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  • he Brown-headed Cowbird is well known--and widely disliked--for its practice of laying eggs in the nests of other species. Males are black birds with dull brown heads. Adult males are shiny black, while first-year males are duller black. Females are much smaller and solid brown with a whitish throat and light streaking on their undersides. Juveniles look similar to females, but are more heavily streaked with lighter bellies and light edging on their wing feathers. Cowbirds have more finch-like conical beaks than other blackbirds.
    Male BHCB Profile.jpg
  • An Evil Grackle Eyes a Nearby Feeder waiting for an innocent bird to approach so he can torment them.
    Ominous Molting Grackle.jpg
  • The Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) is a member of the Columbidae family. The bird is also called the Turtle Dove or the American Mourning Dove or Rain Dove, and formerly was known as the Carolina Pigeon or Carolina Turtledove. It is one of the most abundant and widespread of all North American birds.
    Mourning Dove 1.jpg
  • In summer it can seem that every patch of woods in the eastern United States rings with the rolling song of the Carolina Wren. This shy bird can be hard to see, but it delivers an amazing number of decibels for its size. Follow its teakettle-teakettle! and other piercing exclamations through backyard or forest, and you may be rewarded with glimpses of this bird's rich cinnamon plumage, white eyebrow stripe, and long, upward-cocked tail. This hardy bird has been wintering farther and farther north in recent decades.
    Carolina Wren.jpg
  • The adult female Brown-headed Cowbird is slightly smaller than the male and is dull grey with a pale throat and very fine streaking on the underparts.
    Flowing Female Cowbird.jpg
  • Common Grackles are large, lanky blackbirds with long legs and long tails. The head is flat and the bill is longer than in most blackbirds, with the hint of a downward curve. In flight, the wings appear short in comparison to the tail. Males are slightly larger than females.
    Grackle On Golden Grass.jpg
  • Getting My Gracle On.jpg
  • This beautiful common grackle was hanging out at the Saint Louis Zoo with the Prairie Dogs and Peacocks.
    grackle.jpg
  • Grackle Grabs a Seed.jpg
  • Perched Molting Grackle.jpg
  • Grackle With An Additude.jpg
  • The Carolina Wren is a common species of wren, resident in the eastern half of the USA, the extreme south of Ontario, Canada, and the extreme northeast of Mexico
    Carolina Wren 2.jpg
  • A Moody Mourning Dove searched for seeds near pink coneflowers in the garden
    Mourning Dove Loves Cone Flowers.jpg
  • A Male House Finch Stopped By To Sing A Song From A Close Perch.
    Up Close and Personal Mr Finch.jpg
  • The white-tailed doe trying to decide the best way to eat the bird seed.
    white_tailed_doe13.jpg
  • I took this shot of the Male Indigo Bunting in my front yard. The Indigo Bunting is a small bird. It displays sexual dimorphism in its coloration; the male is a vibrant blue in the summer and a brown color during the winter months, while the female is brown year-round.
    male_indigo_bunting.jpg
  • A Male Northern Cardinals perched on a white feeder in the midst of a cold winter snow storm. The vibrant Cardinal red contrast against the chilly blues and white snow. The Northern Cardinal is a North American bird in the genus Cardinalis, it is also known colloquially as the redbird or common cardinal.<br />
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The Northern Cardinal or "Redbird" is probably one of most popular visitors to backyard bird feeders. Its range extends over most of the eastern USA, parts of extreme southeastern Canada, and south through Mexico to Belize. It has also been introduced to Hawaii. Its variable call, a loud "cheer cheer cheer" or "purty purty purty," is sung by both sexes and can be heard year round. Cardinals are nonmigratory, but some movement does occur in the later summer and fall.<br />
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The male Northern Cardinal is perhaps responsible for getting more people to open up a field guide than any other bird. They're a perfect combination of familiarity, conspicuousness, and style: a shade of red you can't take your eyes off. Even the brown females sport a sharp crest and warm red accents. Cardinals don't migrate and they don't molt into a dull plumage, so they're still breathtaking in winter's snowy backyards. In summer, their sweet whistles are one of the first sounds of the morning.
    Chilly Cardinal Blues.jpg
  • Yes even a robin can have some majesty and prowess.<br />
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The quintessential early bird, American Robins are common sights on lawns across North America, where you often see them tugging earthworms out of the ground. Robins are popular birds for their warm orange breast, cheery song, and early appearance at the end of winter. Though they're familiar town and city birds, American Robins are at home in wilder areas, too, including mountain forests and Alaskan wilderness. <br />
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The American Robin or North American Robin is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. It is named after the European Robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely<br />
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A distinctive, potbellied bird. Forages on lawns and other areas of short vegetation for earthworms and other invertebrates in a run-and-stop pattern typical of terrestrial thrushes. Adult: depending on sex and subspecies, head, with white eye arcs, varies from jet black to gray, with white supercilia and throat, blackish lores and lateral throat stripe. Underparts vary, often in tandem with head color, from deep, rich reddish maroon to gray-scalloped, peachy orange. Males tend to be darker, females grayer, but overlap makes determining sex of many problematic.
