Bad Weather, Great Pictures
December 19, 2008
Tremendous snow storms in western North America have given bird photographers a chance to take some really nice photos. Dan Garber sent us a picture of a Steller’s jay waiting out a blizzard in northwestern Montana.
This wild turkey appears to know that Christmas dinner is right around the corner and is hoping nobody notices it trying to sneak away. Keith Cumming took this picture in British Columbia.
Photo Gallery Updated
December 3, 2008
Some nice photos in today’s gallery.
The clay-colored sparrow shots are the first for this species in the gallery. It was recently found in the Carolinas. The photographers weren’t certain about its identity, but clinched it by playing iPod recordings of both chippy and clay-colored songs. It ignored the chippy song and flew right in for the clay-colored song.
The cardinal shot is the winner for Best Composition in a National Audubon/Cornell bird photo contest this year. Luckily for us, the photographer also sends us his shots.
And next come a couple of peregrine pictures from Lansing, Michigan. The pair is cleaning out their box now: I didn’t realize they started the nesting “process” so early.
Then comes a pileated woodpecker a bit out of habitat. You can see cattails in the background, though pileateds are normally found in forests, not marshes.
Next are some pine siskins. It is a super invasion year this year, with something like 11,000 so far over Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania. Gotta set up my feeders…
Also, some killer shots of a snowy owl in New York. Like siskins, it is a big year for them in the East. Likely food sources in the Arctic habitat are low, so they are venturing farther south than usual this year. The prey is a rabbit.
Finally, a red crossbill from Montana. Note in one shot how it crossed its bill in the opposite direction! According to Craig Benkman, THE crossbill expert, this is not that unusual, but I sure didn’t know they could do that.
