Wild Bird Wednesday

Back from a wonderful week in Puerto Vallarta. It was an absolutely fantastic birding week for me, I was able to add more than a dozen birds to my life list!!

Here's a Yellow Crowned Night Heron.

And here is a Juvenile Yellow Crowned Night Heron doing it's best to be invisible.

Another picture of the adult, love that little feather that comes off the top of their head

Here I am birding at one of the spots in Puerto Vallarta, I saw so many amazing birds!!!

Kristi

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Wild Bird Wednesday

This weekend my sister and I took a drive up to the Skagit Valley to see the Snow Geese. I think we saw some snow geese but they were always very far away. But the trip was lots of fun and we got to see lots of other birds along the way.

We saw a number of groups of Trumpeter Swan, they were still a little far away to get really good photos, this was the best of the bunch. They make the cutest little beeping noises when they are just hanging out on the ground.

Trumpeter Swan

We saw quite a few pair and small groups flying overhead, I managed to get this picture.

We saw a few Great Blue Heron hanging out by the water, this one was on the side of the road. My sister and her Eagle eye caught a glimpse of it as we drove by so we turned around and found a fairly good spot to view it and take pictures.

Great Blue Heron

This pair was way off in the trees, I really had to zoom to get any photos and this not very good one is the best one I could manage. A pair of Red Tailed Hawks I believe.

Red Tailed Hawks

As we were heading home we spotted this little cutie at the tippy top branch of this tree in somebody's yard. Can't see the white on the top of it's head but I'm fairly sure it's a White Crowned Sparrow.

White Crowned Sparrow?

I'm wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday however you choose to celebrate, and an amazingly awesome 2014!!!

I took this picture of one of my regular resident Anna's Hummingbird perched on my Christmas Lights near the hummingbird feeder.

Click the picture below to see the other participants in Wild Bird Wednesday.

Kristi

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Wild Bird Wednesday

It's been so cold here the last few days, on Saturday I spent the whole day rotating feeders and keeping them thawed for the little ones. I finally broke down that evening and bought a couple of lamps to keep them above freezing.

This little one spent most of the day at the feeder, perched there staying warm...

eating and pooping, eating and pooping lol

This is the first morning I had the light on, those Christmas lights come in handy don't they!

He spent the better part of the day right here!

This is the end of the day, it's completely dark out and it stayed well in to the evening. I left the light on all night just in case it came back.

I was on hummer watch the next morning and he showed up quite early, before light.

Again he stayed there for long stretches enjoying the warmth and the sugar water buffet.

As the temperature finally got above freezing he didn't spend as much time at the feeder but I did catch him taking advantage of the Christmas lights again.

I turned the light off mid day, the feeders were no longer in danger of freezing.
He did still spend time there but not as much as the day before.
I use "he" for the most part but I don't actually know if it's a male or female. I'm assuming it's an Anna's because they seem to be the ones that stay through the winter.

Kristi

KristiBowmanDesign.Etsy

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Wild Bird Wednesday

It's been some time since I've joined in the fun on Wild Bird Wednesday.

I have a very special bird to share.

It's not my first sighting of Cedar Waxwing but by far the best!

 The first time a few months back I only caught a glimpse,

 just enough to know what I had seen and was unable to get a good picture.

This time there were at least 2 munching on the fruit of this tree and this one gave me a nice photo opportunity. When I first saw them I wasn't sure what they were, then I spotted the yellow band across the bottom edge of the tail!!! I barely resisted doing the happy dance right then and there :)

Coopers Hawk above, that one little leaf was not in a good spot but I managed to get a couple of good pics anyway even though I was quite far away. 

Never get enough of these cute little White Crowned Sparrows!

Scrub Jay

Fluffy little Finch, not sure which variety but it's a cutie!

Another favorite, just love photographing Robins.

Lots of Gold Finch!

All these photos were taken in the Reno area over the Thanksgiving Weekend.

Thanks for stopping by!

Click on the picture below to see the other participants this week.

Kristi

KristiBowmanDesign.Etsy

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Wild Bird Wednesday

Amazing long weekend for me.

I've been wanting to visit some of the wonderful birding areas in Reno when we visit

and we hit a great spot this past weekend.

The Swan Lake Nature Study Area.

Snowy Egret

Cinnamon Teal

Yellow Headed Blackbird

Female Yellow Headed Blackbird
She was not a cooperative subject, was in the tall grass most of the time and this was the clearest shot I could get of her.

Northern Harrier

All of the above birds are life birds for me so it was a very lucrative trip for me and I look forward to visiting again!

Western Meadowlark

Western Meadowlark

While the Western Meadowlark is not a life bird for me it's been many many years since I've had the pleasure of seeing and hearing on of these wonderful birds and this is my first photo opportunity!

Turkey Vulture

I also got a chance to see 4 Turkey Vulture, couldn't get a good photo of the group in fact had trouble getting any good pictures, this is the best of the lot.

Kristi

Check out all the other wonderful bird lovers by clicking on the picture below.

Wild Bird Wednesday

Just back from a short trip to the Reno area, got a couple of lifers this time!

Townsend's Solitair Life bird for me!

Crow or Raven, very tough to tell. Check out the Cheerios!!

A Juvie for sure but California or Ring-Billed, not sure about which one.

Scrub Jay another Life bird!

Scrub Jay, I love the look on his face

At first I thought Song Sparrow but I think it's a young White Crowned Sparrow.

Young White Crowned, nest mates maybe? They are so cute!

Another tough call, Coopers is my first guess but could be Sharp Shinned, hard to tell in this picture.

Wonderful fluffed up winter Robin

Robin

Northern Flicker in S Lake Tahoe

Nuthatch on the deck near Virginia City

I believe this is a Scrub Jay with a Bill Deformity. Wish I had gotten a better shot.

I reported the deformed bill to
http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/landbirds/beak_deformity/observerreport.html

Kristi