Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) Male photos by Larry Jordan

At the end of each year I like to go back and look at the bird photographs I have taken and choose the ones I like the best for a “favorite bird photo” post. I usually choose one photo for each month but this year I have thrown in some extras, probably, for one reason or another, I couldn’t decide on just one for that month. Click on photos for full sized images and click on the name of the bird for a link to my post on that species.

Every January the Bushtits (Psaltriparus minimus) return to my yard right on cue. The photo above of the male in flight was taken on January 9th with my Nikon D90 and the AF VR-Nikkor 80-400mm ED lens at 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 320.

Last January I also (finally) got a good shot of an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius). I had tried for years (literally) to get a decent photo of this bird, even though I see them nearly everyday on my way to work. This female flew up into a nearby oak tree and posed for several photographs on January 3rd, digiscoped, 1/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 3200.

Some folks hope to simply get a glimpse of a Rock Wren (Salpinctes obsoletus), including me. But one evening at one of our Audubon board meetings, one of our members told me that there were “Rock Wrens all over the place” out on Ash Creek Road where we occasionally see one or two, when they feel like making an appearance. I went out the next day and spent quite a bit of time with these energetic little birds. This photo digiscoped February 2nd, 1/320 sec, f/2.0, ISO 1250.

This Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) was digiscoped at Turtle Bay on February 10th, 1/200th sec, f/2.0, ISO3200.

I am fortunate to have been able to watch Green Herons (Butorides virescens) nesting for a couple of years since a friend has them nesting in his backyard. This photo was taken with the 80-400mm zoom on March 31st, 1/200 sec, f/8.0, ISO 200.

April this year was a prolific month for me and bird photography. I mean, birds were mating, nesting, calling…it’s a great month for birding and photography!

I had several photographs to choose from and this is a sampling of the joy that April brought to me this year.

April 1st showed me why they call this a Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) rather than a Ring-billed Duck. Here is the male, digiscoped in his breeding plumage, 1/200 sec, f/2.0, ISO 3200.

A California Thrasher (Toxostoma redivivum) showed itself to me on April 11th, digiscoped, 1/400 sec, f/2.0, ISO 1600

I also found Great-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) at Clover Creek Reserve on April 21st where they were exhibiting breeding behavior, digiscoped, 1/400 sec, f/2.0, ISO 1250

On the last day in April, at the Heron Festival in Clear Lake, I got some nice photos of a Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) with the digiscoping setup at 1/320 sec, f/2.0, ISO 1600.

If April was busy May was an even crazier month, with more nesting birds available and trips to places like Plumas County.

I’m going to kick off May with a digiscoped photograph of one of the nesting Green Herons with its chicks attempting to coax food from its beak, taken on May 2nd, 1/250 sec, f/2.0, ISO 3200

This male Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) kept walking right toward me until he was almost too close, digiscoped on May 20th in Sierra Valley, 1/500 sec, f/2.0, ISO 1600.

And on May 30th, the Evening Grosbeaks (Coccothraustes vespertinus) returned to my backyard in full breeding plumage. I photographed this male with my 80-400mm Nikkor at 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 250.

The Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) were in the middle of their nesting season when I took this shot of the female sticking her head out of a nest box at Lema Ranch on June 1st with the 80-400 zoom at 1/160 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400.

By the 13th of June, the juvenile Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) were making their first flights at Turtle Bay. This youngster digiscoped at 1/500 sec, f/2.0, ISO 3200.

On a hot July day at Mary Lake, after missing a quarry, I caught a rather upset Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) fishing. This image was digiscoped at 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 3200.

And at Lassen Volcanic National Park, a pair of Common Ravens (Corvus corax) were instructing their young on the finer points of being corvids on July the 24th. I captured this adult with the digiscope, being quite vocal at the top of a snag, 1/640 sec, f/2.2, ISO 3200.

August was pretty darn hot around here and I didn’t do much bird photography, but in September I took another trip to Clear Lake and not only found this Clark’s Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii) which I photographed with the AF-S Nikkor 70-300mm ED lens at 1/1600 sec, f/10, ISO 1000.

But the really exciting find on Clear Lake was an apparently lost Parasitic Jaeger (Sterocorarius parasiticus), a lifer for me, of which I took several photos with that same lens, this one at 1/1250 sec, f/9.0, ISO 1000.

