Osprey

There is a nest near my home, and I spotted this fellow perched on the neighbor's house. Judging by the orange eye, I think that this is the juvenal that has only recently taken flight. Pretty cool! Getting ready for migration in a month or so.

Ring-billed Gull

Here are some shots of what is probably the most ubiquitous gull in North America, the Ring-billed. The last is of a juvenal.

Eastern Kingbird

Not a great shot; lots of noise. But you can sure see that white band on the tail, which is a definitive field mark for this cool bird. I found this one near a pond outside of North Forks, Idaho. It was hawking insects over the pond. Strangely, it was harassed by the Song Sparrows whenever it perched anywhere near the pond for a length of time. 

Turkey Vultures

I found a gaggle of Turkey vultures perched on the old Mormon temple in Heber City, Utah. Hmmm....a certain irony there. They were originally hanging their wings out to catch the morning sun, but my approach put them on guard and their wings were retracted. Fascinating creatures. 

Downy Woodpecker

Here's a male Downy woodpecker, which I discovered in an aspen grove while camping near Durango, Colorado.

Western Tanager

The male Western tanager is spectacular, the female pretty. For the life of me, I could not get a decent picture of a male, but here is the best photo I could get of a female. 

American White Pelican

During my trip to Durango, Colorado, I saw these big, beautiful birds at every shallow lake or reservoir we passed. They were very difficult to photograph and I only have this one photo, taken in the early morning at Strawberry Reservoir outside of Hebert City, Utah. 

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

I snapped these pictures while camping in the Rocky Mountains near Durango, Colorado. These are very aggressive birds. We bought a simple feeder to draw them into our camp. As a species the Broad-tailed is very similar to the Rufous Hummingbird. Though these photos don't show it, they do have exceptionally broad tails when fanned out.