Passerine
132 creative works found
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The Asian Fairy Bluebird, Irena puella, is a medium-sized, arboreal passerine bird. This fairy-bluebird breeds across tropical southern Asia from the Himalayan foothills, India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia. This species is found in moist hill-forest. Two or three eggs are laid in a small cup nest in a tree. The adult Asian Fairy Bluebird is about 27 cm long. The male has glossy, iridescent blue upperparts, and black underparts and flight feathers. The female and first year male are entirely dull blue-green. The Asian Fairy Bluebird eats fruit, nectar and some insects. Its call is a liquid two note glue-it. Male. The whole upper plumage, the lesser wing-coverts, and the under tail-coverts shining ultramarine-blue with lilac reflections; sides of the head and the whole lower plumage deep black ; greater wing-coverts, quills, and tail black, some of the coverts tipped with blue, and the middle tail-feathers glossed with blue. Female. The whole upper plumage, the lesser wing-coverts, and the lower tail-coverts brownish blue, with the edges of the feathers brighter ; middle tail-feathers and the outer webs of all the others, except the outer pair, like the upper plumage ; remainder of tail dark brown ; primaries and secondaries dark brown ; the greater wing-coverts, primary- coverts, and tertiaries dark brown, with a blue tinge on the outer webs ; sides of the head and whole lower plumage blue, very similar to the upper parts. The young are like the female. The male changes into adult plumage about March, and the change takes place without a moult ; the feathers of the upper parts first become fringed with bright blue ; the tail-coverts next become changed ; the lower plumage takes the longest to change, and young birds may frequently be met with having the lower plumage mixed black and dull blue, hut the upper plumage that of the adult.
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A Carolina chickadee has a little green worm/caterpillar for breakfast.
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Please view larger to better see the sweet expression on this little Carolina chickadee’s face.
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I was thrilled to see this Northern Cardinal on my patio today; these wonderful birds have been scarce ever since Hurricane Gustav blew through here on September 1. I hope this is a sign that they are making a comeback to the area after all the devastation and ushering in a bright New Year in 2009.
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As I working in the house this morning, I heard a loud bang on the French doors leading to the patio. Just as I figured, one of the little goldfinches feeding on the patio had a head-on collision with the glass doors and was laying on the ground, stunned and shaken. I grabbed my camera with the macro lens and went out to see what I could do. The poor little mite let me pet him and talk soothingly to him and didn’t even budge; then he allowed me to snap several shots of him up close. When I put my finger under his tiny talons, he perched onboard quite willingly and we both enjoyed a brief visit. Then he hopped onto the brick wall of the house where he remained a bit longer as I talked to him and assured him he’d be okay. He looked at me so trustingly and then allowed a few more pictures. Finally, when I approached him in invitation to climb aboard my finger one last time, he did so, lingered a second or so, and then took to the skies. It was a glorious moment for me, an early Christmas present from the good Lord, or at least that’s the way I see it. Just thought I’d share my sweet encounter with the goldfinch and let you see his beauty up close!
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Male Eastern bluebird on a branch with caterpillar in beak for babies—was taken during the mating season in 2008. I’ve been meaning to try the Orton effect but just got to it and kind of like the results. Hope you like it, too.
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This Carolina chickadee gave me a few precious moments to photograph him. Normally a rapidly moving little tyke, the chickadee has a nervous temperament which gives the photographer only flashes of opportunity to get a picture. This one paused for a few rare moments, and I was able to get more than one click for a change! This is one of three tries.
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The soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears. (A painted bunting image revisited and made into a greeting card).
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It’s too cold to take pictures today so I’m going through some old shots; came across this one, a close cousin to one I posted months ago, but I couldn’t resist sharing Mr. Beautiful with everyone in this different pose.
