Got any bird pics?

[Cabezon]

Saw this flock of small shorebirds on a north Puget Sound beach yesterday. Sorry for the phone quality photo.
Anyone know what they are?
View attachment 22282

Hi Greg,
My impression is that they are ruddy turnstones. Here is my reasoning. First, habitat; on boulders at the water's edge - very typical for turnstones. And in a flock of 20ish birds, also typical of turnstones in the fall. The bill is relatively stubby (and dark, ruling out surfbirds) and the body appears to be larger than a typical sandpiper. If you saw a white stripe running down the lower back, that would clinch the ID (and separate these birds from non-breeding red knots which have a uniformly gray back). I lean toward ruddy turnstone vs. black turnstone because a number of the birds show a lighter head coloration (typical of juvenile ruddy turnstones. The head of a black turnstone is always dark.) and there appear to be fewer dark feathers on the chest (though hard to see from this angle and distance).
Steve

 

[Greg Armstrong]

Thanks Steve! Very informative!
I really have no clue when it comes to Shorebirds, so it’s good to hear from someone who can unravel the puzzle.

 

[Kilchis]

Red Breasted Sapsucker

 

[Canuck from Kansas]

From my temporary current backyard, Green Heron:






Cheers

 

[Wadin' Boot]

 

[Wadin' Boot]

 

[Canuck from Kansas]

OK, fair warning here. Seems our new location is a major flyway. Not right on the coast, but about 40 miles inland with lots of wetlands, forest, and other bird-friendly abodes. Over 300 species observed in our county (already have a half-dozen or so checked off the list). As such, I may be bombarding this thread with lotsa new birds (at least to me) and accompanying info.

Northern Mockingbird: We used to have one at the farm in Kansas as well. Love these little guys, so talkative with so many different calls. The one in Kansas used to call for "cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger" - this little guy sings the Liberty song "liberty, liberty... Liiiiiberty". Although ubiquitous to the lower 48, never heard nor saw one in/around Bend, and I surely did miss.



Green Heron (I know, already posted above, but Wadin' Boot posted more than one set of eagle photos and since he's the thread owner, figure it must be OK): Thought they do breed in coastal Oregon and Washington, never saw one. They're year rounders here.



Also, have what looks to be an Osprey (yup, have them here too), but could not get a close enough shot to be sure. Was hovering over the water like a helicopter, then splashed in, never seen one do that, ones I've seen just swoop in.

Cheers

 

[tkww]

When your morning run for spinners was successful

 

[Wadin' Boot]

Wadin' Boot posted more than one set of eagle photos and since he's the thread owner, figure it must be OK....Also, have what looks to be an Osprey (yup, have them here too), but could not get a close enough shot to be sure. Was hovering over the water like a helicopter, then splashed in, never seen one do that, ones I've seen just swoop in.

Cheers

As far as original posting goes, as far as I see it cool bird pics is the fun part, who cares about duplicates? I have been paddling out to an Eagle colony just about every weekend, it is super dystopian and endlessly fascinating, at least to me. Over time I can get a little closer than the time before, particularly with the adults. The juveniles are way more cautious. The first time I went here it was a great blue heron colony, though Eagle numbers are way up and the herons have been pushed out.

Three views of same bird, yes I have played around with these in lightroom, mainly because it is fun.

Second bird lurking in the background



As for the Osprey, they definitely hover, they have the fish in sight and are presumably calculating out this, but with airspeed, current, wind and if you are near salt, freshwater over saltwater lenses. Ie not just this simple run of the mill Snell's law....






if they are hovering you may be seconds away from catching them dive...If you are near salt they love fishing low tide and deep lows are absolute feasts. High tide they'll sit at their nest, dead low they hunt. I've never been able to get a really good series of them hunting as they are shy and have a long range. As far as I can tell by far their favorite food in a Puget marine environment is starry flounder, they like them about the size of pork chop. From a SUP over low tide sand and mud, watching the little flounder scare is really fun, they look like little millenium falcons hauling ass, kicking up sand and muck in their wakes

 

[Jim F.]

OK, fair warning here. Seems our new location is a major flyway.

Color me jealous . . . you too, @Wadin' Boot . . . that looks like a scene from The Lord of the Rings.

 

[Bajema]

Here’s an Eastern Kingbird from this morning

 

[mr.badexample]

 

[mr.badexample]

View attachment 23400

this was an young orphan osprey rescued foundering at sea,brought to Glovers reef atoll Belize and surprisingly adopted by the resident osprey family. We spent 3 weeks there (again) watching this miracle recover and prosper.

 

[Canuck from Kansas]

I am almost certain this is a Laughing Gull. Don't believe these are seen on the Left Coast. More of an Atlantic bird, at least in North America. "Laughing Gulls that breed north of North Carolina typically leave the region to spend winters in Central America or northern South America, as well as along the southern Atlantic Coast and Gulf Coast." https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Laughing_Gull/id



Duck butts (good luck):



Cheers

 

[Tim Cottage]

Color me jealous . . . you too, @Wadin' Boot . . . that looks like a scene from The Lord of the Rings.

I was gonna say something from a Tim Burton film.

 

[RichS]

Robin with a praying mantis


Nighthawks

 

[BCO]

Thought I’d go for quantity over quality!

 

[Canuck from Kansas]

What I can only figure is a female Northern Cardinal, the thing that has me in a slight doubt is the non-tufted head/crown.





Cheers

 

[Jim F.]

That is certainly what it looks like. Maybe it was the angle or she was having a bad tuft day . . . ?

 

[Canuck from Kansas]

... or she was having a bad tuft day . . . ?

That's what I was thinking, it was early morning, maybe bedhead in reverse.

cheers