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BetterLekNextTime posted:Take any opinion I have about gull ID with a HUGE grain of salt but I’m almost certain this is not ring-billed. I’m much less certain about what it is but maybe Thayer’s. The light eye, light mantle , and heavy bill with both red and black are throwing me. I think you're right about it being a Thayer's gull. The Herring and Thayer's third winter do look very similar, but the slope of the forehead is closer to that of the Thayer's.
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Jan 24, 2021 00:25
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EPICAC posted:Could the black spot be some sort of transitional form between 3rd winter and adult herring? Yeah, that's what I was thinking. My first thought was California Gull but then the eye was all wrong. Have a bathing brown creeper.  In the bath with Buddha on Flickr
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Jan 24, 2021 01:40
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Just had an amazing Long-eared Owl sighting. I was out on a walk with the family at a local meadow when I noticed a bit of movement out of the corner of my eye. The owl was 10 feet off the trail right at eye level. It didn't take its eyes off me except when my son walked over to look. I couldn't get an unobstructed shot. Aside from the square crop, all of these are uncropped. Long-eared Owl by EPICAC, on Flickr  Long-eared Owl by EPICAC, on Flickr  Long-eared Owl by EPICAC, on Flickr  Long-eared Owl by EPICAC, on Flickr
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Jan 24, 2021 22:18
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Those eyes are amazing! The first shot is my favorite, and the profile one is really nice too. In the last one, the owl looks much "taller" than I expected. Was it stretching out or something?
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Jan 24, 2021 22:31
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DorianGravy posted:Those eyes are amazing! The first shot is my favorite, and the profile one is really nice too. In the last one, the owl looks much "taller" than I expected. Was it stretching out or something? I think it's a defensive/camouflage posture, trying to make itself look smaller / thinner / like a tree branch. It had a more normal posture when I first saw it, and adopted that one once I stopped.
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Jan 24, 2021 22:38
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Those are great. I’m so jealous- long-eared is my nemesis bird.
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Jan 24, 2021 23:27
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EPICAC posted:Just had an amazing Long-eared Owl sighting. Awesome! I've been out at Dunback a few times to try to catch one of those guys or the other resident owls and haven't had any luck, just Cooper's Hawks from too far away and a million shots of woodpeckers.
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Jan 25, 2021 01:50
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-CHA posted:I think you're right about it being a Thayer's gull. The Herring and Thayer's third winter do look very similar, but the slope of the forehead is closer to that of the Thayer's. Tough to say on a shot from that angle, but Herring would be more likely to have pale eyes like that than Thayer's. BetterLekNextTime posted:Those are great. I’m so jealous- long-eared is my nemesis bird. I was made a quick drive through a birdy road on Monday and noticed there were a surprising number of cars parked at a public wildlife area. Didn't think much of it and continued home only to discover that one of my friends had found a roosting Long-Eared there that hung out in the open all day. I drove within 200ft of it. Tried a couple times later in the week and missed it  Finally chased a Snow Bunting that's been hanging out for a month or so. The bird was incredibly tame, despite having hunters actively shooting within 100 yards.  20210124-IMG_0678.jpg by Josh, on Flickr  20210124-IMG_0742.jpgby Josh, on Flickr
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Jan 25, 2021 02:19
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Snow buntings are such beauties.
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Jan 25, 2021 02:21
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The Snow Buntings are beautiful. Picked up a Sigma 150-600mm and it's probably a bit too much for my T7i to handle especially at 600mm but I was able to take these pics of Chestnut Backed Chickadees at my feeder. They like to swoop down, pick up one big seed and then eat it in the tree.    
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Jan 25, 2021 22:16
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Great colors, and such fluff! Nice pictures!
