apparently, they not only like Nyjer and sunflower seed, they love the sunflower plant’s leaves as well.

Here you can see a few Lesser Goldfinches chowing down on a sunflower that’s growing next to a young Corkscrew Willow in our garden.

We actually planted the sunflowers mostly for the birds but they don’t produce many seeds when their leaves are all gone.

Well at least this activity must be keeping my Nyjer seed bill down a little bit

To see more great bird photos, check out Bird Photography Weekly.

Common Raven (Corvus corax) photos and video by Larry Jordan

Last Weekend was our yearly bird outing to Lassen Volcanic National Park where we heard many a call from the Common Raven (Corvus corax).  Their calls echoed through the morning forest as I went searching for nesting birds to photograph.

While attempting to photograph the already fledged Brown Creepers, the Ravens were causing such a ruckus at daybreak that I had to investigate what was going on.  There were at least four Ravens calling and flying around the area, some spending a considerable amount of time near the top of different snags.  As I got a closer look at two of them, they appeared to be juveniles.  I say this because of the obvious yellowish color at the base of their bills (see photo above).

Since there was nothing going on at the Brown Creeper’s empty nest, I turned my attention to the Ravens and shot this amusing video of the two juveniles on a branch of the nearby snag.

Later that morning, on the opposite side of Manzanita Lake, I found another Common Raven calling from atop another snag.  This was a mature bird as you can see by its color, sheen and elongated throat feathers.

You get the full effect of one of these large passerines from the video.

If you want to see some really good bird photography, check out Bird Photography Weekly, then post one of your own photos!