Behaviors – Page 91 – Feathered Photography

Williamson’s Sapsuckers – The Mated Pair

We were very lucky to find the nesting pair of Williamson’s Sapsuckers in Clark County, Idaho early this summer. For starters, they’re “uncommon” and not often seen. Birders and researchers typically locate most birds by their calls but this sapsucker species is “generally quiet” and doesn’t spontaneously advertise their territories that time of year so passive listening tends to be ineffective in locating them. For this and other reasons Williamson’s Sapsuckers are poorly sampled and studied and there is little data on their numbers.

Shrike Sneak-attack On A Red-tailed Hawk

Believe it or not it was at that moment that a Loggerhead Shrike with a chip on its shoulder swooped in out of nowhere to harass the hawk. Because I was ready for it I was able to get two shots with both birds in the frame. In this first one I don’t believe the hawk yet knows the shrike is there.

Red-tailed Hawk Attacked By A Swainson’s Hawk

The Centennial Valley had one more surprise in store as we left for home last Thursday morning. Photographing birds and other wildlife along the 27 mile long dirt road while I’m pulling the camping trailer is always awkward but the road is typically deserted that time of day and we’ve come up with something special more than once on the way out.

Savannah Sparrow – Fearless Dragon Slayer

This little Savannah Sparrow was one of my most memorable birds on our recent Montana camping trip. It was a fearless and a relentless hunter.

Female Williamson’s Sapsucker Delivering Ants To Chicks At The Nest-hole

Since my previous post featured the more colorful male I decided to focus on the more subtly hued female this morning.

Williamson’s Sapsucker Leaving The Nest-hole

When we arrived at the sapsucker nest hole we were delighted to find that both adults were busy feeding chicks and maintaining a tidy home for their family.

Great Egret Trying To Survive A Harsh Winter

Great Egrets are unusual in my area but we occasionally get a few individuals in winter. Unfortunately this bird chose to hang around during one of our harshest winters in years and the heron struggled to survive. I don’t know if it succeeded.

An Update On The Red-tailed Hawk Chicks

Ten days ago I reported on the progress of the three Red-tailed Hawk nestlings I’ve been following out in the west desert. At that time several of my readers requested that I keep folks up to date on these birds as they approach fledging. This post is my attempt to do so.

Hovering Western Kingbird

It’s virtually unheard of for me to catch a kingbird in full flight (as opposed to take-off or landing) with any kind of image quality but two days ago I finally had some success in that arena.

Lark Sparrow

The bold harlequin face pattern and unique courtship behaviors of the Lark Sparrow make it among my favorite sparrows to observe and photograph.

Northern Mockingbird Displaying In Low Light

On a dark, cloudy morning on Antelope Island last month I had an opportunity with a displaying Northern Mockingbird. The shooting conditions were difficult but I decided to play at the edge of the limits of my gear and see what I could get. These shots are not sequential of the same take-off and landing but in the order I’ve presented them I think they illustrate the behavior reasonably well.

Male Western Kingbird Greeting His Lady

Male Western Kingbirds take no part in nest construction or incubation. Nor do they feed the female while she’s on the nest (she leaves the nest to feed several times per day). But he’s always there, seeming to offer encouragement and watch carefully over the proceedings.

Fledgling Yellow-headed Blackbird, Begging For And Then Receiving Food

I’ve been stuck in the house for what seems like an eternity because of the gloomy weather and lack of light. It rained all day yesterday (which is unusual for us here in the semi-desert) and I keep thinking of all the early summer bird activity I’m missing so this morning I reached back into the archives for some shots that would remind me of what I’m not seeing and photographing. I’m a glutton for punishment…

My Favorite Image From My Time With The Nest-building Kingbirds

Earlier this week I spent several mornings photographing a female Western Kingbird as she was constructing her nest. Out of the many hundreds of shots I took of her the third image in this post is my favorite.

Red-tailed Hawk Chicks (and my emotional attachment to them)

We’ve been keeping an eye on this Red-tailed Hawk nest in the west desert for about three years now.

Category: Behaviors