Killdeer and Northern Harrier on Whidbey Island

This is a record... two posts in the same day, but since it's been awhile since I last posted any photos I thought I should get up some from the day's production. 

I drove down to Whidbey Island today with the objective of photographing some quackers in a pond.  Unfortunately the pond area was being visited by people celebrating the first good weather day we've had in weeks so the waterfowl were on the far side of the pond... too far for photos.  I'm making a mental note to return on a week day and in the morning when the light is more favorable. 

However on my way to the pond I happened on a pair of Killdeer and a male Northern Harrier.  You can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.  

Tree Trimming

We had a company trim some of the trees in our yard this past week.  They used two basket-lift trucks often operating at the same time, chain saws and a large commercial chipper whose noise emissions must approach those of a jet engine.  (I saw one crew member throw a 'log' at least 4" in diameter in the chipper and it just ate it whole!)  While part of the crew was cutting limbs in the treetops other crew members were using a chainsaw on smaller trees or gathering the slash below and running it through the chipper.  The conditions could pretty much be described as mayhem during much of the time the company was here. 

Our resident female Downy woodpecker had decided it was time for a meal and was not going to be detered.  At first she hung around on a pine tree waiting to get to the suet feeder, but she finally gave up on that and flew to the feeders closer to the house... slightly farther from all the noise and activity.  There she accessed the peanut feeder and watched as people paraded by.  It was difficult for me to believe that she would put up with all the noise and activity, but I've found the Downy woodpeckers to be extremely tolerant of people. 

One of the crew members was trimming a couple of limbs away from the house (they use no hand tools, only chain saws) and a Red-breasted nuthatch approached to within about four feet of him to see what was going on.  Meanwhile a chickadee continued to feed on one of the peanut feeders that was only about ten feet away. 

This past week we continue to have visits by the California quail (either nine or ten).  We've seen two Varied thrushes in the yard at the same time, a Brown creeper and we finally had a Fox sparrow show up.  We continue to have Golden-crowned sparrows in the yard and for the first time this winter I saw one that actually had some faded gold on its crown... probably a male. 

And for you gardners out there, we have two varieties of spinach planted and both survived temperatures down to about 20-degrees and at least 24 hours of snow! 

Inclement weather (overcast and cold) have discouraged me from taking any photographs, but there might be some forthcoming as I plan to travel to Whidbey Island today and the weather early this morning looks promising. 

Unusual Visitor

There’s big bird news this morning. When I went out to clear snow from a couple of areas where I could feed the birds I found bird prints all around the yard in the snow. This meant that the birds were out looking for food early. We have California quail in the yard, but somewhat fewer than the eleven we counted a week or so ago.


Next up… a Ruby-crowned kinglet that is using one of the inverted suet feeders. I had seen the kinglet in the yard yesterday and seen an unusual bird on the suet yesterday but couldn’t put it all together until this morning when the kinglet made several trips to the suet feeder. For those not aware of this, kinglets are usually insect eaters but will very rarely utilize a suet feeder. Judging from past experience once a primarily insect-eating bird gets started on the suet feeders it may continue for awhile.

The biggest sighting occurred while I was writing this. I saw an unusual shape moving up the trunk of our largest fir tree, and upon examination with my binoculars I found that it was a Red-breasted sapsucker… a species we haven’t seen around here in at least two years. The last time we had sapsuckers there were two fighting and they took the fight to the ground at the bottom of the same tree. I took several photos but it was difficult to tell what you were seeing.

On a sadder note, we haven’t seen the male Anna’s hummingbird that was frequenting our feeder since Tuesday afternoon. We’re hoping it survived but it seems strange that it would abandon the feeder during weather such as this. However when we had multiple snows with snow on the ground for two weeks year before last, we had an Anna’s that survived so we’re hoping for the best.

We have .lots of other common birds in the yard… mostly Dark-eyed juncos and House sparrows but including Golden-crowned sparrows, Spotted towhees, a female Downy woodpecker, a couple of Northern flickers and a handful of Eurasian starlings. I just realized that I hadn’t seen a Rock pigeon in many days… I’m sure it’s too early to begin hoping that they might have moved on.

And Another New Yard Visitor Sans Photo!

Just a couple of weeks after hosting a Band-tailed pigeon in our pine tree, this morning my wife told me to look out my office window at the top of the (truncated) pine tree in our yard.  There, sitting on one of the top branches, was a Mourning dove!  While they're not particularly rare in the county, they're not exactly abundant either.  And this is only the second I have seen in the neighborhood, the first being about four years ago when we were living in a rent house down the hill. 

