Entries Tagged as ‘Photos’
July 18, 2008
Almost Favorite Woodpecker
Out of the corner of my eye, I happened to see the flash of white on wings. Tracking the bird to a tree, I saw it stash an acorn in a tiny acorn-sized hole. I walked around the tree looking it up and down. The whole tree was a pantry full of carefully stored food. Acorn Woodpeckers [...]
July 17, 2008
Hawk on a wire
What the? I slammed on the brakes and swerved onto the shoulder of the road. I had seen the oddest hawk on a wire. It had a huge eye and gray head. We watched it as it watched us. We couldn’t figure it out. Big eye, no huge eye, gray head, look at the crest blowing [...]
July 15, 2008
Sea lions in the San Diego bay
In order to get out onto the bay, I plunked down my $32 and took one of those land-to-water crafts. In some cities they are called Ducks but here in San Diego they are called Seals. It is a, well, I guess I would call it a bus that can go in the water. After [...]
July 13, 2008
Pied-billed grebe
Licking a banana ice cream cone and strolling the embarcadero, I stopped to watch an immature pied-billed grebe swimming close-by. A young man sitting on the wall watched me snap a picture.
“Why are you taking a picture of a duck?”
It’s not a duck, it’s a grebe.”
“Greed?”
“No, greb-b-b-bah.”
“Gredah?”
No, grebe, [...]
July 10, 2008
Off to California
I am leaving for a 10 day, mostly business but hopefully some pleasure, trip to California. The bins are packed, as well as my well-thumbed Peterson’s guide to Western Birds. I hope to meet up with a fellow birder in San Diego to get a peek at those Elegant Terns. At the very least I [...]
July 7, 2008
Butterflying
When the birding gets tough and birders go butterflying.
I find IDing butterflies much harder than birds. And moths next to impossible. But they are beautiful.
July 6, 2008
Birding the Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail (AT) is about ¼ mile from my house as the crow flies. I have walked various parts of it, often birding along the way. The interesting thing about birding the AT is that the habitat varies from woodland, to marsh, to wide open fields. People think of the AT [...]
July 4, 2008
Young Downy Woodpecker
I sat gazing out the big colonial windows in my kitchen with my cat, Winkie perched on one knee. She saw the bird before I did. A disheveled young Downy Woodpecker landed on one of the green metal lawn chairs. She pecked at the metal repeatedly, trying her darnest to get a meal. She obviously [...]