    Majestic Robin Blues.jpg
  • A Female Dark-Eyed Junco Foraging For Food in the Snow During A Cold Blue Winter Day.<br />
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Females and juvenile birds are generally paler and show a greater mixture of brown in the plumage. Generally, there is less white on the outer tail feathers in juvenile and female birds. There is, however, much individual variation.<br />
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The Dark-eyed Junco is the best-known species of the juncos, a genus of small grayish American sparrows. This bird is common across much of temperate North America and in summer ranges far into the Arctic. Dark-eyed Juncos are neat, even flashy little sparrows that flit about forest floors of the western mountains and Canada, then flood the rest of North America for winter. They're easy to recognize by their crisp (though extremely variable) markings and the bright white tail feathers they habitually flash in flight. One of the most abundant forest birds of North America, you'll see juncos on woodland walks as well as in flocks at your feeders or on the ground beneath them. <br />
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Juncos are the "snowbirds" of the middle latitudes. Over most of the eastern United States, they appear as winter sets in and then retreat northward each spring. Some juncos in the Appalachian Mountains remain there all year round, breeding at the higher elevations. These residents have shorter wings than the migrants that join them each winter. Longer wings are better suited to flying long distances, a pattern commonly noted among other studies of migratory vs. resident species.
    Blue Christmas Junco.jpg
  • The East African Crowned Crane (Grey Crowned Crane) gets its name from the distinctive golden crown of feathers on its head. The Grey Crowned Crane is a bird in the crane family Gruidae. It occurs in dry savannah in Africa south of the Sahara, although it nests in somewhat wetter habitats.They can also be found in marshes. This photo was taken at the Saint Louis Zoo<br />
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This species and the closely related Black Crowned Crane are the only cranes that can roost in trees, because of a long hind toe that can grasp branches. This habit, amongst other things, is a reason why the relatively small Balearica cranes are believed to closely resemble the ancestral members of the Gruidae.<br />
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The body of the Grey Crowned Crane is mainly gray. The wings are predominantly white, but contain feathers with colors ranging from white to brown to gold. The head is topped with a crown of stiff golden feathers. Cheek patches are white, and a red gular sack is present under the chin. The gular sack is similar to a wattle, except that it can be inflated. Legs and toes are black. The bill is short and dark gray. <br />
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West African crowned cranes are monogamous birds that form pairs for life. Pairs can be seen together even in the middle of a large flock, which suggests an exceptionally strong pair bond. Adult cranes reinforce their pair bond by dancing for and with each other. They perform ritualistic dance displays that include bows, leaps, runs, wing flapping, short flights, jerky bouncing, running, and stick tossing. Cranes of all ages dance. Among younger birds, dancing may serve to reduce aggression with other cranes, provide physical exercise, and possibly relieve anxiety.
    Crowned Crane Consistency.jpg
  • An Eagle grabs a fishy snack to cure a powerful appetite. The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle.<br />
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The Bald Eagle is an opportunistic feeder which subsists mainly on fish, which it swoops down and snatches from the water with its talons. It builds the largest nest of any North American bird and the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species.<br />
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The plumage of an adult Bald Eagle is evenly dark brown with a white head and tail. The tail is moderately long and slightly wedge-shaped. Males and females are identical in plumage coloration, but sexual dimorphism is evident in the species in that females are 25 percent larger than males. The beak, feet and irides are bright yellow.<br />
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There are two subspecies of bald eagles. The "southern" bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus, is found in the Gulf States from Texas and Baja California across to South Carolina and Florida, south of 40 degrees north latitude. The "northern" bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus alascanus, is found north of 40 degrees north latitude across the entire continent. The largest numbers of northern bald eagles are in the Northwest, especially in Alaska. The "northern" bald eagle is slightly larger than the "southern" bald eagle. Studies have shown that "northern" bald eagles fly into the southern states and Mexico, and the "southern" bald eagles fly north into Canada. Because of these finding, the subspecies of "northern" and "southern" bald eagles has been discontinued in recent literature.