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Jan 26, 2021 02:25
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Love the chickadees!BeastOfExmoor posted:
I wish these would wander a little further south for me! I've mostly been going to my most local park during the pandemic but yesterday I finally decided to go to one of the shoreline parks to look for a burrowing owl that winters there.  Pt Isabel burrowing owl-9739 on Flickr Pt Isabel Burrowing Owl on FlickrI ran into a few other birds. The lighting was all over the place from sunny to flat to woah giant diffuser sky.  Pt Isabel Scaup on Flickr Pt Isabel Com Goldeneye on Flickr Pt Isabel Ruby-crowned on Flickr Pt Isabel Bushtit on Flickr Pt Isabel Savannah Sp on FlickrGoofy rear end crow carrying around a bone for no reason.  Pt Isabel crow bone on FlickrThe magic of the dehaze slider in Lightroom. This Common Yellowthroat was close to me but on the opposite side of a bush. I somehow got it in focus. (the before and after isn't entirely the dehaze but you get the idea).  Pt Isabel Com Yellowthroat original-9974 on Flickr Pt Isabel Com Yellowthroat on Flickr
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Jan 27, 2021 18:12
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Grey herons are the grumpiest birds alive. Grinig gråhäger by kblomster, on Flickr Also, TIL they can shake themselves kinda like a dog, and they look hilarious when they do.  Rufsig gråhäger by kblomster, on Flickr
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Jan 27, 2021 18:48
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These are great. I live relatively close to Pt. Isabel, I'll have to check it out some time if there's that many birds around.BetterLekNextTime posted:Love the chickadees!
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Jan 27, 2021 22:10
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Jerm324 posted:These are great. I live relatively close to Pt. Isabel, I'll have to check it out some time if there's that many birds around. I don't know that it's better than most other parks along the bay but yeah, you can see a lot there between the waterfowl, shorebirds, herons, and songbirds, plus the occasional raptor. Even had a Ridgeway's Rail by the RFS/51st St. If you are there for the birds definitely walk up the Bay Trail towards Meeker Slough and Marina Bay. Feel free to hit me up if you have more questions about birding in this part of the East Bay.
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Jan 28, 2021 02:31
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TheFluff posted:Grey herons are the grumpiest birds alive. These are really nice. How do you get close enough without scaring them away? I have a bunch of great blue herons in my area that are impossible to get close enough even with a 300mm lens.
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Jan 29, 2021 05:38
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-CHA posted:These are really nice. How do you get close enough without scaring them away? I have a bunch of great blue herons in my area that are impossible to get close enough even with a 300mm lens. Thanks! As for how I get so close, there's absolutely no skill involved, it's 100% cheating. These herons are city dwellers that are pretty used to people in the first place, and in this particular location the municipal park administration feeds them fish every morning in the winter (I don't think they'd stay without that, most of their brethren around here migrate south in winter). Then combine that with cold weather and they just stand around fat and lazy and don't give any fucks about people walking around nearby. When I was there around 1 PM the other day there was a flock of like 20 of them that were just standing around on this patch of grass between the bike path and the road without a worry in the world. They could just go stand on the lake ice instead if they wanted privacy (there's a few places where the water is kept in motion and unfrozen for the benefit of the waterfowl, so you can't just walk out there) but for whatever reason only a few of them did. When I see herons out in the archipelago in summer on the other hand I have the same experience as you - they leave immediately if you get closer than like 50 meters. They're super fun to shoot as a babby tier bird photographer - they're huge and fill up the frame, they're high contrast, they look funny from almost any angle, they fly pretty slowly, and of course these particular ones let you get up real close. I'm in good company though, I've seen several big name professional bird photographers who are stuck at home because of covid post shots from the same location  (theirs are much better than mine, of course). Just standing around. I think this is a funny shot with all the beaks pointing the same direction, but I did a real shoddy job of trying to heal brush away a distracting tree branch and I'm not happy with the depth of field so I didn't upload it to flickr.  Grey heron head-on  Portrait of a grey heron TheFluff fucked around with this message at 12:16 on Jan 29, 2021 |
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Jan 29, 2021 11:42
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Are American Great Blue and European Gray Herons the same species or just very similar?
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Jan 29, 2021 12:02
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jarlywarly posted:Are American Great Blue and European Gray Herons the same species or just very similar? I don't know poo poo beyond what I read on wikipedia, but FWIW my understanding of the passage below is that they're considered different species but they're so closely related that the "what is even a species" line starts to blur quite a bit: quote:The great blue heron is replaced in the Old World by the very similar grey heron (Ardea cinerea), which differs in being somewhat smaller (90–98 cm (35–39 in)), with a pale gray neck and legs, lacking the browner colors that the great blue heron has there. It forms a superspecies with this and also with the cocoi heron from South America, which differs in having more extensive black on the head and a white breast and neck.