The bird has since flown down to the ground, BUT the wind is howling outside and it just started raining.  Hopes for a photo are dimming!  

Update on Yard Birds

This has been a good week for yard birds but unfortunately I don't have any photographs to go with it.  Blame the weather! 

We had a Red-tailed hawk fly either over our house or from trees in our yard to a perch overlooking our neighbor's hillside.  We don't get many Red-tails here due to the forest-like habitat.  I would love for them to get a couple of squirrels! 

Our yard is filled with Dark-eyed juncos, sometimes between 30-40 at a time.  I usually scatter hulled sunflower seed on the ground but they make short work of it.  The juncos are very attuned to my presence, and often when I broadcast the seed my subsequent handfuls fall on top of juncos already availing themselves of the first handfuls. 

I watched rather carefully after one of my broadcasts and there, for the fourth winter in a row, was a relatively rare (for this area) Slate-colored junco.  I would dearly love to know if it has been the same one each year but there's no hope of that without banding.  Again I was able to distinguish this relatively rare visitor not so much by its plumage as by its behavior.  It just doesn't quite fit in with the feeding patterns and gregariousness of the other juncos, although I can't tell you why.  If it weren't for its behavior I might never see it in all the activity of the other juncos. 

Also in the yard this past week:  a Northern flicker, both male and female Downy woodpeckers, at least one (and probably more) Golden-crowned kinglets, a Brown creeper, Song sparrow, Golden-crowned sparrow and the return of one of our favorite winter visitors, the Varied thrushes.  The thrushes often like to run with the American robins, so when we have robins in the yard it pays to examine each closely for a possible thrush.  The robins are rather common birds.  As most of you know, nobody, but nobody loves a bird bath more than a robin!  I often have to go out and refill the bird bath after a single robin bathes. 

We're still nursing along at least two Anna's hummingbirds.  On the one hand I feel guilty about feeding them through the winter, but on the other hand they're here during the winter whether I have my feeder out or not, so it seems like I should help them along.  It gets to be a lot of trouble when we have freezing weather during the day, but then I think about the impact on the hummingbirds and figure that it might be a matter of life or death for them.  I'm still trying to come up with some way to heat the hummingbird feeder other than with a lamp. 

And on a very sad note, I got an email from a friend late Friday night that he had found an owl with an injured wing on the road.  He wrapped it in a blanket and put it in a box and wanted to know what to do with it.  I met him with a wildlife intake/rehabilitator/friend Saturday morning.  She was concerned the owl couldn't be saved but took it to the vet.  I just heard this morning that the owl had a compound fracture at a joint and couldn't be saved.  It makes me sad... this was an absolutely beautiful bird.  I've seen a lot of owl photographs but none can do the bird justice when it's alive and sitting less than two feet from you.  The feathers and features were absolutely beautiful. 

We thought at the time that it might have been a Western Screech owl but I was told this morning that it was a Short-eared owl. 

This morning dawned clear and with a high tide, conditions that would be perfect for photographing Dunlin hunkered around the fresh water ponds in farm fields on the Bayview-Edison Road.  I mounted a photo expedition but upon arriving at the Dunlin's location was disappointed to find them not by the road but about 150 yards distant.  I waited around for about two hours but there were very few disturbances due to a lack of raptors flying.  (I did see a Peregrine falcon about half a mile away.)  I finally gave up and headed home. 

This time of year I usually take a route home that leads me by one of the local marinas, and for the past three weeks or so I've seen a Common loon in the marina basin from time to time.  This morning the loon was not only in the basin, but my 200-400mm lens was already mounted on my camera!  I exited my vehicle and took a lot of photos of the loon, then returned to my car and added my 1.7x tele-extender to the lens giving me, in 35mm parlance, something like over 1000mm of focal length.  While the majority of my photos were shot without the tele-extender, all I'm posting here, including a cooperative Song sparrow, were taken with the tele-extender. 

So these aren't yard birds, but they aren't far from the yard either!  

New Yard Bird!

It's not often I get to announce a new yard bird but I had one today! 

I was sitting at my computer this afternoon when I noticed a pigeon fly into the top of a pine tree we have in the yard.  Sadly this is a fairly common occurrence since one of our neighbors, who used to indiscriminately feed the pigeons, moved out of the neighborhood.  The pigeons noticed all the other bird activity in our yard and moved right in.  They make regular visits despite considerable efforts on my part to discourage them. 

