Camera Critter #129

On the morning of Sept. 9, I hoped on my bike and headed out to the sewage ponds north of town.

When I arrived, I began walking around the perimeter, looking to see what I could see and photograph.  There were a few critters, and I snapped off photos of them as I saw them.

At one point, I pulled out my pocket binoculars and scanned the waters.  There on the other side were several Northern Shovelers.  I really like the looks of the shovelers, so I continued my trek along the shore in the hopes of getting good shots.

As I rounded the northwest corner of the pond, I looked down the shoreline and was pleased to see the shovelers still there.  I kept my eyes on them as I approached and walked directly towards the birds.  Suddenly, they spooked and flew off.

I continued on my way and noticed a group of people standing near the entrance to the ponds.  As I approached, I realized they were members of a birding group, some of whom I knew.  When I reached the group, the first thing they asked me was, “What is that large, dark bird on the shoreline?”  My surprise at the question was followed with them telling me I walked right by it…but I didn’t see it.

Well, I had to redeem myself, so I walked back to the area of the bird, got low, and scrunched my way as close as possible to it and took the image below.

The bird is a juvenile Parasitic Jaeger, a rare visitor to this area.  When I went back to the group, they were discussing what they thought the bird was.  At the time, the consensus was that the bird was a Long-tailed Jaeger, another rare visitor to this area.  Pleased with our sighting, the group went off to another area, and I got on my bicycle and headed home.

After looking at the photo, I began to think our initial identification was possibly incorrect.  The Long-tailed Jaeger looks very similar to the Parasitic Jaeger, except it's bill is thicker and has black covering almost half the length.  Whereas the Parasitic Jaeger has a thinner bill and black only about one third the length.  As you can see on the image above, the black does seem to cover only a third of the bill.

Misty Dawn’s Camera Critter Meme is a great way see critters the world over.  Go to the homepage here to see more.  Then join the fun and add your own.

Camera Critter #128

Birds are moving through the area on their south-bound migration.  But these three are common birds here.

Least Sandpipers can be found throughout the west.  These juvenile birds part of a small flock at the sewage ponds north of Redmond, Oregon.

Misty Dawn’s Camera Critter Meme is a great way to see critters the world over.  Go to the homepage here and check out more.  Then add your own and join the fun.

Camera Critter #127

I like to shoot birds.  I use a Canon when I do it…and I really enjoy doing it.  My Canon takes great photos…but in my opinion, 95 percent of a good photo is getting the right setup.

One of the birds I have always had a difficult time getting the right setup, is the Barn Swallow.  The bird is either flying or sitting on a wire somewhere, and a wire doesn’t look natural to me.

So, I’m always looking for a natural scene to shoot a Barn Swallow in.

Wednesday, I was at the sewage ponds north of town.  I was after some rare-for-this-area sandpipers, which I was able to image, along with an even rarer bird, but that’s another story.  As I came to an area I have always had good luck with dragonflies at, I saw it…a Barn Swallow in a natural pose.  And, it even let me get fairly close and grab a great shot…well, I think it is.

Misty Dawn’s Camera Critter Meme is a great way to see critters the world over.  Go to the homepage here and check out more.  Then join the fun and add your own.

Camera Critter #126

A little more than three years ago, I spent some time in San Antonio visiting my brother and friends.

I had lived in San Antonio for four years or so during my Air Force career and one of the things I remember most from those days were the lizards. Not knowing what they were, I called them chameleons.

However, on my last trip there, I knew they were actually called Green Anoles. One of the reasons I called them chameleons, was they had color-changing abilities. I only remember two colors and those two colors are shown below.

Both critters are Green Anoles, but they are also known as the Carolina Anole, American Anole and Red-throated Anole…though I wasn’t able to photograph the critter flashing its red throat.

Misty Dawn’s Camera Critter Meme is a great way to see critters the world over. Go to the homepage here to see more. Then join the fun and add your own.