Birding

"On Saturday, November 28th, 2009, I went to photograph the Ivory Gull at Cape May. After having my fill of taking pictures of this very cooperative visitor, I decided to stop at E.B. Forsythe NWR (Brigantine) on my way home. I was at the end of my first go around when I saw a Bald Eagle in the water. My first thought was that it had caught a very large fish and could not lift it from the water. Well to my surprise, the Bald Eagle had taken a Green-winged Teal. Please enjoy the photos!" - John (a.k.a. dendroica) from Bookmarklet

"Description: Falcons are birds of prey that are smaller and more streamlined than hawks, with long pointed wings that enable them to fly at great speed. The Peregrine is a crow-sized falcon. A blackish "moustache" (black stripe below the eye) and bluish-grey or slate-coloured upperparts characterize adults of both sexes. The underparts are white to buff with brown bars on the sides and thighs, and spots on the abdomen; the underside of the wing is white with black bars. Young peregrines have a blackish moustache, brownish upperparts, a dark brown tail with buff-coloured bars and white tips, and buff-coulored underparts with blackish-brown streaks. The three subspecies are similar, differing slightly in colouration and size; the anatums are medium-sized, coloured buffy-salmon on the breast, and often have black cheeks." - John (a.k.a. dendroica) from Bookmarklet

"Distribution and Population: The three subspecies have distinct geographic distributions. The Peregrine Falcon anatum subspecies, also known as the American peregrine, breeds south of the treeline in Alaska and Canada, throughout most of the U.S.A., and from central to south Mexico. The northern birds winter from Mexico south to southern South America. This subspecies was extirpated... more... - John (a.k.a. dendroica)

"In December 2008, off-duty Bureau of Environmental Criminal Investigations (BECI) Lieutenant John Mattera was photographing a snowy owl-a fairly uncommon visitor-at Jones Beach on Long Island when the unexpected happened. Unbeknownst to Mattera, a peregrine falcon was a few hundred yards away on the beach, guarding the carcass of a ring-billed gull it had killed. To the falcon, the owl was unwelcome competition for its hard-earned meal, and so when the unknowing owl flew from the dunes to the beach, the falcon had had enough, and attacked. These photos show the interaction that ensued." - John (a.k.a. dendroica) from Bookmarklet

wow, that owl. ! - edythe

"The Scale-crested pygmy tyrant (Lophotriccus pileatus) ranges from Costa Rica to Peru and Venezuela. It is found in subtropical montane and tropical forest habitats where it feeds primarily on insects. This particular individual was captured while conducting research in Las Cruces Biological Station, Costa Rica. It was banded and released." - John (a.k.a. dendroica) from Bookmarklet

Damn. How cool is "pygmy tyrant"? Sounds like someone's boss. - Spidra Webster

cute X) - Nia

These birds may not be able to talk, but I think they’re trying to tell us something! What do you think? - burdr from Bookmarklet

Earlier this week, I posted a video of a Wryneck showing off its snake-like head twisting movement. I think the Kingfisher in this video saw that clip said “Anything you can do, I can do better!” - burdr from Bookmarklet

"12 / 17: Talons extended, a Eurasian eagle owl goes for the kill at Turbary Woods Owl and Bird of Prey sanctuary near Preston, Lancashire. The rescue and rehabilitation centre offers a unique collection of over 90 birds of prey, including eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, vultures – and species less common to Britain, such as black kites. Photograph: National Pictures" - John (a.k.a. dendroica) from Bookmarklet

I love owls, too. I wonder how the photographer got this picture. There must have been a camera right under (or over) the prey item. - John (a.k.a. dendroica)

"8 / 17: Thousands of sandhill cranes, snow geese and other migratory birds gather at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. The refuge concluded its 22nd annual Festival of the Cranes on Sunday. Photograph: Susan Montoya Bryan/AP" - John (a.k.a. dendroica) from Bookmarklet