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This yellow rumped warbler guards the suet log as vigilantly as a combative little hummingbird guards the nectar feeder. He has a distinctive “tsk tsk” call that announces his coming so it’s never a surprise when he shows up. This is the first year I’ve been privileged to see warblers at the feeders. I give John Radosevich credit for that because of his peanut butter suet recipe which is a big hit with the warblers. They can’t get enough of it! In addition to the yellow rumped warblers, I’ve seen pine warblers and yellow warblers, all enjoying the treats. Still no woodpeckers, though. Maybe one day they’ll come closer . . .
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It’s not often a chickadee will sit still and pose for the camera, but this one did for a moment and only a moment. He had better things to do and more exciting places to go. Thanks, little chickadee, for your time and cooperation.
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Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird work as a team when feeding their babies. Both are avid hunters, going wherever the pickings can be found. In this case, Dad’s serving up cricket casserole while Mom’s whipping up some spider souffle. Babies aren’t particular; they eat just about anything. I love watching this pair appear at the nestbox with a wide variety of fare. Dad tends to serve things on a larger scale while Mom offers daintier portions. I saw him with multiple caterpillars dangling from his bill; quite a feat to catch and carry but he does it expertly! It’s very rare that both male and female land on a given spot together so I spliced two photos together in order to convey the idea of their concerted efforts on behalf of their little family.
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I named this flamboyant male Northern cardinal Mr. Vermilion because vermilion is a vivid shade of scarlet with an orange tinge to it. The cardinals are really feisty this time of year; the males are always scuffling and scrapping, beating each other with their wings and performing aerial displays of aggression toward each other. I think it’s mostly flap and little muscle, though, as they seem to come out of their boxing matches quite unharmed.
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Here is another photo from my rejects folders filled with nondescript, bland images that had no zing to them. Since I’ve been experimenting with textures, I’ve found that those photos can be rejuvenated into something quite different. I named this Carolina chickadee Contemplation because it reminds me of someone deep in thought, rapt in prayer.
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This female Eastern bluebird is feeling the effects of the unusually oppressive heat in southern Louisiana during one of the hottest Junes on record. She is industrious and ever vigilant over her nestlings, though, and makes innumerable trips to and from the nest box, hunting for spiders and bugs for her hungry babies and delivering the goods fresh from the fields. She took a little break in the action during the mid morning hours and rested from her labors, looking straight at me to make sure I wouldn’t advance any closer than her normal comfort zone. The Eastern bluebird female has a dusky blue back, a light orangey breast, large expressive eyes, and a long black bill. Not as vibrant as her mate, she amazes me because she seems much bolder than he is. She approaches the nesting box when I’m close by, but he doesn’t dare. These birds have been nesting in my yard for many years now, and it’s a joy to watch their activity especially during the mating season when they are more visible. They are very fond of water and love a good splash in the bird bath. They do not eat from my birdseed feeders, preferring live insects and berries as their main fare. Their scientific name is Sialia Sialis. The bluebirds usually have three clutches per mating season. The pair inhabiting my boxes this year successfully fledged five babies; the second nesting met with disaster when a house sparrow raided the box and killed all the babies; this is their third nesting. Only two of the eggs were productive. With just a pair of nestlings in the box, it’s a bit easier for mom and dad to care for them. The poor little parents are beginning to look ragged, though. The incessant demands are taking a toll on them, especially in this horrible heat. I keep the birdbaths filled with fresh water and they frequent the little pools daily.