    Bald Eagle Snacks.jpg
  • The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus) is found only on the North American continent. Adult male eagles generally weigh about 9 pounds. Adult females weigh in at between 12 and 13 pounds. Adult eagles have a wing span of up to 7 feet. Immature eagles are mottled brown and white. The distinct white head and tail of the mature bird is developed between 4-5 years of age. In the wild, bald eagles live to between 30 and 35 years. In captivity, they have been known to live up to 50 years.<br />
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Eagles do not live in isolation! Because they are near the top of the food chain, they become an irreplaceable indicator for measuring the health of the entire ecological system in which they live. After being listed as an endangered species in 1978 following a dramatic drop in population that began at the turn of the century, the Bald Eagle's status was upgraded to Threatened on August 11, 1995. Although efforts to replenish populations of the Bald Eagle have been successful, it continues to be protected under the Endangered Species Act, the Bald Eagle Protection Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
    Spread Eagle.jpg
  • The white-tailed doe realized that by tilting the bird seed holder the food would fall out a little.
    white_tailed_doe14.jpg
  • The double-crested cormorant is a little more than two feet long with a wingspan of about four feet. It has dark brown to black feathers, a long hooked bill with an orange throat pouch, a long tail, and webbed black feet. Adults have tufts of feathers over their eyes. Males and females look alike.<br />
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The double-crested cormorant nests in colonies. Both the male and female will build a nest of sticks, twigs and seaweed. Nests are built in trees and shrubs and on the ground of rocky cliffs and islands. The female lays three to five eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs for about a month. Both parents also feed and take care of the chicks. The chicks fledge in 35-40 days.<br />
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The double-crested cormorant breeds from the coast of Alaska and Nova Scotia south to Mexico and the Bahamas. It winters on both coasts north to southern Alaska and southern New England.<br />
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The bird family Phalacrocoracidae or the cormorants is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.
    Cormorant Peek.jpg
  • I guess the white-tailed doe has decided bird seed will be dessert.
    white_tailed_doe11.jpg
  • This prairie dog was just trying to eat and this little bird just kept trying to take the food right out of the prairie dogs mouth.  It was really funny to watch and the prairie dog did not seem to care.
    gimme_my_carrot.jpg
  • Several KillDeer have made the trees on the Gold?s Gym parking lot home for the next 26 to 28 days of their incubation period. ..The killdeer frequently uses a "broken wing act" to distract predators from the nest. These are photos of the "broken wing act". This is a beautiful and fascinating bird.
    killdeer9.jpg
  • Several KillDeer have made the trees on the Gold?s Gym parking lot home for the next 26 to 28 days of their incubation period. ..The killdeer frequently uses a "broken wing act" to distract predators from the nest. These are photos of the "broken wing act". This is a beautiful and fascinating bird.
    killdeer5.jpg
  • Several KillDeer have made the trees on the Gold?s Gym parking lot home for the next 26 to 28 days of their incubation period. ..The killdeer frequently uses a "broken wing act" to distract predators from the nest. These are photos of the "broken wing act". This is a beautiful and fascinating bird.
    killdeer15.jpg
  • Several KillDeer have made the trees on the Gold?s Gym parking lot home for the next 26 to 28 days of their incubation period. ..The killdeer frequently uses a "broken wing act" to distract predators from the nest. These are photos of the "broken wing act". This is a beautiful and fascinating bird.
    killdeer12.jpg
  • Several KillDeer have made the trees on the Gold?s Gym parking lot home for the next 26 to 28 days of their incubation period. ..The killdeer frequently uses a "broken wing act" to distract predators from the nest. These are photos of the "broken wing act". This is a beautiful and fascinating bird.
    killdeer8.jpg
  • Adults have a long, square-tipped brown tail and are a brown or dull-brown color across the back with some shading into deep gray on the wing feathers. Breast and belly feathers may be streaked; the flanks usually are. In most cases, adult males' heads, necks and shoulders are reddish. This color sometimes extends to the belly and down the back, between the wings. Male coloration varies in intensity with the seasons and is derived from the berries and fruits in its diet. As a result, the colors range from pale straw-yellow through bright orange (both rare) to deep, intense red. Adult females have brown upper-parts and streaked underparts.
    Red Male House Finch-D.jpg
  • A Double-Crested Cormorant casts a shadow against textured peeling paint at the Saint Louis Zoo. The Double-crested Cormorant is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It occurs along inland waterways as well as in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America. he Double-crested Cormorant is a large waterbird with a stocky body, long neck, medium-sized tail, webbed feet and a medium sized hooked bill.<br />
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Recently the population of Double-crested Cormorants has increased. Some studies have concluded that the recovery was allowed by the decrease of contaminants, particularly the discontinued use of DDT. The population may have also increased because of aquaculture ponds in its southern wintering grounds. The ponds favor good over-winter survival and growth.<br />
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Adult Double-crested Cormorants are black or dark brown and have an orange-yellow patch of skin at the base of their bills. In breeding plumage, adults have two whitish tufts behind their eyes, hence the description 'double-crested.' First-year birds are pale on the upper breast and darker on the belly. Double-crested Cormorants have slender, hook-tipped bills that are often tipped up at an angle as they swim. They can be distinguished from the other two Washington cormorant species by their thicker bills and by the pronounced kink in their long necks in flight.