The two photos in the first comment are cute, too. - John (a.k.a. dendroica)

"There are penguins that have been soiled by oil tanker spills and ones that have inadvertently gotten on a freighter and ended up out of their natural range. The staff and volunteers here lovingly restore them to health and, when possible, release these feathered creatures into the wild. "They are quite fit when we release them. Fit and fat," said Venessa Strauss, chief executive of the foundation, with no small measure of pride in her voice. But at this time of year, when millions of Americans are preparing to heartily consume another type of plump flightless bird (read: turkeys), one might be tempted to ask a simple question: Why are penguins special?" - John (a.k.a. dendroica) from Bookmarklet

"But cuteness is not the only reason penguins don't make it onto the main course: They are one of the leading indicators of what's happening to the planet. More than half of all penguin species rank as either endangered or vulnerable to extinction, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Climate change is one of the main threats to penguins' existence: It is... more... - John (a.k.a. dendroica)

"Pablo García-Borboroglu, a researcher at the National Resource Council of Argentina and founder of the Global Penguin Society, wrote in a 2008 scientific paper, "Penguins are particularly vulnerable to petroleum spills because they swim low in the water, must surface regularly to breathe, do not fly, are less able to detect and avoid petroleum than other seabirds, and often encounter... more... - John (a.k.a. dendroica)

Many of you have asked about the Burdr Twitter icon photo. Who’s in it? What kind of duck? When was it taken? Well, here’s the story! - burdr from Bookmarklet

Can’t get away to go birdwatching? Don’t worry, Google has a map for that! Check out some of these birds caught on camera by Google. - burdr from Bookmarklet

Funny! - burdr from Bookmarklet

"1 / 6: Thousands of starlings return to Gretna. Britain gets a huge influx of starlings from Russia and northern Europe. They come here to roost in the relative warmth. However, the species which is now listed as one of the most at-risk birds in Britain. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA" - John (a.k.a. dendroica) from Bookmarklet

I find these photos impressive. I'm not used to seeing starling flocks this big, maybe a few hundred or a thousand birds at most. - John (a.k.a. dendroica)

"2 / 14: A roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) flies over Puerto Parada in Jiquilisco Bay, San Salvador. It has a long bill lined with sensitive nerve endings that help the bird locate and capture prey. Photograph: Jose Cabezas/AFP/Getty Images" - John (a.k.a. dendroica) from Bookmarklet

Bedtime for godwits? - John (a.k.a. dendroica) from Bookmarklet

aw. - 'Like' robot (frɐnc)

"Satellite tracking has allowed a research team to uncover the mysteries of the migration of Eleanora's falcon for the first time. In total, the bird flies more than 9,500 kilometres across the African continent from the Balearic and Columbretes Islands before reaching the island of Madagascar. Some of the previously-obscure secrets now revealed by the scientists show that these falcons migrate by both day and night, and cross supposed ecological barriers such as the Sahara Desert." - John (a.k.a. dendroica) from Bookmarklet

"The tagged falcons started their migration of more than 9,500 kilometres in the autumns of 2007 and 2008, travelling from the Balearic Islands to Madagascar. The new discovery made by this study was that the falcons do not fly over the waters of the Mediterranean and along the East African coast, but instead cross straight over the African continent. The satellite tracking data have... more... - John (a.k.a. dendroica)

"Surveys have confirmed that the finest montane forests in Timor-Leste, and possibly the whole island of Timor, are to be found on the inaccessible Mount Mundo Perdido -- literally, "Lost World." With 22 of the restricted-range species of the Timor and Wetar Endemic Bird Area found so far, Mount Mundo Perdido has been recognised as Timor-Leste's seventeenth Important Bird Area (IBA)." - John (a.k.a. dendroica) from Bookmarklet

