OK, Paul, since I seem to be the novicest of birders here, I will start a new thread for ya.

As an example of my inexperience with winged things with 2 legs, I start with this image. Not all birds can hover, right? I thought this was "just a sparrow" until I noticed it can hover. What is it?

And a fitting start this photo is Loupey well Captured :) And i have no idea what kind it is lol, to tired to look lol

That's not an easy ID, but I know :wink:

That's a willow flycatcher. It was saying :RITTT, REEEP, ritzbew(or Fyou). IDing birds by sound is crucial with flycatcher, but the willow can be ID'd without sound usually.

Here's a Baltimore Oriole watching over her nest. Yesterday I built an oriole feeder and placed in along the edge of some woods where I had seen some orioles a week or two ago. I tried to set the feeder up in one spot, but the ground was too hard, so I choose a spot with more shade, hoping the ground wouldn't be as hard. It worked, and so my feeder was set. Today I got up early to go and sit under a tree with a good view of the feeder. Within 5-10 minutes of getting set up, I noticed a pair of orioles in the trees above the feeder. I watched them for a littl while, and they disspeared. A few minutes later, they were back. Then they would dissapear again. As I was looking for a good place to sit when I first got there, I thougth I saw something in one of the trees that looked like it could have been a hanging nest. Once I got settled in, I looked and looked for it, but I couldn't see it. Then one of the orioles landed on a small branch in the tree right above the feeder. The weight of the bird was enough to cause the branch to dip down a bit, exposing the softball sized nest hanging on the branch. The nest was in the tree, directly above the feeder I put up! What are the chances of that? Once both of the adults were out of site, I moved to a spot with a better view of the nest, and waited. It wasn't long before both birds where back. The female flew to the nest, and just sat there, in plain view of me for about a half hour. She didn't seem agitated or even aware I was there. I after a while I was wanting to leave but I didn't want to get up and scare her, so I just sat and waited for her to take off on her own. After a while I thought she was never going to leave... Eventually my attention was diverted by some other birds, and when I looked up at the oriole nest, the adult was gone. I quickly packed up my stuff, and headed for the truck.

As I was driving home, I saw something blue flittering around along the side of the road. As I got closer I could see it was an indigo bunting, but what the heck was it doing? As I got even closer, I finally realized that the brown lump of grass that I thought it was on top of was actually Mrs. indigo bunting. I turned around hoping to get a shot for the "procreation thread" but they were gone when I got back. :)

Thanks for the wonderful story to go along with your great shots, Michael. It's always interesting for me to hear how people got the shots they got.

Here's one to separate the bird nerds from the wannabes. What kind of bird left this feather behind?

Your joking right?

That IMHO is a Buteo secondary wing feather :D red-shouldered is my guess assuming it was taken recently and locally. It looks very broudwinged like though and could even be a redtailed?

Being as I didn't learn to ID birds like Audubon(who shot and killed them), I can ID whole birds much easier :wink:

Your joking right?

That IMHO is a Buteo secondary wing feather :D red-shouldered is my guess assuming it was taken recently and locally. It looks very broudwinged like though and could even be a redtailed?

Being as I didn't learn to ID birds like Audubon(who shot and killed them), I can ID whole birds much easier :wink:

:thumbsup: I didn't see the bird lose this feather, so we may never know without a shadow of a doubt, but I found it yesterday in FL underneath a tall tree where I've seen a young osprey perch repeatedly. I have seen a hawk in that tree, but not for a while and not this year.

That's unbelievable about Audubon. :(

Yes, John J Audubon(who the Audubon societies are named after ) killed alot of the birds he went on to paint. He really wasn't an orinthologist or even a conservationist by any stretch of the word. He was a great painter/illustrator who published a book on north american birds.

That is very likely an osprey feather, but looks buteo like to my untrained eye. It isn't a broudwinged if you shot it recently because they were going through in april :wink:

Here's a couple shots I took while walking the dogs this afternoon.
Indigo Bunting and a sparrow. Not sure about the sparrow... could it be a young field or chipping?

I shot this one about a month ago, and never got around to posting it.

Cooling Indigo, Michael. I've not seen any of those in my parts.

Well, I don't know if Paul is ever coming back from his life-altering experience but I will post this shot which is probably a no-brainer. Shot this evening as I was drawn to it's stange call - kind of like a sick cat meow.

