Great Horned Owl

 

 

Need I say anything?

It's a Coot, Coot World

We see American Coots with such frequency, that it's become something of a running joke. "Oh, it's just coots, again." Don't get me wrong, we stop and look at almost every coot, just in case it's a new bird. More often than not...it's a coot. A rather silly bird, I've started calling them water pigeons because of the way they bob their head a bit while swimming.

 

Just recently, I had myself a photo shoot with some of these numerous coots. Watching them up close and taking time to observe their behavior and take some shots made me appreciate them a lot more.

Coots do a funny thing when chasing off other coots. They put their head low across the water's surface and swim towards their enemy(or potential mate, I suppose) then run across the water at them flapping their wings before sinking back into a relaxed coot pose.

 



But, it wasn't all flapping and running when I sat with this group of coots. There were moments of peace, and solitude. Each coot, off in its own section of pond picking bits of food from the surface.

 



Sometimes, these coots even managed to look magnificent. Their red eyes gleaming in the sunlight, water droplets suspended on their feathers, gliding through the water with what seem like no effort at all.

 

I must say, I'm rather fond of these birds...and I'll never again be able to say it's just another coot.

A Horned Lark

Horned Larks are high on my list of favorite birds. They always make it difficult for me to get a good picture, flitting away from me just as I get close. The other day was a different story. These two particular larks wanted to sit and sing...must be a sign of spring!

 

It gave me an excellent opportunity to get a few decent shots.

 

The last picture is my favorite - all that attitude. 

Raptor vs. Dove

There was some excitement in our backyard today. There were a lot of feeder birds out today, and they were in the process of cleaning me out. I decided to head and fill the feeders before the birds started to retaliate - as I got to the back door all the birds took off and I was just in time to see this Sharp Shinned Hawk (far as I can tell) take out an Eurasian Collared Dove.

 

I guess that's what happens when you feed birds - you supply a lunch buffet for raptors, too!

 

This picture was before I slid open the sliding glass door. You can see the dove had only lost a few feathers at this point

 



I could tell I was starting to make it nervous, so I let it be to go to the store. When we got back, there was nothing but feathers! Plus a small pile of bird seed, that I think came out of the bird's crop which is pretty awesome. There's Dakota checking out the carnage...and licking the feathers, silly dog.

A Very Gray Jay

This past weekend, we went up to the McCall, Idaho area. There was a winter festival taking place, with ice sculptures and things like that. We spent a little time in the town, but mostly we just enjoyed the drive up there. Its a scenic byway that follows the Payette river and it's a beautiful drive.

We wanted to check out a hot spring that was about 30 minutes outside of Cascade, unfortunately the hot spring was busier than we like. But, I did get to add a new bird to my list.

 

It's a beautiful thing living in a state like Idaho, where there are pockets of different ecosystems and habitat throughout the state. We spent our time "up north" in about four feet of snow, drove three hours south to our home and were basking in 40 degree weather, and scrub brush.

 

Being able to get to different habitats very quickly means I have a better chance of seeing a variety of birds. Like this Gray Jay, who would never dream of visiting our semi-arid climate.

 

 Showing me his tail feathers...

 



 

I love these birds. Their beady little black eyes, and cute little bill, they easily make my top 10 favorite birds.  : )

White Crowned Sparrow

Sparrows are difficult - in a birding sense. They're small, they're brown, each has a few defining characteristics to help identify these little suckers. White Crowned Sparrows are everywhere here! I'm always trying to identify new birds, and with sparrows I constantly have to grab my binoculars to get a closer look.

Watching these little guys is pretty fun. The adults have a striking white crown on their heads, while the juveniles are less flashy with brown stripes along their head. The ones I photographed should get their white crown this spring.

 

Small birds are just plain cute, when they ruffle their feathers and get that poofy, fat bird look. It's irresistible, at least to me. : )



Keep an eye out for these fun little sparrows. They have range across all of North America, at least some time during the year.