I took a trip to the coast the weekend of October 22nd and spent some quality time at Arcata Marsh. Among the treasures found at this amazing wildlife sanctuary was a Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) fishing, digiscoped on October 22nd at 1/1000 sec, f/3.5, ISO 3200.

Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa) were everywhere at the marsh, probing the mudflats with that long upcurved beak. I digiscoped this bird on the same day at 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 3200.

I saw and photographed so many great birds at Arcata Marsh, there should be more posts coming up on those adventures.

Coming back home I was fortunate to have a Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber) fly directly to the tree in front of me while photographing Ruby-crowned Kinglets! This was a new yard bird for me too! I used the Nikkor 70-300mm ED lens when I photographed him on October 30th at 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400.

The weather has held through most of November and December offering excellent opportunities to get out and bird in northern California.

November 28th, Buffleheads (Bucephala albeola) were king. I captured this beautifully iridescent male at Turtle Bay with the digiscope at 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 3200.

The weekend before last, on December 10th, I drove down to Colusa National Wildlife Refuge where a Falcated Duck had been spotted. I dipped on the duck but got some great shots of some other species.

There is a line of overhanging trees along the waterway through the refuge where several Black-crowned Night-Herons (Nycticrax nycticoras) roost. I digiscoped this bird, one of two that actually opened its eyes, at 1/500 sec, f/2.0, ISO 3200.

Then along the back of the refuge auto loop, I spotted a male Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) sitting on an overhead wire, as they often do. I got the digiscope on it for a few quick shots before he took off. I rather liked this one scoped at 1/800 sec, f/3.2, ISO 3200.

As I rounded the last section of the auto loop at Colusa, I came upon hundreds of Snow and Ross’s Geese (Chen rossii). This shot of these beautiful little snow geese was taken with the digiscope as they lifted into the air at 1/800 sec, f/3.2, ISO 3200.

I hope you enjoyed my favorite bird photos of 2011! I am looking forward to another great birding year ahead and I hope you are too!

If you want to see more great bird photography from all over the world, check out World Bird Wednesday and come join the fun!

Wood Duck Female photos by Larry Jordan

Last week at Lema Ranch, not only was I able to watch a Great Egret fishing (see previous post), but I watched Wood Ducks hunting damselflies!  Another behavior I had never seen before. Lema Pond was covered with hundreds of damselflies, many of them in tandem, and the ducks would assume this skimming pose trying to sneak up on the damselflies, then lunge at the insects.

I think these photos of the male Wood Duck show the stealth-like approach the ducks were using a little better

Over on the shore of one of the islands near the guest house, a Great Blue Heron was keeping its eye on the ducks in the shallows.

All the while Pied-billed Grebes were frolicking on Secluded Pond where I have seen them nesting in the past.

There is a small shallow area next to Lema Pond that turns into a mud flat when the water level is low and I found some Killdeer feeding there

As I was photographing this Killdeer, I heard something moving in the oak trees behind me.  It was a beautiful Red-breasted Sapsucker.  It was on the move but I managed to get one good shot of it as it gleaned the trees for insects.

I was happy to be able to do some scouting on this warm and sunny day before the Northern California Audubon Council meeting our chapter hosted here at the McConnell Foundation headquarters at Lema Ranch.  As it turned out, we had some precipitation yesterday morning for our 7:30 a.m. bird walk but a handful of birders braved the weather and counted thirty two species in the hour before the meeting began.

In contrast to the rain we are enjoying now, the day I scouted the ranch, just last week, the birds were gathering under the trees, at the drip irrigation emitters to take cooling baths.  Here is a video of a Spotted Towhee thoroughly enjoying itself in the water.

Enjoy more cool photos at Bird Photography Weekly, hosted by Birdfreak!

Great Egret Portrait photos by Larry Jordan

While scouting Lema Ranch for an upcoming bird walk to kick off the Northern California Audubon Chapter Council meeting, hosted by Wintu Audubon, October 23rd, I spotted a Great Egret (the organizational symbol of the National Audubon Society) fishing the channel between Lema Pond and Hidden Pond.  I slowly set up my camera near the bank and allowed the bird to make its way toward me.  The photo above was taken as the egret stepped into the open.

I took this shot through the various plants along the shore as the great fisher bird approached my location.  Notice that when you view the Great Egret from the front, the eyes are set to look partially forward and down similar to the Green Heron.