Loupey - looks like the Gray Catbird, I hear them 'meow' often where i live. :p

Here is a Cedar Waxwing I shot this past weekend. I was down by the creek and he landed on a branch above me and i was able to get about a dozen shots of him. This is the first time I've ever seen one of these around here, wish I could have gotten a little closer:

29111

Here's a couple shots I took while walking the dogs this afternoon.
Indigo Bunting and a sparrow. Not sure about the sparrow... could it be a young field or chipping?


fledgling field sparrow :wink:

Is that a GREY PARTRIDGE? I have never seen one, but that's what it looks like to me.

Loupey - looks like the Gray Catbird, I hear them 'meow' often where i live. :p

Here is a Cedar Waxwing I shot this past weekend. I was down by the creek and he landed on a branch above me and i was able to get about a dozen shots of him. This is the first time I've ever seen one of these around here, wish I could have gotten a little closer:

29111

catbird indeed.

Nice cedar waxwing!

Is that a GREY PARTRIDGE? I have never seen one, but that's what it looks like to me.


It very well could be. I wasn't sure, but that is one of the birds I considered when cunsulting my field book. There were two of them together when I shot this. They were in a pretty open field, then ran across the road in front of me to another field. I only got off a couple of shots, and the others are really blurry so this is all I have to go by.

I think it is, because if not it can only be the oddest looking female bobwhite I have ever seen :wink:

Two grab shots while at the family picnic yesterday. Image quality sucks but I really want to get a shot of especially the first one - some kind of pecker?

Loupey - Nice pics; the bottom one looks like a white-breasted nuthatch. The top looks like a female Downy or maybe Hairy woodpecker? It looks alot like the ones i see in my backyard and I always thought they were the downy's.
Paul should be able to confirm this for us. :) Btw Paul, thanks for the cedar waxwing compliment!

I think it is, because if not it can only be the oddest looking female bobwhite I have ever seen :wink:.

Female bobwhite was my 2nd guess also. :)

looks hairy to me based on the limited facial view and beak size.

These three from yesterday. Sorry about the hawk one - one shot before disappearing behind the trees.

First time I caught any of these on film before :)

retailed hawk, female and male ruby-throated hummingbirds

Photographed this bird this afternoon. Thought he was a snake for a moment. Didn't notice the reflection until after I downloaded it.

Well , the anhinga was called the snakeneck for a reason :wink: Nice shot, too bad about the beak being chopped in the reflection:mad2:

Horrible light and the wrong lens, but I don't see this bird every day. Hint, not the Mallard.

I'll take your word on that duck :wink: but the other is a young roseate spoonbill so it looks

Liked his do...

Looks like a snowy egret, but you have a habit of posting exotics from a zoo...

Could be a LITTLE EGRET too :wink:

Looks like a snowy egret, but you have a habit of posting exotics from a zoo...

Could be a LITTLE EGRET too :wink:

You have "ZOO-DAR," I think. It's a wild bird in a zoo -- snowy egret, I thought.

snowy and little egrets look very much alike. I can't tell the difference myself.

Yes, that image is an easy to see ZOO image :D

Quite possibly the wost bird photo ever posetd here. :) Is it enough to ID? Could this be a GB Heron fledgling?

green heron ! It was noisy when it left wasn't it :wink:

They are very leary of humans .... outside FL :lol:

I didn't notice it making any noise, but that's not to say that it wasn't. :)

They usual make an alarm noise when flushed .. "SCOW"

I went to the pond today to try to get a better shot of the Green Heron. I saw it as I drove by, but when I returned 5 minutes later with my camera, it was gone. The Great Blue was still there tho. Along with a bunch of cedar waxwings, a couple of belted kingfishes, killdeer, and RW blackbirds.

Hey Loupey, I used my cheap Quantary 2X-TC for the GB Heron.

http://gallery.photographyreview.com/data/photography//500/CRW_3913.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/62/186854822_66205b81ed.jpg

Beautiful pics of the GB heron and cedar waxwing!

Great Pics Mjs1973 i Totaly missed out on this one :( i dont know if there was to much wind and leaf mouvement or just plain bad shooting on my part :(

Northern Flicker male i think :)

Nice images knight and mike.

Hey Loupey, I used my cheap Quantary 2X-TC for the GB Heron.


That cheap Quantary work pretty good :)

That cheap Quantary work pretty good :)


Yeah, I was actually quite shocked at how well it did. Considering this was at a 1600mm film equivelent focal length, with a shutter speed of only 1/125. I forgot my remote release, so I had to use the self timer and pray for NO breeze! I may have to start taking this with me more often. :)

OMG..... You shot that with a 170-500 and cheap 2x?

That's very impressing stats there, what tripod and head do you own ?

OMG..... You shot that with a 170-500 and cheap 2x?

That's very impressing stats there, what tripod and head do you own ?

