How many different bird species can you find in this photo?
This is the breakwater at the Pillar Point Harbor. I’ve counted 8 so far, but I think I’ll find more when I look at it on a larger screen back home. I’ll let you ponder this and post the species list this weekend. We had a great birding day, seeing more than 50 bird species on an 8-mile walk, and a few humpback whales, too.
This week I’m again walking the Coastside Trail around Half Moon Bay, then over Pillar Point to Moss Beach – looking for birds, mostly autumn migtants. Tuesday was the longest walking day (more than 7 miles). The weather was perfectly cool and cloudy with no wind.
As odd as it seems, we got really excited about blackbirds! That’s because this first photo is of a Tricolored Blackbird, and the second shows a flock with a few Red-winged Blackbirds mixed in. Since it’s not breeding season, the epaulettes are mostly hidden. But if you look at the tricolored bird’s shoulder, you’ll see a pale white stripe. This is the edge of the red patch and distinguises it (among other characteristics) from the red-winged species. What was exciting was that we had just begun our walk and found so many Tri-colored Blackbirds together, and the first time I’ve ever seen one. Good start. More later.”
This name evokes an image of an inebriated medieval peddler hawking gossip along with his wares. From the first time I heard it, the name fascinated me, and hence the bird with this name does, to0.
The wandering tattler (Tringa incana) is a medium-sized sandpiper with a white eyebrow above a dark eye, yellow legs, beautiful gray flight feathers, and a white belly. In addition to the color pattern, this bird is easy to spot because it doesn’t just walk along the shore looking for insects and tidbits to eat — it bobs and teeters as it walks. It looks a bit inebriated.
Both times I’ve seen a wandering tattler it’s been in September, single birds migrating south from breeding in the mountains of northwestern Alaska and Canada. The good news is that its range is so widespread that its conservation status (IUCN) is Least Concern.
According to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds, the “wandering” part of the name comes from its widespread occurrence over the Pacific ocean. The “tattler” part refers to its alarm call which alerts other birds to danger. In French, it’s called a “chevalier errant” and in Spanish, “playero vagabundo.”
All great names, and so apropos, for a shorebird that teeters along coastlines and into mountains from Alaska to Chile to the islands of the Pacific.
And, speaking of wandering tattlers, I’ll be walking the Coastside Trail along Half Moon Bay again with Slow Adventure this week and hope to post my best photos along the way.
Just sharing good news.
A photo that I took in March of a young Brandt’s cormorant at the Coast Guard Breakwater has won 1st place in the Sanctuary Life category of the National Marine Sanctuaries’ photo contest Get Into Your Sanctuary. I’m surprised and pleased that an everyday coastal bird (that I happen to like) won!
My thanks to the contest organizers and to everyone who has supported my sharing of Monterey Bay experiences.
Americans love to dine out. Each week 83% of us visit “fast food” restaurants and about 68% visit casual dining restaurants (2013 data). We like some variety, eating mostly “American” food, but also Italian, Mexican and Chinese, but we’re generally not adventurous eaters.
All wildlife — 100% — dine out daily. They have no other option. Many animals, especially those that live in close association with humans, eat a variety of foods, but some animals are very particular. These photos show a variety of animals photographed while they were dining out wild style locally.
This presentation was part of an assignment for a photography course I’ve been taking with Heather Angel (Heather Angel Photography) through My Photo School. Hers is my second of their online courses. I’ve found the assignments challenging and tutors (the school is UK based) very helpful, and I’ve learned a lot from them, plus the course format and timing has been convenient. Since the course is finished, I thought I’d share this with all of you.
A note of caution: Not everyone is a dainty eater and some can be gross (last photo).
Painted lady butterflies feed on the nectar of a variety of host plants, but they especially like Asteraceae (composite) flowers. Since they live only a few weeks, they have to get a lot of eating pleasure into a very short life. If you look closely, you can see the proboscis (tube mouth) sucking up the flower nectar.
Sea otters were thought to be generalists when it came to eating — dining on whatever local invertebrates were handy. Research has shown that individuals have specific tastes and choose their foods based on what they like (as well as what’s available). This sea otter at Elkhorn Slough is eating what looks like an innkeeper worm. I got this shot using a telephoto lens while sitting in a kayak. When photographing wildlife it’s good to mind your manners and not disturb them. Getting close enough to change behaviors is rude, and with marine mammals, it’s illegal.
Sanderlings eat the small invertebrates they find on or in beach sand. Their comical scurry up and down beaches following the waves is in pursuit of exposed sand crabs or sand fleas. This one seems to have found a meal too big for its bill.
Cedar waxwings feed mostly on fruit year-round but also snack on protein-rich insects in the spring and summer. I photographed a group of waxwings dining on pyracantha berries across from my office on a cool November morning. The whole scene appeared fall festive.
The seagoing black-footed albatross is a predator that catches flying fish and their eggs, as well as squid. However, like most of us, they don’t pass up a free meal. A group of albatrosses came upon (or were attracted to) a harbor porpoise killed by a group of orcas (killer whales). On a whale-watching trip, we happened upon the albatrosses. The orcas took only a bite out of the porpoise (you can see the porpoise’s blowhole). This gave the albatrosses access to a large amount of fresh meat, and the whale-watchers access to a feeding fest.
Dining out is different for everyone, as you can see.
If a photographer is diligent, patient and knows wildlife, she (or he) can capture great photos of locals enjoying a wild meal.
WordCraft.NatureFocus 