Photo ABCs

Veery

Of all of the birds I photographed in one week in North Dakota, this Veery, I think, was my favorite.

First, it was a life-bird for me, and second, it's so cheerful looking!

Photographed in Lake Metigoshe State Park in June of this year.

Yellow Warbler

A very hungry fledgling Yellow Warbler wonders when its meal delivery service will arrive.

Photographed in Oak Park, in Minot, North Dakota, in June of this year.

Red-winged Blackbird

Male and female Red-winged Blackbirds, photographed near Minot, North Dakota in June of this year:

Marbled Godwit

Marbled Godwits are known for chasing intruders away from nests, even when the nest is far away.

This godwit appeared from hundreds of yards away to chase the group I was with over what it considered its prairie territory, even though we had no idea where its nest was.

Wilson's Snipe

A Wilson's Snipe, photographed in wetlands near Minot, North Dakota, in June of this year.

Franklin's Gulls

Franklin's Gulls, photographed at Salyer National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota, in June of this year.

Preening in mid-air!

Did you know?

Franklin's Gull was named in honor of Sir John Franklin, (1786-1847), an officer of the British Royal Navy, who is best known for exploring the Canadian Arctic, looking for the Northwest Passage (a way to sail through the Arctic from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean). In his final expedition his ships became icebound, all members died, and there may have been cannibalism after their shipwreck. Many search parties were sent to find him, and many members of these search parties also died!

I find no mention that Sir Franklin was interested in birds, but apparently at least one ornithologist at the time thought he deserved this honorific.

Eastern Wood-Pewee, Cedar Waxwing, Western Meadowlark

These birds were photographed in or around Denbigh Experimental Forest, near Minot, North Dakota, in June of this year:

Eastern Wood-Pewee:

Cedar Waxwing:

Western Meadowlark:

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

More photos of one of the Yellow-crowned Night-Herons which frequent the San Diego River Mouth next to Robb Field. Photographed in June of this year.

Playing with its food? Or aligning the morsel for an easier trip down the gullet?

Western Bluebird and Eagle

I saw this bluebird in dramatic light, perched on a mailbox across the street from El Monte Park in Lakeside, California, in September of this year.

I must confess that it was not until I was reviewing the pictures that I noticed that there was also a Bald Eagle in the picture!

Bushtit

A silhouette of a Bushtit, photographed next to Fenton Pond in Chula Vista, California, one September morning of this year.