Tripod? That was hand held. :)

Ok, I used a Bogen 3021B Pro with a 488 RC2 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=353322&is=REG&addedTroughType=search) ball head. (This was shot @ f/9)

Wow, that is a more sturdy ballhead than I thought!

BTW... F9 is what you'd get with a 500F4/2X TC if you closed down 1/3 stop from wide open. Your TC must not transmit the data to the camera like one of my Nikon TC's .

F13 is what a 170-500/50-500 with a 2X gives you wide open and F9 is what you get with a 1.4X wide open :wink:

Wow, that is a more sturdy ballhead than I thought!

BTW... F9 is what you'd get with a 500F4/2X TC if you closed down 1/3 stop from wide open. Your TC must not transmit the data to the camera like one of my Nikon TC's .

F13 is what a 170-500/50-500 with a 2X gives you wide open and F9 is what you get with a 1.4X wide open :wink:

Ok, this brings up a question that I was going to post in Loupey's TC thread, but never got around to it. Feel free to move this post over there if you want.

I know the whole idea about loosing 2 stops of light by adding a 2X-TC, but does that really change the apperture inside the lens? The way I have always thought about it is that the TC is just affecting the ammount of light getting through, like adding a 2 stop ND filter would, and not actually changing the diaphram inside the lens.

I know that less light is getting through because the viewfinder is darker with the TC, but is that because the apperture blades have closed, or is it because the the TC is blocking the light?

That's a help files question if you ask me or even a viewfinder post(most viewed of the forums IMHO).

I don't know for sure how it works out, but No the blades don't close. I would think the camera reads the light with the meter to get exposure reguardless of what you place between the lens and body(doesn't apply to every camera, but that's what we'll go with here). The AUTO TC must be telling the camera somehow that the aperture is closed 2 stops or maybe the tc consentrates the light that much making the camera think it's closed 2 stops?

The light loss is strictly due to physics.

F-stops are calculated by taking the aperture opening and dividing it by the focal length. So, if you have a 200mm lens with a 50mm maximum aperture opening, you have 50/200 or 1/4 or f/4. Now if you use a 2x, you still have the same aperture opening but have multiplied the focal length to 400mm. So now you have 50/400 or 1/8 or f/8.

Without the blades physically moving, your lens now lets in four times (2 stops) less light. So wide open is now f/8 with this example.

The light loss is strictly due to physics.

F-stops are calculated by taking the aperture opening and dividing it by the focal length. So, if you have a 200mm lens with a 50mm maximum aperture opening, you have 50/200 or 1/4 or f/4. Now if you use a 2x, you still have the same aperture opening but have multiplied the focal length to 400mm. So now you have 50/400 or 1/8 or f/8.

Without the blades physically moving, your lens now lets in four times (2 stops) less light. So wide open is now f/8 with this example.


I knew I should have payed attention in math class. That makes sense to me. Thanks for the info Loupey!

No back to our regularly scheduled program:
I went looking for the GB Heron and the Green Heron this afternoon, but I didn't see them. I did find some Belted Kingfishers though.

Alright! You got both MALE and FEMALE(in that order)

Roadrunner and Young

Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus

It's 'The Dude' feeding the adolescent. (Limper is already sitting on the next brood.) He gradually gets them used to coming near the house to mooch hamburger. Once they feed directly from me, it is his sign that they are to be driven from his territory. He is brutal in delivering the message.

They were in the shadows, so the photo doesn't 'pop', but, it is good for id!

2 grab shots from earlier today for ya.

that's a male eastern towhee and a male red-bellied woodpecker .

Here's a few from today. Just went out to take a walk today, my last few times out I was after a few different birds today was just a take whatever I see day.
Mike

OMG.... Where did you shoot that least sandpiper(atleast that's what it looks like)? That is a rediculously early migrant!

Those waxwings and grosbeak are sweet!

I was reading on a birding blog earlier this week that the fall migration (if you can call it fall in July!) has already started for some shore birds. I had no idea birds started heading south this early, but then again, I'm pretty new to all this bird stuff. :)

Here is a quote from Mike McDowell's (http://www.birddigiscoping.com/) blog:
It begins with shorebirds. It's already been a few weeks since the first Least Sandpipers left their nesting grounds in Canada. Isn't it hard to believe that fall migration is underway? On the Wisconsin Birding Network reports are coming in...a Sanderling at Ashland and a Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Horicon National Wildlife Reserve. Yesterday morning on my way to work I stopped by a drainage pond along Woodland Drive and found several Least Sandpipers, a few Solitary Sandpipers, Pectoral Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs and a Wilson's Phalarope - all southbound migrants headed for destinations to the southern United States or further on to Central and South America.

