Saturday, September 25, 2010

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.

CRW_2678

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.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Camera Critter #128

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

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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.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

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.

CRW_2656

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.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

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.

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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.