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Jan 29, 2021 12:11
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jarlywarly posted:Are American Great Blue and European Gray Herons the same species or just very similar? One thing I do often that is very interesting is look up a species on wikipedia and then click on its genus. I often discover all sorts of interesting species that look like bizarro-world versions of what I'm used to. BeastOfExmoor fucked around with this message at 17:34 on Jan 30, 2021 |
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Jan 30, 2021 09:47
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BeastOfExmoor posted:One thing I do often that is very interesting is look up a species on wikipedia and then [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardea_(genus)]click on its genus.[/url] I often discover all sorts of interesting species that look like bizarro-world versions of what I'm used to. I did this with meadowlarks last night, the Central and South American genus has some cool birds. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meadowlark
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Jan 30, 2021 15:56
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EPICAC posted:I did this with meadowlarks last night, the Central and South American genus has some cool birds. Funny you say that. I was reading through on a book on birds of Chile last night and seeing Long-tailed and Peruvian Meadowlarks is what reminded me to come make that post.
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Jan 30, 2021 17:42
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Pretty good day out today for New England birds! Still on borrowed equipment, but considering investing in something soon... I think this one is a juvenile red-tailed hawk. It flew in just as we got near the river and perched for a bit. This was shortly after it spotted a rabbit (it got away). We missed a photo of the hunt, of course.  Hooded merganser escorted by his swan bodyguards.  Winter wren - I really like these, tough to get photos of.  Just a plain 'ol robin but he was really showing off for me so I got a pretty good glamour shot.
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Jan 31, 2021 22:01
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I've been chasing far Eastern curlews on mudlfats along the coast for the last couple of months. This is the big feeding time for their migration to China/Siberia, leaving from Australia at the end of March. It's a bit of an effort waddling out over ankle deep mud to get a nice set up and not spook them. Super frustrating shooting in a shared coastal location though. I don't know how many times where I'd just get set up and someone would then let their dog off it's leash, making all the birds scatter. Everytime they have to fly it burns off muscle for their big flight, meaning they have to spend more time eating, which also means they might miss the good weather when they do leave. Anyways, I used a Z6 and surprisingly a Z50. I don't own any teleconverters, but the Z50 did an ok job with the 200-500. Not the greatest of auto focus, but it handled what I threw at it. Pretty good for a webcam    
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Feb 1, 2021 23:57
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BRAKE FOR MOOSE posted:Pretty good day out today for New England birds! Still on borrowed equipment, but considering investing in something soon... I'd say def red tail, head shape and vest are right. Also, they are by far the most common buteo in NA so I always just assume RT unless I have a good reason to think otherwise. Nice shot. I find it much easier to get photos of juvie RTs cause they are dumb babies and haven't learned to be wary of humans yet. toggle posted:Super frustrating shooting in a shared coastal location though. I don't know how many times where I'd just get set up and someone would then let their dog off it's leash, making all the birds scatter. Everytime they have to fly it burns off muscle for their big flight, meaning they have to spend more time eating, which also means they might miss the good weather when they do leave. Off leash dogs in natural spaces are such a pet peeve of mine. There's an awesome park area outside of Portland that used to be a great birding area with frequent migrants and rarities that turned into a defacto dog park since the park rangers gave up enforcing the leash laws. Its basically impossible to bird there anymore with people running dogs everywhere, shouting and yelling after them. Super bummer. I love dogs but man, some dog owners can be real entitled assholes
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Feb 2, 2021 19:53
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800peepee51doodoo posted:Off leash dogs in natural spaces are such a pet peeve of mine. There's an awesome park area outside of Portland that used to be a great birding area with frequent migrants and rarities that turned into a defacto dog park since the park rangers gave up enforcing the leash laws. Its basically impossible to bird there anymore with people running dogs everywhere, shouting and yelling after them. Super bummer. I love dogs but man, some dog owners can be real entitled assholes My favorite dog owner thing is when their dog gets all up on you for no reason and then they laugh and tell you oh it’s okay he’s a nice dog.
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Feb 2, 2021 19:58
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800peepee51doodoo posted:Off leash dogs in natural spaces are such a pet peeve of mine. There's an awesome park area outside of Portland that used to be a great birding area with frequent migrants and rarities that turned into a defacto dog park since the park rangers gave up enforcing the leash laws. Its basically impossible to bird there anymore with people running dogs everywhere, shouting and yelling after them. Super bummer. I love dogs but man, some dog owners can be real entitled assholes I think if people understood that these spots are important for migratory birds they might stop it, but.. haha.. who am I kidding! I did find going out during the week the best since no one was be out - the weekends were a cluster gently caress though.