Sandlingsand buff breasted nest well within the arctic circle on the islands off the NW territories close to greenland :wink:Least/ pectoral nest in the NW territories,Wilson's phalarope nests in Wisconsin, lesser yelowlegs nest the top half of ontario and solitaries are just over the bourder. Wisconsin should see early migrants a few weeks before NJ due to latitude and flight paths(more go through there). I would say Mike took these in NORTHERN NJ far from vast farming areas(southern nj) and large bodies of shallow tidal pools(ocean) . One area does come to mind up there, but it's actually in orange county NY(just over the state line) which BTW is where ORANGE COUNTY CHOPPER is :D

Mike always seems to find early birds!!!!

OMG.... Where did you shoot that least sandpiper(atleast that's what it looks like)? That is a rediculously early migrant!

Those waxwings and grosbeak are sweet!

I don't see shore birds that often but by the picture and size I had the ID as the Least Sandpiper. It was a very small bird, there was a sparrow on the green stuff and they were about the same size. I took all of these at Hyper Humus.

Mike

Yeah that is the other place up north that would have "peeps" in migration(if it's what I am thinking of atleast). BTW... That place is on fire from what I here in the spring (may) with rails, herons and bitterns , but I've never been there.

The first one - don't know if it is another red-bellied woodpecker or not. The coloration of the head seems different.

Second one - very pretty male. Female (also in the shot) is drab.

That's a female red-bellied, the last was a male .

As for your indigo buntings, the other one looks like a young bird. notice it's pretty light in the chest. My local park has (no kidding) 100 young buntings being fed by their parents !

Here's a fledgling indigo bunting.... flash died, IS was off and shot at 400mm 1/125th handheld.. who's the dummy who turned off my IS :wink:

Thanks for the quick reply, Paul.

I saw a blue flash past me so I was determined to get a shot of it for an ID. They are gorgeous. I'm told there are bluebirds here so I'm on a hunt for them now.

Now go to sleep.

I posted these in my Life at the pond thread (http://forums.photographyreview.com/showthread.php?t=23066), but thought I would add them here too.
Easter Phoebe (I think). and a pair of green herons..

You are correct. It's not too often that you see 2 green herons together like that!

You are correct. It's not too often that you see 2 green herons together like that!

There were actally 3 greens at this pond, and the pond is pretty small.. They kept thier distance most of the time, but a coule of them got pretty close once in a while. If they got too close, one would chase the other one away, but then never went too far.

Yeah that is the other place up north that would have "peeps" in migration(if it's what I am thinking of atleast). BTW... That place is on fire from what I here in the spring (may) with rails, herons and bitterns , but I've never been there.

I saw several reports of Rails there but most weren't sightings just people hearing them. I want a bird I can get a picture of not one I can listen to. Here's another shot I took there thursday.
Mike

How about this one Paul ?

I was talking to my cousin friday and he said basdicly " Hyper Humus is a pretty cool spot for spring migration rails and such. I had my closest view of a virgina rail there, but the ******* team used it in the WSB and regretted it "

Rails and marsh birds are hard to see, and I understand what your saying totally.

As for that great egret.. you do know they are typically coast marsh nesters, so I would say that's a migrant too :D

Here's another bird I shot today. I don't see these birds to often so was glad to spot this one.
Mike

That's are hard one.... redtailed is my educated guess, though Bald eagle and vultures fly that way at times too. heavy body, long wings :D

I can surely ID raptors in flight 99% accurately after 5000 hours of viewing them, but images of them going away are tough.

Sweet!!! Barred owls are easy to find in the open.... IF you know where they live :D The key words are "IF YOU KNOW WHERE THEY LIVE. I have seen a few dozen in my travels and usually in a swampy environment, though conifer groves near water are good too. They are usually shy of humans, so you found a good subject!

That's are hard one.... redtailed is my educated guess, though Bald eagle and vultures fly that way at times too. heavy body, long wings :D

I can surely ID raptors in flight 99% accurately after 5000 hours of viewing them, but images of them going away are tough.

Wasn't a very good picture but I thought it might be enough for you to get an ID. I've read that vultures wings are usually at more of a V when they soar. I was trying to explain that to a woman I work with so I thought I might get a few pictures like this one to make my point.
Here is a better picture of the bird.

Mike

Sweet!!! Barred owls are easy to find in the open.... IF you know where they live :D The key words are "IF YOU KNOW WHERE THEY LIVE. I have seen a few dozen in my travels and usually in a swampy environment, though conifer groves near water are good too. They are usually shy of humans, so you found a good subject!