I watched this bird fish for about 45 minutes, using several different fishing styles.  It was a warm and calm day, the water, like glass.  The photo below was taken as he or she was using the “slow walk” foraging technique, where they peer down into the water as they slowly walk the shoreline.  I liked the way the sun shone through the bird’s eye.

It caught several fish and amphibians using this method

then stopped to do a bit of scratching.

This Great Egret also practiced the “stand and wait” fishing technique most bird watchers have probably seen being used by herons and other wading birds as well.  This tried and true fishing method was also a great success.

As it turned the fish around to go down head first

and then tilted its head up to swallow it

The foraging technique I had never seen before involved the Great Egret standing still but moving its outstretched neck back and forth in a rhythmic motion while keeping its head fairly still.  I don’t know if this allows them a better view of their prey or if it is used to lure the fish.  This is what the pose looks like with the bird’s head slightly tilted.

I recorded a video clip to show this technique, unknown to me before seeing this bird use it.  It’s not the greatest video but you can see the strange neck motion used, the head plunge into the water and voilà, another fish.

I have more photos of some of the other 36 species I observed yesterday at Lema Ranch coming up in future posts.  Until then, here is this beautiful bird in graceful flight.

Check out more cool photos at Bird Photography Weekly.

Savannah Sparrow photos by Larry Jordan

I had the chance to do a little birding before the Burrowing Owl Consortium meeting a few weeks ago and found several Savannah Sparrows at Shollenberger Park in Petaluma.  I got some good shots of this bird as it foraged in the open near a graveled walkway that meandered through the park.

The Savannah Sparrow is an abundant and wide spread grassland sparrow in North America.  It usually has a yellowish eyebrow stripe which is not always obvious.  Like the photo above, the yellowish eyebrow stripe sometimes appears beige.

Its throat, breast, and belly are whitish to pale beige, the breast generally streaked with brown, often with a small central spot, less obvious than that of the Song Sparrow.  Most also show a pale beige median stripe on the crown.

The Savannah Sparrow also sports a notched tail which separates it from the Song Sparrow and has pink legs.

To see some really cool bird photos from around the world, check out Bird Photography Weekly.

Emu photos by Larry Jordan

The Emu is the second largest living bird in the world by height, second only to the Ostrich.  It is also the largest bird native to Australia¹.  They can be rather intimidating when they are close up and looking at you eye to eye.

On my way to do some maintenance on the artificial Burrowing Owl habitat we installed in Anderson last spring, I spotted a pair of Emu grazing in a large open field.  I decided it would be an excellent photo opportunity so I pulled off the main road, onto a side street and turned into a cul de sac.  There was a smaller open field on one side and an industrial building of some sort on the other, and a four foot fence in front of me.

As I was pulling up to park near the fence, I couldn’t help but notice that the birds that had been hundreds of yards away from me were now nearly at the fence!  Emus can trot great distances very quickly and reach speeds of 30 mph!  By the time I got out of the car with my digiscoping gear, they were too close to photograph.  I quickly replaced the scope with my 80 – 400mm lens as the pair watched with curiosity.

These birds can reach six feet tall and weight over 100 pounds and their plumage will vary in color due to environmental factors, giving the bird a natural camouflage¹.  Note how this Emu blends in with the surrounding grassland.

The male and female of the species are nearly identical, the female being a bit larger than the male.  As a departure from the norm, the female Emu courts the male.  She will circle him and give a drumming call (I’m sorry but you must have Real Player to hear.  It was the only audio clip I could find of this haunting call).

This female began strutting around and drumming.  Notice how her neck is pulled back and her feathers are more erect as she makes the beautiful drumming call.

I really enjoyed watching them interact but I guess, since I didn’t have any food for them, they decided to return to their foraging and slowly wandered away.

I did find a cool video of Emus dancing though.

I think they are cute (just look at that do), but they can be intimidating an possess a powerful defense mechanism using their legs, and feet with sharp claws, to kick.

All the information on the Emu in this post was gleaned from Wikipedia (with loads more information) but here are a few other good sources: Unique Australia Animals, the San Diego Zoo, and the Internet Bird Collection.

References: 1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu

For more interesting bird photos, check out Bird Photography Weekly and don’t forget to send me your submission for the next IATB by Tuesday!