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Feb 2, 2021 23:05
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toggle posted:I think if people understood that these spots are important for migratory birds they might stop it, but.. haha.. who am I kidding! There calls here bans for dogs off leash during breeding/migratory periods on some of our more important beaches.
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Feb 3, 2021 11:54
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i only ever manage decent bird photos in the winter here if i somehow get up for sunrise. this thread makes me want to do that more often, some super nice shots in here this lil mockingbird from a couple weeks ago was very chilly; i wanted to give them a jacket
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Feb 3, 2021 13:23
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Pair of redtailed hawks circling today, with some jays imitating them and throwing off my search. Still immensely vindicating to hear the bird and get outside in time for some photos.
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Feb 3, 2021 19:44
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I'm finally digging through some old shots from last July and August Cliff Swallow  Yellowheaded Blackbird   Killdeer   Sanderling (?)   and from Christmas, a pair of Tundra Swans  
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Feb 4, 2021 08:51
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Nice pictures of the Yellow-headed Blackbirds! Those birds are great: they look and sound distinctive, have a cool color-scheme, and have an easy-to-remember name.
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Feb 6, 2021 01:07
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Thanks - we're at the upper end of where they seem to come often (although I've seen them more northerly) but for once we found a whole pond surrounded by them instead of just the red-winged ones that are all over 
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Feb 7, 2021 05:07
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Was -25C yesterday, my autofocus was so slow after being outside in that temp for an hour, this was the only shot I was able to get in-focus, drat that wingspan is huge Bald Eagle by Tyler Huestis, on Flickr
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Feb 7, 2021 17:56
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neckbeard posted:Was -25C yesterday, my autofocus was so slow after being outside in that temp for an hour, this was the only shot I was able to get in-focus, drat that wingspan is huge Probably the most interesting Bald Eagle shot I've seen for a while, nice work!
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Feb 7, 2021 18:41
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jarlywarly posted:Probably the most interesting Bald Eagle shot I've seen for a while, nice work! Thanks. It was -34C this morning, so went to the park hoping that the Great Horned Owls would be active. Didn't find any, but did find a couple Pileated Woodpeckers  Pileated Woodpecker by Tyler Huestis, on Flickr Pileated Woodpecker by Tyler Huestis, on Flickr
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Feb 7, 2021 22:21
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Went for a walk and met a blackbird who really couldn't be bothered to leave his perch in a bush for my sake so I got some good really close shots. Don't usually have problems with bird photos being too closely framed straight out of camera.  
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Feb 7, 2021 22:47
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TheFluff posted:Went for a walk and met a blackbird who really couldn't be bothered to leave his perch in a bush for my sake so I got some good really close shots. Don't usually have problems with bird photos being too closely framed straight out of camera. Beautiful. The soft light really makes this guy pop. neckbeard posted:
The feather on its crest is hilarious. Anywhoo, lovely bird goons, the Audubon Photography Awards are live. I like this contest because the entry fees go towards bird organizations and not Madavor Media Group LLC, plus they have a top 100 so even if you don't win you have some chance of getting your photo splashed about. There are some new categories this year including a Female Bird category and a video category.
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Feb 10, 2021 02:19
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BetterLekNextTime posted:Anywhoo, lovely bird goons, the Audubon Photography Awards are live. I like this contest because the entry fees go towards bird organizations and not Madavor Media Group LLC, plus they have a top 100 so even if you don't win you have some chance of getting your photo splashed about. There are some new categories this year including a Female Bird category and a video category. I don't expect to win but I think I might submit a photo or two for this. Which of these do you all think is the best bet? Lesser Goldfinch  Pelicans (Not sure which type, Northern California)  Great Egret with Dinner  White Tailed Kite and Red Winged Blackbird  Northern Harrier 
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Feb 10, 2021 22:37
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It's really hard to know. I'm pretty sure there's a Birds and Plants category that would be good for the goldfinch. After that I'd lean towards the Egret or the kite/blackbird. They seem more unique to me than the harrier or the pelican, even though those two are ones I'd be more likely to put on my wall. Part of the challenge is just standing out from the crowd.
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Feb 11, 2021 00:07
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