This one was just off the path at the Duck Pond section of Swartswood State Park.

Bald eagle it was ! Yes, TV's sour with a dihedral, but I have seen them fly flat winged at times too.

Is that a lower swartswood fledgling because I don't think too many NJ birds have left the nest site yet?

Bald eagle it was ! Yes, TV's sour with a dihedral, but I have seen them fly flat winged at times too.

Is that a lower swartswood fledgling because I don't think too many NJ birds have left the nest site yet?

Yes this is also from Swartswood. The two were staying close to the nest but they did fly from tree to tree and then this one flew half way across the lake toward me before turning back. I was there for a little over an hour today, they were calling out quite a bit but I never did see the parents. I was glad to see the two young birds, a woman that I work with told me she heard that one had died unless there was a third bird I never saw.

Mike

This one should be easy. Took it today.

WELL IT'S PINK :D Roseate spoonbill

Another shot from sunday at Little Swartswood Lake. The state put out some rope and buoys to keep the boaters away from the Eagles nest. This bird found the buoy as a good place to dry off. I watched these birds dive thinking they would come right back up but they stay under for a while and travel a pretty good distance before coming back up.
Mike

Well fish are in there for sure, but not for long! DC corms eat fish like tit tacs!

BTW....CONGRATS ON THAT FEATURED PHOTO :wink:

Well fish are in there for sure, but not for long! DC corms eat fish like tit tacs!

BTW....CONGRATS ON THAT FEATURED PHOTO :wink:

Thanks, do I get money and prizes ? I'm kidding, when the page opened ( I'm still using dial-up) I noticed the picture in the corner looked like mine. I've seen the photos up there in the past and wondered what they were about. I just clicked the link and took a look at some of the past photos, mine really doesn't belong in there with them. Thanks again.

Mike

I took this picture of a Russian crow in April of this year (2006) while visiting Moscow.

An American Ketsteal from this afternoon.

Here's a better shot of that spoon...

And Here's Another...

cool, a new species to our ever growing list, thanks for sharing.

Here's one from this weekend.

http://static.flickr.com/66/196694108_e331e5b2d0.jpg

MJS had a shot earlier that he posted saying that it might be the worst shot ever posted here. I humbly submit this one a challenge. I was sitting by a pond with my son and seeing what I thought were large dragonflies 50 feet across the water. I gradually figured out they were humming birds and there were three to five (or more) of them. I didn't come close to getting a good shot. This is the best one. ;)

Anyone have an id on the species?

I was trying to take some pictures of a Heron that was near this swan but as I tried to sneak closer the heron took off so I thought I'd get a few shots of the swan that was slowly swimming away. All of a sudden I heard some other swans making a lot of noise and this bird took off in that direction. It took me a minute or so to get from where I was to where I could see what all the noise was about. When I got to where I could see it almost looked like the two adult swans were pushing the little one under the water. The only thing I could think was maybe the little one somehow got its head stuck under water and the adults were trying to free it. You can see in the third shot the mud all on the neck and head of the bird in the middle.

Mike

young female ruby-throated hummingbird :D

Solitary sandpiper

Or maybe a small snapping turtle grabbed that signet? It doesn't appear to be bleeding, but snapping turtles grab the feet/ belly usually. Those weeds are thrick , so your theary makes sense too.
Nice job documenting it!

Here's an easy one from yesterday (07/23)

Greg

That looks like a seaside sparrow to me.

Right you are. Now here's an even easier one.

That's not an easier at all :wink:

It's a juvenile snowy egret, but the jizz of the bird is that of a white morph reddish egret

WOW, I can't believe I was able to throw you. This one is a young Little Blue Heron.

Greg

Ok, Paul, I had told you about two weeks ago that I would post this, so here it is. Hope you will forgive me for being late.

These guys were actually part of a group of 6 that were having dinner in the road. I disturbed them going home from work and these two flew into the tree above where they were.

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j193/photog58/201474-R1-05-6A.jpg


This is a little tighter crop.

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j193/photog58/201474-R1-05-6A1.jpg

Those look like Turkey Vultures to me.

Greg

that is a great environmental shot. Too many wildlife images are a tight image of the species. Environmentals are just as attractive to me.

Yeah , you got me on that little blue alright. Let's just say I am a 60 hour a week guy and I am wiped out when I get home from wrestling trees all day :wink: Those lores looked quite snowy like and the legs , though greenish, were pretty good for a snowy(minus the usually dark front). I guess I should have referenced a book before answering huh :D