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Featured in “Songbirds of North America” August 2009 / Featured in “For the Love of Canon” August 2009 A male House Finch perched on a twig, photographed in Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. A House Finch is a medium-sized finch six inches in length and belongs to the Fringillidae family. The male has a brown cap with the front of head, bib and rump being typically red but this can vary with the seasons and birds diet of berries and fruits to orange or occasionally straw-yellow. Females and juveniles are streaked with brown overall. / Adults have a long square-tipped tail. The birds are mainly permanent residents although some eastern birds migrate south. Their breeding habitat is urban and suburban areas in the East and various semi-open areas in the West from southern Canada to Northern Florida. / House finches forage for food on the ground and in vegetation generally and mainly eat berries seeds and grains. They are a popular garden bird often seen at feeders. Canon 20D with EF500 F4L IS / 1/100sec f8.0 ISO 200
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WINNER of the State flowers and/or State birds of Pacific Northwest challenge in the Pacific Northwest Group Featured in “Live and Let Live” November 2009 / Featured in “Top Shelf Wildlife& Nature Art” November 2009 / Featured in “Canon DSLR” November 2009 / Featured in “Pacific Northwest ” November 2009 The Steller’s Jay is named after the German naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller who discovered them in 1741. It is the provincial bird of British Columbia and primarily lives in coniferous forests, although can be found in many forested areas and is also common in residential and agricultural areas with nearby forests. / Their range is primarily west of the Rocky Mountains, reaching as far south as Central America and as far north as Alaska. / The Steller’s Jay is closely related to the Blue Jay found in the rest of the continent, but has a black head and upper body. It is also known as the Long-crested Jay, the Mountain Jay, and the Pine Jay and is the only crested jay west of the Rocky Mountains. / This pair were playfully pecking each other whilst I photographed them in north Nanaimo, BC, Canada. Canon 40D / 1/1600sec f6.3 ISO 400 / 500mm lens + 1.4x converter
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The Black-capped Chickadee has a black cap and bib with white sides to the face. Its under parts are white with rusty brown on the flanks; its back is gray. It has a short dark bill, short wings and a long tail. The breeding habitat of the Black-capped Chickadee is mixed or deciduous woods in Canada, Alaska and the northern United States. The Black-capped and Carolina chickadees are virtually impossible to tell apart visually, but they are readily distinguished by call. This one was taken along the Whitemud Creek in Edmonton, AB.
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Best viewed large 3rd Place in the Autumn Delights ~ Fall in the Pacific Northwest Challenge in the Pacific Northwest Group Featured in “300+ Go Long!” November 2009 / Featured in “Songbirds of North America” November 2009 / Featured in “Pacific Northwest” November 2009 Photographed in Lantzville, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. / The Varied thrush is a member of the Turdidae (thrush) family and breeds in western North America from Alaska to northern California. Its breeding habitat is dense coniferous forest, and two to five eggs are laid in a nest in a tree. / The Varied Thrush mainly feeds near the ground, where it forages for invertebrates, but will also eat berries and certain seeds. / The male has a striking appearance, being dark blue-gray above with bright orange wing bars, throat, lateral head stripe and underparts. It also has a black breast band and face mask. The female and juvenile birds are browner above and the orange is less striking with the breast band and face mask being a blotchy brown. Canon 40D / 1/100sec f8 ISO 400 / 500mm lens + 1.4x converter
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A Downy Woodpecker surveys the landscape for the untapped harvest. Downy Woodpecker: The smallest woodpecker in North America. Has a white back, black nape and black wings with white spotting. Underparts are white. Face is white with black stripes. Hindcrown patch is red. Tail is black with black-spotted or barred white outer tail feathers. Bill is black and short. Downy Woodpecker: Resident from Alaska across Canada and south throughout the U.S. except in the southwest. Preferred habitats include woodlands, parks, and gardens. This one was captured west of Komarno, Manitoba, Canada.
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Best viewed large WINNER of the Natural Two Challenge in tne Mood & Ambience Group Featured in “Songbirds of North America” November 2009 / Featured in “World Wildlife Photography” December 2009 The Western Meadowlark is a medium-sized passerine about 8.5 inches long, and breeds in western Canada, USA and the high Mexican Plateau. Their breeding habitats include grasslands, prairies, pastures, and abandoned fields and the nest is a well-concealed cup on the ground in tall grasses, with a dome-shape roof and an opening on one side. / The bird feeds mainly on insects, but will also eat seeds and berries. It has distinctive calls often described as watery or “flute-like”. The adult birds have yellow underparts, with a black “V” on the breast, and white flanks which are streaked with black. They are mostly brown above, but also have black streaks. They have long pointed bills and their heads are striped with light brown and black.They have a flute-like warbled song. Photographed in Yellowstone Park. Canon 40D / 1/500sec f6.3 ISO 200 / 500mm lens + 1.4x converter
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