I assumed that this was one of the common, run-of-the-mill Rock pigeons that visits the yard.  However as I looked at it I realized that it had a white stripe on it's neck, and my binoculars (a pair of which I keep on the windowsill) revealed that the bird had a two-tone beak and ruffled feathers on its neck in the area of the white stripe.  A quick check of the bird book confirmed it was a Band-tailed pigeon.  This is the first Band-tailed pigeon I've personally seen in the neighborhood even though neighboring birder friends (with better habitat) tell me they see them from time to time. 

The next objective was to retrieve and assemble my camera to get photos.  Fortunately the bird, although appearing nervous, stayed long enough for me to properly arm myself.  Thinking a photo would be better from higher up I crept out on my office deck and snapped about 6-8 photos.  The pigeon finally got too nervous and flew away, but not before I was able to get some decent photographs of it. 

So here is our new visitor... a Band-tailed pigeon! 

Downer for Yard Birds

Last week my wife spied an accipiter in the yard.  In this case it was on the ground, examining the various clumps of bushes in the yard for prey. 

Yesterday afternoon we returned from running errands and I climbed up to my office to check my email.  When I sat down I immediately noticed a new bird in the landscape... an accipiter!  Like most of those we see here this one seemed to be a sub-adult.  I raced downstairs, assembled my camera and sneaked out the front door.  I was able to take a lot of photos before the bird finally flew. 

The accipiters are known for their propensity to dine birds using the feeders and I'm sure that the large number of birds in the yard are what has been attracting it.  I'll send this photo to a couple of friends and see if they can tell me whether it's a Sharp-shinned hawk or a Cooper's hawk. 

Crested Crane

We're now temporarily WAY out of the 'yard bird' category, both in distance and subject matter! 

Yesterday afternoon I received an email from my sister in TX that friends of hers on Whidbey Island had discovered a Crested crane, the national bird of Uganda (and judging from a quick internet search, possibly other African nations).  Not long after this broke I was in contact with my sister's friends and on my way to Whidbey Island.  Upon my arrival I found the bird exactly where I was told it had been... in a pasture with cattle and Canada geese.  It didn't take me long to obtain about 40 photographs of the visitor.  

I was concerned that this wasn't a purely natural occurrence and, if I can believe third or fourth-hand information, my premise turned out to be true.  The bird is apparently an escapee from someone who had a pen of the birds.  So much for one of my sightings entering the county bird records sightings!  However I did obtain some nice photos of the bird, a few of which I'm sharing with you. 

Eureka!

This morning I finally figured out how to rename files in Adobe LightRoom... a generally cumbersome process but with group naming and auto-sequencing the software may make up for some of the extra steps required for naming.  In theory now I'll be processing more photos more quickly so maybe I can get to processing some of the photos from the California trip I mentioned in a previous blog. 

I still have some excellent photos of a bird from a 9/11 yard session, but embarrassingly enough I'm not sure of the identification.  I'm waiting to hear from one of the local experts on the matter. 

In the meantime, here are photos of a juvenile American goldfinch, a male House finch and an unidentified bird in a Japanese maple (thrown in for artistic effect). 

A Tale of Three Sparrows

Those of you who live in the area know that we had a beautiful, sunny day today (Wednesday).  I spent most of the day birding and managed to photograph a couple of sparrows that I usually have difficulty photographing. 

But first, here is a White-crowned sparrow that I photographed several days ago in one of my bird baths.  This qualifies as a 'yard bird'.  It's not rare, but I go for long periods of time without seeing any and I think the most I've ever seen in the yard at one time is three. 

These last two sparrows were at the area known among local birders as the 'West-90'.  There were plentiful supplies of both the Lincoln's sparrow and the Savannah sparrow. 

I'm almost embarrassed to be posting this, but when I arrived back at the house from birding a male Anna's hummingbird was flirting with the watercourse, which was in rapidly fading light.  I took a couple of quick photos which are proving impossible to lighten and still look good, but I thought it interesting that the hummer's gorget shows... apparently as a result of the infrared focus on my camera. 



I believe that you can click on any of these images and they will enlarge.  

First... a couple of notes. 

I previously referred to photos from the CA trip as including a Virginia rail.  I was wrong about that... when I began processing the photos I realized that I had photographed a Sora.  As far as I am personally concerned, this was a much better achievement.  I've photographed rails on several occasions but never a Sora.  In fact, I think I've only seen a Sora on two occasions and both were at the Anahuac NWR in east Texas. 

