Mottled Duck

These are a south Texas "specialty." They are seemingly nondescript ducks, perhaps female mallards, unless you take careful note. I saw more than a couple pairs of these ducks while visiting the Corpus Christi area in December, 2014.

Reddish Egret (White-morph)

A non-reddish-colored Reddish Egret! This is a white morph, but easily identified as a Reddish egret due to its leg and bill coloration and hunting habits: very quick, energetic and relentless!

White Ibis

A collection of birds! A white ibis in the center and hidden behind it is a Little blue heron. Behind them both is a group of Scarlet spoonbills.

American White Pelicans

I see these big, beautiful birds along the coast in the winter and on inland lakes in the summer. They are quite spectacular. It was a cold windy day on Aransas Bay in south Texas when this picture was taken.

Here is the link to an image of a pelican I took over a reservoir in Utah last summer (August 2014).

Black Skimmer

Here's a pair resting with other birds, among ducks and gulls.

Whooping Cranes

I saw these with my son and daughter, Jesse and Courtney, near Aransas National Wildlife Refuge north of Corpus Christi, Texas. These are one of the rarest birds in North America, as well as the tallest species. 

Note the Sandhill cranes in the background below:

Great-tailed Grackle

Obviously taken in a parking lot, but I'll hope for a better backdrop later. Taken at the zoo parking lot in San Antonio.

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.

Bee Balm

I intentionally plant bee balm in my garden to attract hummingbirds and hummingbird moths. Hummingbirds are frequent visitors, hummingbird moths less so.

Hummingbird resting

Hummingbirds often sit on a branch and watch the world go by or, more accurately, to make sure no other hummingbirds are visiting "their" nectar feeder. I caught this little fellow just chillin' on a lilac tree. 

Black-capped Chickadees

Here are some images of a couple Black-capped Chickadees visiting my backyard feeder.

House Finch

I have been chasing and calling this fellow all month. He finally showed up at the feeder and these are the best pictures I could get. I am still not finished with him! I hope to post some better images later.

Savannah Sparrows

I stumbled upon a half-dozen of these little birds and after I took their photos they kept following me. I guess they wanted me to post their images on the internet. Well, here they are! The males have the yellow on their face, the females do not.

 

Wild tiger lilies

Couldn't pass them up.