Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Birds of The Vermilon River. A Post to WBW.

Female Am. Goldfinch


I was really fortunate to get both the male and female American Goldfinch. They're in their summer colours despite the fact that the wind chill temperature was -4 C this morning. But they're probably used to that as they stay here all year. The male simply has a less flamboyant plumage in the winter. The low temperature is really the result of the high winds we're suffering.
Male Am. Goldfinch


Female Am. Goldfinch.


Female Purple Finch


Male Purple Finch.


As I said earlier I've been fortunate in seeing so many purple finch on my hikes. And fortunate in their willingness to pose for me.  
Female Purple Finch.

Yellow-rumped Warbler Male


I have always enjoyed catching sight of and getting a good photo of the Yellow-rumped Warbler, so seeing this young female on my picnic table and on my feeder was really exciting. No she's not hurt, she's just having a little rest in between feedings. I put the feeder photo in to show her wing and rump markings; otherwise I wouldn't have known what she was. Sometimes identifying these guys drives me crazy.


Young Female Yellow-rumped Warbler.


Young Female Yellow-rumped Warbler.


Hermit Thrush


 Catching the Hermit Thrush was great. They're easily mistaken for Veery's or Swainson's Thrush and we have both as I learned last summer. The white eye ring and the reddish tail mean this guy is a hermit thrush. He was in the brush and I only spotted him by accident.

Yellow-bellied Sap Sucker


This is the real find though. I was really lucky here as he blends right into the woods. If the leaves were out I probably would have missed him. And a him he is, as he has a red bib under his beak. These guys make holes to suck the sap from trees as well as eat insects.

White-throated Sparrow.



Chipping Sparrow


Last year I couldn't seem to find a Chipping Sparrow and as I said earlier White-throats were in short supply.

Mallard IN Flight


I still enjoy the thrill of an in flight capture and this one shows off the mallard's colouring well.
The aquatic birds are hard to find as the Vermilon is in flood, and not very good for nesting, so I'm going to move deeper into the wetlands to find them.

Male Mallard.


Turkey Vultures.


I added in some more photos as some people were not acquainted with Turkey Vultures or buzzards. They're carrion eaters and have a keen sense of smell to detect the gasses from a carcass. All in all they're quite large, about 25-32 inches long, 2-5 lbs in weight, and a wing span of 67-72 inches. They are of course exceptional flyer's and circle to hone in on their food. In the photo, if you click to enlarge, you can just make out the red head with its mottled skin from which they get the name turkey.



Hawks ?


Hawks ?







I caught these guys in flight over the river. Thinking they were doves of some sort, I didn't think much more of it until I realized their speed and flying skills. To try and figure out what they are, I used the profile guide in Birds Of Canada, and Birds of North America. The lack of a fan tail seemed to indicate Buteos. I then went to Cornell Labs, using this information and photos on the web, I think they're Rough-legged Hawks.


If you have a better idea let me know. The small photo is not as good but I included for identification purposes.









A Post to WBW @ http://pineriverreview.blogspot.com/

32 comments:

  1. Great photos of all the birds. I love the Purple finches. Your female YRW looks a lot like the Pine Siskins.

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  2. I think you're right Martha. It is a female Pine Siskin, exciting as it's my first photo of one.

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  3. Great assortment of those little birds!

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  4. those hawks? are interesting! almost shaped like gulls too. great assortment - and i'm jealous that you keep goldfinches all year.

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  5. Love your photo of the mallard in flight!

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  6. Great images! You certainly have a nice variety of birds!

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  7. Great selection of birds Gary.
    I can only dream of seeing these.

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  8. More stunning images of your beautiful wildlife.
    Many thanks for sharing Gary.

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  9. Great photos of all the birds but the Goldfinches are especially beautiful.

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  10. Nice photos and post! I like the flying mallard the best, I tryed it myself today....but he became very dizzy on the photo...

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  11. A very nice selection Gary, but I think your 'hawks' may well be something else (e.g. feral pigeons) from the general shape .. head length is far too long plus a straight rather than hooked beak. Wing tips also wrong for a Buteo. You can slap me with my 'Sibley' if I'm way off beam!

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  12. Terrific series of photos, Gary. I can't help you with the last set. I agree with Frank: the beak is not a hawk's beak. I hope someone else can help you with the id. If not, try the ID forum on birdforum.net

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  13. You sure are fortunate to be able to photograph so many great birds in great poses!

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  14. Fantastic series Gary! What a great Sapsucker sighting. Cheers to you Sir!

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  15. What a nice group of great captures! I love the Hermit Thrush. I used to see one here, but haven't for a couple of years now.

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  16. Hi there - what a great selection of birds - the small birds are splendid.

    I think that your mystery birds could be some form of pigeon - but I could be way off given that my total birding experience in Canada amount to 0 hours!

    Stewart M - Australia

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  17. Great variety!
    I'd also go for Pigeon in the last photos - just from the shape.

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  18. Great selection of birds.Thanks for visiting http://wwwmysrilanka.blogspot.com

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  19. Excellent captures of sweet birds!

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  20. A great post and a beautiful set of images.

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  21. Hi Gary, great pics! Just had the experience of 8 turkey buzzards soaring over & circling while I fished--not sure what they were trying to tell me.

    As for the devastation caused by mining, I totally agree: my home in Butte is ground zero for America's largest Superfund site. Arco-BP has had to spend over $1 billion to date on clean-up & restoration, and even that leaves a lot of waste in place.

    Clean-up & restoration after mining/smelting is like the bear dancing on the ball: it's not amazing that the bear dances so well (it doesn't); it's amazing that the bear can dance at all.

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  22. Gary, Guess the A.Goldfinches know it is Spring in spite of your cold temps. Very nice post and captures. Hope someone can ID your mystery birds.

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  23. lots of great birds as usual. I wonder how much you are actually hiking? :) For me to get that kind of shots, it would take me 3 weeks. At least around where I live.
    That little Yellow-rumped Warbler seems to be cold.

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  24. I love goldfinches. My two feeders stay busy all the time.
    Wonderful capture of the mallard in flight!

    Wishing you warm temps soon. :)

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  25. The flying mallard has to be my favorite. We have a 12 year-old mallard here at the farm, Freddie. :)

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  26. Great selection of bird shots. I remember the American Goldfinch, and maybe the sapsucker, from when I lived in Canada.

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  27. Wow! You have a good collection.

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  28. I love the splash of joy those goldfinches bring.. And that mallard in flight is marvellous.

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  29. Beautiful birding hike Gary! We see so very few perching/song birds here in Florida; I'm looking forward to seeing finches etc in Oregon (we hope to be heading back for the summer/fall soon).

    My unknown bird turned out to be a LIMPKIN, not a juvenile heron at all. I hope you get yours IDd as well; love the virtual birding community.

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