Second, I was diverted from my CA photos by observations and photographs I took yesterday in my yard.  Since I originally created this site for Skagit birds and I acquired a new yard bird yesterday I think it only fitting that I give that subject priority.  So it will be awhile longer before I debut any photos from the CA trip... which will include the Sora, a Swamp sparrow, a Calfornia condor, a bobcat and possibly others.  I'm also still struggling with another aspect of the new (to me) Lightroom software... how to rename my photos from the default designation supplied by my camera! 

We returned from our driving trip to CA on Tuesday and I’ve been seeing warblers in the yard ever since we arrived home. The observations have mainly been out the windows but on Saturday afternoon (9/11/2010) I worked out in the yard. I had seen so many warblers around the house that I took the precaution of taking my camera out with me so that I could attempt to photograph any warbler or other interesting traffic. It paid off handsomely!


For the first couple of hours early Saturday afternoon it was just the usual suspects… House sparrows, a female Downy woodpecker, a couple of Northern flickers, a European starling or two, Red-breasted nuthatches and both Chestnut-backed and Black-capped chickadees.

About the time I finished my yard chores (mid-to-late afternoon) the warblers started arriving. I saw at least Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped but probably others also. I’ll have to wait until I process all of my photos for additional identifications. It seemed that the warblers would arrive in mixed flocks, stay long enough for a little feeding and a drink of water before moving on. I would then go for maybe 20-30 minutes before the birds would again arrive in the yard and I would have to again pick the warblers out of the flocks. It finally got so productive that I moved my chair into position where I could photograph our watercourse and nearby Golden Chain tree, a favorite staging area.

The big discovery of the day was a new yard bird species… one of the Empidonax flycatchers! I at first thought it was another warbler but upon viewing it through my lens immediately saw the crest and knew that it was a flycatcher. The next problem was whether or not I would be able to identify it... or perhaps more accurately, whether I could find a more experienced birder who would go out on a limb with an identification.  Many of the Empidonax flycatchers look so similar that, I am told, they can only reliably be identified by their vocalizations.

Western Kingbirds on Fir Island

There's been an awkward gap in my posts... I was gone on a 2.5-week driving trip down to southern California and back.  I got some good bird photos and although I primarily created this web site to showcase yard birds, I'll be posting some of the trip photos on this blog... including a Virginia rail, California condor, bobcat and others. 

Before I start posting trip photos... I took a little trip to Fir Island today hoping to photograph some shorebirds and what I understand is Skagit County's first Black phoebe record.  Alas... I saw neither the phoebe nor any shorebirds despite excellent habitat for both. 

However on the way home I passed a bird perched high on a wire and as I was getting farther and farther away I began wondering what I had seen.  I was mulling whether or not to turn back when I encountered another one.  Upon examination both birds turned out to be Western kingbirds... only the second and third of that species I've seen in the ten years I've lived in Skagit County! 

The birds were separated by a corner in the road and a couple of hundred yards, but as I began following the second bird back down the power lines on which it was perched it joined the first bird.  The first bird, in avoiding me deftly flew down in the ditch and retrieved a large insect which it proceeded to eat while perched.  There was a noticeable difference in coloration between the two birds with one having a much brighter, yellower breast than the other.  The photography conditions were less than ideal but I did manage a good many photos of the two birds. 

Stay tuned for trip photos!  

I almost had a repeat of my feeder-filling this morning.  While filling the ball feeder a chickadee flew to the feeder, while it was in my hands, took a sunflower seed kernel and flew into the nearby madrones.  This one didn't land on my finger but was well less than a foot from my face.  I just realized that I failed to note the species of the chickadee. 

Yesterday I strayed a little further from home and visited the Headquarters Unit for the Fish and Wildlife Department.  As most of you know there has been work to breech the dikes for the past year or so and this was my first trip out there in several months.  I was encouraged by the new shorebird habitat but noted that many of the ponds/waterways had cattails started and in a few years I doubt that the ponds will be visible from the shore.  I was also disappointed in that some kind of trees (mulberry?) have been planted around the perimeter of the pond at the entry, thus screening the pond from observers who would like a casual car tour to see what birds might be frequenting the pond.  There weren't even any provisions for observation points along the trail! 

After a short hike I was walking along the trail which is between the entry road and the pond when I spied some kind of male warbler in the bushes/trees.  I carefully crept along the trail trying to get a photo of the bird, but it kept moving along the hedgerow in front of me.  I finally paused and tried "pishing"... and was suddenly rewarded with a Spotted sandpiper popping up onto the fence post less than ten feet in front of me!  The bird had flown from the small grassy strip between the gravel trail and the parking lot, so it was totally unexpected.  I managed to squeeze off three photos before the bird flew down to the pond. 

