Shithowdy's Bird Blog @owlpellet - Tumblr Blog

july's heatwave kept me inside too much but here are some greatures i managed to see. some new friends, some old.

more of the world's angriest spotted sandpiper, now in high-definition stills

every time i visit the yellow-headed blackbirds at this marsh i am treated to something special. this time i watched a pair perform a circular, bobbing courtship dance in which the female remained bowed and facing the male as he quietly dipped and jumped a circle around her. this is not at all typical of them-- their typical courting involves the male perching himself conspicuously on a reed/branch/post and fanning his wings whilst screeching loudly. between this and the unique songs i have recorded at this marsh, i am beginning to wonder if these birds don't have their own regional "cultures". i look forward to observing them more.

shithowdy

this blackbird determined to not let this heron have dinner in peace is probably the funniest thing i've seen happen on the trail so far. we watched this go on for upwards of thirty minutes.

shithowdy

some birds i saw today

(ids in alt text)

shithowdy

happy mother's day to this mallard with 18 babies specifically

YAY MY FRIEND MY BEST FRIEND THE LINCOLN'S SPARROW 🥰

#lincoln's sparrow #sparrow #birds #birdwatching #bird photography #i tell people they can id them as “a song sparrow. but he's nice :)”

everyone talks about sparrows and gulls being hard to ID but let's talk about thrushes

i think this is a swainson's thrush

#bird photography #birds #birdwatching #thrush #swainson's thrush #possibly a hermit thrush????? Uuugggh

least flycatcher being the most it can

#least flycatcher #birdwatching #birds #bird photography #thought this thang was a kinglet until i went through my camera #i'm still only barely confident in the id bc the legs are black #aaauughghgh

trumpeter swan with a somewhat tattered wing and backside. i can only assume it had a showdown with one of the bald eagles nesting directly above where i shot this.

#trumpeter swan #swan #birds #birdwatching #bird photography

shithowdy

actually managed to get some decent photos of a marsh wren today. lightning is easier to photograph than these things. they are so distressingly small. motherfucker limited.

shithowdy

oh my god his carpet matches his drapes

This sora kept popping out in plain sight for me. A few minutes later, another birder would come by and tell me they were hoping to see one, and when I would show them where this one was foraging, it was gone. This happened three times!

#bird #birdwatching #bird photography #sora bird #rails #rail bird

completely captivated by the yellow-headed blackbirds. they meet me with a boldness and curiosity that their red-winged counterparts don't dare (they're a bit like the Brewer's in that way), and their song is so attention-grabbing. they feel like my consolation prize for not having any native parrots in my region.

#yellow headed blackbird #bird #birds #birding #bird photography #blackbird