Ornithology (Bird) Thread

[doglegg]

Love the little red male in your photo Steve. (actually I like them all)
Mr Watch, always exciting to see an eagle and to get a photo on top of that.

[Paladin]

These guys took over my daughters pool yesterday morning. Check out the little guy riding on mama's back. Click on the photo to enlarge.

Ray

[Steve Warden]

Nice pic, Ray

[Paladin]

Nice pic, Ray

Thanks, Steve. I went in and cropped the photo and it gives a little better look at the invaders.

Ray

[Steve Warden]

What kind of ducks are they?

[doglegg]

Ray, that is one cool shot. Caught that little fellow at the right time in the right place. Super cool!

[Dinadan]

Cool photos, Ray. The little fellow on his mama's back is darn cute!

[Paladin]

What kind of ducks are they?

Beats the shirt outta me. I used to hunt a duck every now and again but I never really knew one from the other. And thanks for the kind words. I'll pass them on to my daughter who deserves them...

Ray

[Steve Warden]

AHA!!! Black Bellied Whistling Duck!!!!

[Quick Steel]

Ray and Steve, Tho not familiar with your ducks I thought it would be easy to identify them because of that long goose like neck. Well, nothing came easy. My guess is a Black-bellied Whistling Duck. Besides the neck, it is the grey face that makes me choose the Black-bellied rather than the Fulvous Whistling Duck. The chicks have coloring which goes with either species. Both have range maps showing appearances only at the southern most tip of Texas.

If anyone can come up with a better I.D. kindly let us know.

[Paladin]

Ray and Steve, ,,,, Both have range maps showing appearances only at the southern most tip of Texas.

If anyone can come up with a better I.D. kindly let us know.

Just for what it is worth, the ducks were photographed in Houston.

Ray

[Steve Warden]

Ray and Steve, ,,,, Both have range maps showing appearances only at the southern most tip of Texas.

If anyone can come up with a better I.D. kindly let us know.

Just for what it is worth, the ducks were photographed in Houston.

Ray

Guess it depends on what range map you look at.
Thus is from National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern North America.
Defined as East of the Rockies.

[Mumbleypeg]

Great picture of the ducks. FWIW chicks often perch, and ride, on the mother hen's back also, especially during their first couple of weeks after hatching.

I was out for a walk down to the mailbox this afternoon and spotted a Roadrunner, about the same time it spotted me. It tried to run and hide behind a Crepe Myrtle. Then it jumped up onto the fence and as I was trying to get a picture it jumped down and scampered across the pasture and into the brush along the creek.

I looked around, but Wiley Coyote was nowhere to be seen!

Ken

[philco]

Ken from my one and only encounter with a roadrunner (we don't have them here in Ky.) I can greatly appreciate the challenge you faced in getting a photo. Those suckers just won't stay still.

[doglegg]

Ken, you did good catching that fleet fellow. Love to watch them and they always seem to be on the move. Usually with a lizard or a snake hanging from their beak.

[Mumbleypeg]

Thanks y'all. Roadrunners are not uncommon here but they are difficult to photograph without a telephoto lens. They're also very well camouflaged so even if you can get a picture they're not usually clear. We typically have at least two pairs here on the ranch year around so we get to observe them occasionally.

Although we typically think of them being constantly on the move, when hunting they often stand totally still for several minutes at a time, watching (and I assume listening) for movements by their prey. After which they either quickly pounce on some victim, or quickly move about 10-20 feet to a new location and start over. But it's near impossible to get within 150 feet of them if they see you. Interesting birds for sure.

Ken

[doglegg]

Don't think I've posted this little hummer before.

[Dinadan]

I like those roadrunner photos, Ken!

Nice hummer, Doglegg. The hummers are starting to show up in my backyard: saw the first one in a few weeks today.

[doglegg]

Thanks Mel

[bighomer]

They are eating me out of house and home.

[doglegg]

Wow BH, you have an infestation! Never have more than a couple here so far. Love to watch them.

[RobesonsRme.com]

The hummers at my house never permit another bird on the feeder they are using.

Selfish little birds, they are.

Charlie

[doglegg]

We have a bully that hangs around our as well.

[cudgee]

Great picture of the ducks. FWIW chicks often perch, and ride, on the mother hen's back also, especially during their first couple of weeks after hatching.

I was out for a walk down to the mailbox this afternoon and spotted a Roadrunner, about the same time it spotted me. It tried to run and hide behind a Crepe Myrtle. Then it jumped up onto the fence and as I was trying to get a picture it jumped down and scampered across the pasture and into the brush along the creek.

I looked around, but Wiley Coyote was nowhere to be seen!

Ken
IMG_20190813_1628022.jpg

Why are they called roadrunners?

[Quick Steel]

Their flights tend to be short. They prefer to run quickly over the ground. They have excellent speed tho not quite as fast as illustrated in the popular cartoons.