There were also a pair of Greater yellowlegs (pictured) and a single Lessor yellowlegs in the pond by the parking lot. 

Upon arrival back at the house I was treated to more birding opportunities... a Black-headed grosbeak feeding a juvenile in the front yard. 

Finger Perch for Pine Siskin

This morning I was filling a ball feeder with hulled sunflower seed when a very young Pine siskin lit on my finger and started eating out of the feeder, which I was still holding.  It ate for a couple of minutes then flew to one of my staging branches but before I could re-hang the feeder it was back on my finger.  This time though it just hopped from my finger through the feeding port into the bottom of the feeder.  After eating for about anothe minute it flew to a nearby bird bath for a drink and I was able to hang the feeder. 

More Yard Birds

I spent more time in the yard today.  Two interesting sightings... as I pulled into the driveway early this afternoon I noticed a single Cedar waxwing on the watercourse.  This is a very rare sighting for the yard.  While not the first time a waxwing has been in the yard, I can't even remember the last time I saw one here.  The other interesting sighting was what turned out to be a Hairy woodpecker in one of the fir trees, the first we've seen here in over a year.  We also have a Downy woodpecker that was in the yard today and has it on its mind to enlarge the hole in one of the birdhouses meant for chickadees and nuthatches.  This is the second day in a row it's been working on the hole. 

Also of note, yesterday I was visited by a Brown creeper while a neighbor was observing bird activity in the yard.  While not rare, we can sometimes go for weeks without spotting one. 

We continue to attract Black-headed grosbeaks to the yard with the young birds often vocalizing incessantly.  I've seen as many as four female/juvenile birds in the yard at one time and have separately seen two males in one of the fir trees.  The females/juveniles are getting quite used to me but the males hesitate to even come in the yard, much less visit the feeder when I'm outside. 

Our California quail family is holding steady with six chicks.  The chicks are now so large I can't reliably identify them as chicks unless they are beside the adult female and somewhat still.  All of you with children could take a lesson from the quail... they, as no other bird species of which I am aware, take excellent care of their young.  When feeding one or both parents always serve as lookouts from an elevated perch.

August Yard Birds

Yesterday was the first day in several days that we had sun and I had some time to send in the yard so I assembled the camera and took my post.  My objective was to obtain photos of the Black-headed grosbeak.  I have found them to be shy and therefore difficult to photograph, but my earlier preparations with regard to feeding stations have paid off and I was able to get some fairly good shots. 

This is a male House finch that was probably produced this year...

This is a close cousin of the House finch, a male Fan-tailed finch, a rare migrant from South America.  (Don't ask... how should I know?) 

I also saw numerous chickadees, nuthatches, House sparrows and American goldfinches in the yard.  Our family of quail (male and female and six chicks) seems to be thriving and usually visits the yard several times daily.  I also saw, but failed to get a photo of, what seemed like a juvenile Downy woodpecker.  A sparrow which had the visual characteristics of a female House sparrow but not the behavior of one garnered my attention.  I suspect it was actually a juvenile White-crowned sparrow.  I did get photos so I'll do a little more research or consult a better birder than I. 

A Face Only a Mother Could Love...

We've had at least one family of California quail around for a couple of months.  I've counted at least seven or eight but the quail are exceptionally difficult to count because they blend almost perfectly with the ground and they're very active.  However it's a blessing that the family has apparently maintained its numbers so well.  The quail are able to fly when they are very young and at this stage they are probably quite proficient at getting quickly to the trees in times of danger. 

While I was out this afternoon I also caught a Spotted towhee which had apparently just enjoyed a bath and a sub-adult Song Sparrow. 

Photos from a Short Trip to the Olympic Peninsula

We just returned from a short trip to the Olympic Peninsula.  My original goal was to photograph the Sooty grouse, which was apparently known as the Blue grouse when I last photographed it using a camera with much less resolution than I now have.  The birds were near the end of the road on Hurricane Ridge.  This year a volunteer at the desk told me they were very rare... he had seen only one all season.  I secretly scoffed at his assessment... on my last trip the grouse had been as numerous as chickens in a barnyard.  It turned out he was right... I saw not a single grouse despite a long walk through the same area. 

So I didn't meet my goal but I wasn't disappointed in some of my other discoveries.  I found a couple of nice White-crowned sparrows near the Keystone ferry terminal and numerous Rhinoceros Auklets off a pier in Port Townsend. 

