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| Pied Bill Grebe with exuvia (dragonfly larvae)for the baby chicks. Thanks to Ragged Robin! for the ID |
"You just missed it!", exclaims an excited birder in the muggy and super moist environment. I think to myself, "Damn you Mr. Yellow Bill Cuckoo. Damn you Green Heron." Like every birder with a report, you run off to find those little gems hiding in the reeds, tree branches, or rocks.
Today I went to find the Green Heron, the Pied Billed Grebe, and the Yellow Bill Cuckoo. I found one of them:)
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| Mourning Dove |
Which isn't bad at all. But when you consider, "You just missed it!" Well that can make it frustrating:) It was so muggy. We were all wiping our brows from the moisture dripping off our faces. I was a mess. And it was only 7 AM!!! No joke about our desert. It's a hot one here. Afternoon is off limits and the mornings are sometimes barely acceptable:) From sun up +2 hours, you have to bird. So that means you have to get up early in the morning. No shower for me until I get back.
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| Gila Woodpecker |
But I am always rewarded with unique views of birds. I did find the cormorants. They flew off later and I thought the below shot was nice.
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| Neotropic Cormorants |
Yellow Billed Cuckoo? No. A Yellow Headed Blackbird. Still a nice find:)
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| Yellow Headed Blackbird(female) |
Oh and this Moorhen was needing a little photo attention. "Look at me! Look at me!" It's still hard to believe, for me, that this bird is related to the Purple Gallinule.
I snapped a shot of this bird last year in Panama. There are some similarities.
And dragonflies. No matter how much I try to resist taking their pictures, I can't help but snap one more shot.
The good news is that I did find the parent Grebe with some food for the little ones. They were hiding in the reeds and it was fun watching the parents get the food. And on top of that, I met another really nice birder who shared her observations on this day. I was in a chatty mood. Until next time...:)
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| Pied Billed Grebe |
Posts
You didn't get what you wanted, but you had an array of different birds, well done Chris.
ReplyDeleteJeśli nawet przegapiłeś to nadrobiłeś i do tego w takim upale. Masz ptaki i my je oglądamy. Pozdrawiam.
ReplyDeleteEven if you missed it you did it now and to do so in such heat. Do you have birds, and we watch them. Yours.
One out of three is not that bad. But, I know how you feel. Just missing a bird can be frustrating. Love the Grebe shots, I think they are cute birds. And the Moorhen is pretty too. Dragonflies are always cool, great shots. Hope you have a great day, stay cool.
ReplyDeleteI won't tell you how many times I have heard that phrase "you just missed it"!!!! So glad that you eventually caught up with one of the species though :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so pleased that by coincidence I published a post on the dragonfly exuvia :) I love your dragonfly photo - as always all the photos are great.
Have a great week Chris!
So pretty.
ReplyDeleteMuy bonitas imágenes!!!.. El ave azul se parece mucho a nuestro Calamón.. bellísimos.. U cordial saludo..
ReplyDeletegetting up before sun up, putting up with muggy and moist humidity. Uncomfortable, but definitely exhilirating. Let's hope next time the 2 that got away are more compliant ... I love the photos too, especially the flying cormorants and the dragonfly.
ReplyDeletei ADORE the pied-billed grebes! such sweet little waterbirds! you got some great shots of this one!
ReplyDeleteLovely birds and dragonfly, Chris! I've seen dragonflies on my walks but I haven't been quick enough to get any pictures yet.
ReplyDeleteYou are really getting a good list going there Chris! You'll catch the ones you missed eventually. We've had a red dragonfly here for a while and it's mesmerizing.
ReplyDeleteThis time of year requires planning for early morning or evening. Any other time of day is only if you must go out.
Great shots! I love the second one of the duck making its way through the greens. The shot of the captured dragonfly nymph was shocking because I am watching the nymphs in my pond getting big and fat, waiting for the day they transform into dragonflies. But hey, everyone's gotta eat :)
ReplyDeleteKeep looking, you'll find them. Plus the shots you got are great.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots of the grebe, the other birds are great too and that is a good shot of the moorhen.
ReplyDeleteI would have been happy with any one of these shots Chris, it always fascinates me how different in colour and shape birds beaks can be.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shots. I especially like the moorhen.
ReplyDeleteOkay... The Pied Billed Grebe pictures are very interesting. They swim in the water low like a loon. I love the fact you caught it with food in its mouth. Of course, I am going to have to go with the bug wings as my fav!
ReplyDeleteNice shots Chris! There's nothing like a nice chase. Looks like you're keeping up with it. I must lament I've been largely unable to bird these last weeks.
ReplyDeleteTracy and I went out today too! We were out at 7am too and it didn't take long to get hot. We were looking for cemeteries to see if we could find one that puts the names of children on the back of the headstones like I found in Pine. No luck there, but the cemetery we visited was a lovely, peaceful place that early in the morning. And there were swans there with four juveniles. Then we went to Friendship Park and saw ducks, cormorants, a white egret and turtles...and oh, yea, a couple of elephants. :) We did have a good time.
ReplyDeleteThese fascinating photos of birds are the fruit of your careful observation, patience, and willingness to capture. I know to some extent what the sultry weather is like, it’s quite exhausting, but don’t know how it is in the desert. But maybe you forgot yourself as well as heat and humidity at the moment when blessed with nice captures. Take care.
ReplyDeleteYoko
Hey, Chris, one out of three ain't bad. If you were a baseball player you would be an all star! (Well, I think you are an all star anyway.)
ReplyDeleteyou've got some GREAT shots there...even if they're not exactly what you set out to find!
ReplyDeletei LOVE the duck in the water...with the tiny green flecks on his bill & back!
and the LONG yellow legged bright BLUE panama bird!! NICE!
YAY for the Pied-Billed Grebe for showing up and posing for you!!
Wonderful series! The Panama shot is my favourite.
ReplyDelete