"The IBA almost certainly hosts the largest populations of a suite of hill and montane bird species on Timor Island. Of the 22 endemics, one is globally threatened -- the Endangered Timor Imperial-pigeon Ducula cineracea- and eight are Near Threatened, including Slaty Cuckoo-dove Turacoena modesta and Chestnut-backed Thrush Zoothera dohertyi. Small numbers of Critically Endangered... more... - John (a.k.a. dendroica)

"4 / 19: A rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus) at Katandra Treetops park in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife. The rainbow lorikeet is a species of Australasian parrot, whose habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas. Photograph: Santiago Ferrero/Reuters" - John (a.k.a. dendroica) from Bookmarklet

They are so pretty! - Lindsay

"A flash of electric blue—that's as intimately as most people will ever know the common kingfisher. But it suffices. . "Everyone in England who has ever seen one will remember where they saw it," says photographer and kingfisher thrall Charlie Hamilton James. "I saw my first one when I was a boy. I've been completely obsessed ever since." For a few years he traipsed empty-handed after the bird near Bristol, in southwest England. Later, to justify the hours spent on the gloomy riverbanks that king­fish­ers haunt, he took along a camera. That was 20 years ago." - John (a.k.a. dendroica) from Bookmarklet

A flash-based photo gallery included with the article has a pretty cool shot of a diving kingfisher. - John (a.k.a. dendroica)

"The geolocators are miniature, backpack-mounted data-loggers, continuously monitoring light levels for up to two years, from which we can determine the rough latitude and longitude of the migrating owl. The tiny units are custom built by the British Antarctic Survey, and have been used to study the migrations of wood thrushes and purple martins, but never saw-whet owls. This week we began fitting saw-whets with geolocators at our Hidden Valley station, and will soon be doing so at all three of our sites. The harness is made from thin, tough Teflon ribbon that figure-eights around the bird's body, holding the geolocator high in the middle of the back. A short stalk sticks up above the feathers, with the light sensor at the tip. The entire unit and stalk are encased in a light, thin shell of epoxy to protect the innards from sharp owl beaks." - John (a.k.a. dendroica) from Bookmarklet

"The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) says it has received a surprising number of reports of different species sharing nest boxes. It says barn owl nest boxes attract the most unusual tenants, with reports of kestrels and jackdaws moving in. Sharing blue tits, great tits and pied flycatchers have also been spotted." - John (a.k.a. dendroica) from Bookmarklet

Wow. The economy is so bad it's affecting birds... - MVB (Curmudgeon of FF) from iPod

"When the hunters fired, there was an enormous shudder of sound followed by the acrid tang of gun smoke. Then six seconds of eerie silence. Finally came the loud crackling as dozens of birds, some of them weighing as much as 14 pounds, crashed into the dry leaves on the valley floor below. Some were already dead, others would die slowly of hunger and thirst. All were left to rot. The shooters and onlookers cheered and whistled, for they were performing a civic good - ridding the world of the hated hawks that were believed to prey on domestic chickens and small game like rabbits and pheasants. Never mind that very few hawks actually prey on chickens or small game. And too bad that many other species, including bald eagles, were also part of the indiscriminate slaughter." - John (a.k.a. dendroica) from Bookmarklet

"The person responsible for that change was a New York socialite named Rosalie Edge, a little-known but hugely important figure in the American environmental movement. Edge was appalled by photographs of the shootings and raised enough money to first lease and then buy a 1,400-acre section of the mountain that included the best vantage points. Then she posted a guard in 1934 and told... more... - John (a.k.a. dendroica)

I don't agree with this part... "Indeed, a new biography contends that it was Edge, rather than Carson, who was the nation's first environmental activist. "Edge, more than any other person, is the one who slowly and relentlessly transformed America's ailing and ineffective conservation movement into an activist and inclusive environmental movement that led up to the publication of Rachel Carson's seminal Silent Spring in 1962," says Dyana Furmansky, author of Rosalie Edge, Hawk of Mercy." - John (a.k.a. dendroica)

http://www.youtube.com/watch... - Mitra_s