I'm still wrestling with using Adobe Lightroom but seem to be making progress.  I think I can improve on the auklet processing but need a little advice.  I'm still trying to come to terms with the cataloging and labeling aspects of the software.  The camera (Nikon D300S) and lens (Nikon 200-400mm) are operating beautifully and I'm constantly amazed at the quality of the camera/lens combination. 

Refining Habitat

I spent some time today refining the yard habitat and also taking photos.  I've had a problem for the past several weeks with Rock pigeons (the proper name for the common old pigeons you see on buildings) eating the food out of my hanging platform feeder.  The pigeons got started in my yard when a neighbor moved and quit broadcasting cheap bird food around the back yard.  The pigeons noticed the activity in my yard and moved right in. 

Normally it wouldn't be a problem because of the type of feeders I use (which tend to exclude non-clinging birds such as pigeons.  However I like to see the Black-headed grosbeaks in the yard so I hang a single platform feeder.  The pigeons, until this morning, could easily access that feeder.  I modified the feeder by threading a heavy wire through the three chains that hang the feeder... about 5-6" above the feeding platform.  The pigeons now can't land on the feeder and I've had no more problems all day.  And incidentally, I had two male grosbeaks and one female grosbeak on or around the feeder at one time today. 

I also made a very small feeding area immediately adjacent to my manufactured brush pile where birds (towhees, Song sparrows and the now resident chipmunk) can access food without exposing themselves to cats or other predators. 

I'm still not happy with the exact location of my bird bath by the brush pile so I need to do some repositioning with it. 

On the photography end of today's activities I photographed the California quail family (two adults and five chicks) and a sub-adult American robin eating berries from the Oregon grape bush near the house.  I got photos of several other birds that I'm not going to mention now. 

Multi-Dementional Strides!

First I want to apologize to anyone out there who has been expecting new posts.  Purchase of a MUCH-upgraded camera and attempting to make the transition from jpg to raw images have delayed me from updating the website.  I just last evening downloaded a trial subscription to Adobe Lightroom and this morning managed to process some raw images and convert them to jpg.  So much for the technical aspects of the website... on to nature! 

Our 'manufactures brush pile continues to cough up interesting wildlife.  The California quail, now with chicks, are finding it a safe place to hang out and feed.  For the first time in many weeks we've had visits from a White-crowned sparrow and a Song sparrow.  However the biggest brushpile news is the chipmunk (the first we've had on the property) that has apparently taken up residence there in the past few days.  We first saw the chipmunk in the rock pile by the pond where it has a very secure 'cave' for safety.  However it's not content with either of those two places and at least occasionally travels to another birdbath/rockpile in the yard.  This hasn't escaped the notice of the cats and we're having to monitor them much more closely. 

I've got a backlog of raw photos to process but I'm going to post a couple of Rufous hummingbird shots I took with my new 200-400mm lens on Monday.  I'll try to post a few more photos soon. 

New Camera and Lens

I have long used Panasonic 'point-and-shoot' cameras that have aLeica lens with an extended zoom.  They take very good photos, especially when you consider what they cost (<$400).  For the past couple of years I've considered moving up to a digital SLR and finally made the decision to do so for my recent birthday.  Along with the Nikon camera I purchased a Nikon 200-400mm F4 zoom lens... large and heavy but with incredible optics and features when coupled with the camera.  I used a monopod for support but the camera is capable of being hand-held if you use a high-enough shutter speed.  This, of course, requires more light... something that has been in rather short supply this year!  The following photos were taken with the new camera/lens combination...

Two male Northern flickers, the one on the left being a sub-adult...

The same two birds with the adult feeding the younger bird...

A male American goldfinch...

Burrow's Bay Birding

Moving out of the yard for a little break, I spent a few hours at Burrow's Bay this morning and took the following photos:

Song sparrow...

Barn swallow...

California quail...

And an Orange-crowned warbler (thanks to BK for the identification confirmation!)...

Fledglings

Since returning to the PacNW last week I've seen a lot of fledglings in the yard.  We've had Spotted towhees, Red-breasted nuthatches, Chestnut-backed chickadees and Downy woodpeckers.  I was working in the yard today when I noticed an unusual number of visitors to our inverted suet feeder (many with fledglings) so I retrieved my camera and took advantage of the situation.  Some of the photos I obtained are probably my best for some of the species. 

Later in the afternoon I created a California quail feeding area which I hope will help reduce predations by my recently acquired Rock pigeon gang.