Category Archives: birds

  Six months ago I posted merganser planing. It showed pictures of swimming Common Mergansers that had moved from displacement mode to planing mode. Most things moving across the surface of water do so in displacement mode: they are moving … Continue reading →

  Osprey chicks are still in the nest but are now as large as adults and easy to see. Yesterday, I had expected to go on a nest-monitoring tour to estimate this year’s chick production. Alas, the tour was rescheduled, … Continue reading →

  This is the time of year to see non-resident sandpipers as they pass through our region. I already showed a Greater Yellowlegs. Here are two more seen this morning: a Solitary Sandpiper and … well, I don’t know what … Continue reading →

  Spotted Sandpipers are somewhat unusual birds. The females are polyandrous: they mate with many males. Consequently, in an attempt to protect (what he thinks is) his investment, the male incubates the eggs, and protects the resulting chicks. However, he … Continue reading →

  For a loon, preening seems to be a mixture of grooming and calisthenics. I watched two loons, seemingly lollygagging about the Lake. However, they were intent upon preening, an activity with many functions. One loon waggles its foot, presumably … Continue reading →

  Both robin parents tend their chicks in the nest. The parent featured here is the mommy.  A female robin pauses on a branch before delivering a mouthful of worms and insects to her chicks. At the nest, four chicks … Continue reading →

  July has brought a hummingbird transition around my home. Earlier the Rufous dominated, now the Black-chinned does.  The male Black-chinned Hummingbird has a distinctive black head, which depending upon the lighting might be edged with iridescent purple. Unlike the aptly … Continue reading →