    Cormorant By Cracked Paint.jpg
  • Several KillDeer have made the trees on the Gold?s Gym parking lot home for the next 26 to 28 days of their incubation period. ..The killdeer frequently uses a "broken wing act" to distract predators from the nest. These are photos of the "broken wing act". This is a beautiful and fascinating bird.
    killdeer14.jpg
  • Several KillDeer have made the trees on the Gold?s Gym parking lot home for the next 26 to 28 days of their incubation period. ..The killdeer frequently uses a "broken wing act" to distract predators from the nest. These are photos of the "broken wing act". This is a beautiful and fascinating bird.
    killdeer13.jpg
  • Several KillDeer have made the trees on the Gold?s Gym parking lot home for the next 26 to 28 days of their incubation period. ..The killdeer frequently uses a "broken wing act" to distract predators from the nest. These are photos of the "broken wing act". This is a beautiful and fascinating bird.
    killdeer11.jpg
  • Several KillDeer have made the trees on the Gold?s Gym parking lot home for the next 26 to 28 days of their incubation period. ..The killdeer frequently uses a "broken wing act" to distract predators from the nest. These are photos of the "broken wing act". This is a beautiful and fascinating bird.
    killdeer7.jpg
  • Several KillDeer have made the trees on the Gold?s Gym parking lot home for the next 26 to 28 days of their incubation period. ..The killdeer frequently uses a "broken wing act" to distract predators from the nest. These are photos of the "broken wing act". This is a beautiful and fascinating bird.
    killdeer6.jpg
  • Several KillDeer have made the trees on the Gold?s Gym parking lot home for the next 26 to 28 days of their incubation period. ..The killdeer frequently uses a "broken wing act" to distract predators from the nest. The name of killdeer is imitative of its cry...This picture was the first of the "broken wing act". This is a beautiful and fascinating bird.
    killdeer4.jpg
  • Several KillDeer have made the trees on the Gold?s Gym parking lot home for the next 26 to 28 days of their incubation period. ..The killdeer frequently uses a "broken wing act" to distract predators from the nest. These are photos of the "broken wing act". This is a beautiful and fascinating bird.
    killdeer10.jpg
  • The Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) is the largest of the North American diving ducks. The adult male (drake) has a black bill, a chestnut red head and neck, a black breast, a grayish back, black rump, and a blackish brown tail. The drake's sides, back, and belly are white with fine vermiculation resembling the weave of a canvas, which gave rise to the bird's common name
    Canvasback Drake.jpg
  • Immature bald eagles have mostly dark heads and tails; their brown wings and bodies are mottled with white in varying amounts. Young birds attain adult plumage in about five years.
    Immature Bald Eagle Square.jpg
  • I think the white-tailed deer finally had enough vegetation and bird seed. Now time to head to another location.
    white_tailed_doe15.jpg
  • For their first 3 to 5 years, Juvenile Bald Eagles are a subdued mixture of chocolate brown with varying amounts of white over the body, tail and underwings. Adult plumage develops with sexual maturity. Both Adults and Juveniles can weigh 7 to 14 pounds with a 7 foot wing span. Their physical features are identical.
    Immature Baldy.jpg
  • Adult male Hooded Mergansers are black above, with a white breast and rich chestnut flanks. The black head has a large white patch that varies in size when the crest is raised or lowered, but is always prominent. Females and immatures are gray and brown, with warm tawny-cinnamon tones on the head.
    Male Hooded Merganser.jpg
  • Several KillDeer have made the trees on the Gold?s Gym parking lot home for the next 26 to 28 days of their incubation period. ..The killdeer frequently uses a "broken wing act" to distract predators from the nest. The name of killdeer is imitative of its cry...I personally Find their cry beautiful what?s funny is how fast the little birds run.
    killdeer2.jpg
  • Several KillDeer have made the trees on the Gold?s Gym parking lot home for the next 26 to 28 days of their incubation period. ..The killdeer frequently uses a "broken wing act" to distract predators from the nest. The name of killdeer is imitative of its cry...I personally Find their cry beautiful what?s funny is how fast the little birds run.
    killdeer.jpg
  • A Flock Of Snow Geese Fly Through Wentzville Skies on a cold March Morning
    Crowded New Melle Skies.jpg
  • Snow Geese Waddle Through The Snow in New Melle
    New Melle Snow Geese.jpg
  • The white-tailed doe telling us exactly how she feels about us watching her eat.
    white_tailed_doe12.jpg
  • A Male House Finch Posing On A Branch Letting Me Snap A Profile Shot
    A House Finch Looks On.jpg
  • Several KillDeer have made the trees on the Gold?s Gym parking lot home for the next 26 to 28 days of their incubation period. ..The killdeer frequently uses a "broken wing act" to distract predators from the nest.
    killdeer16.jpg
  • A Starling and A Prairie Dog Fight Over Peanuts at the Saint Louis Zoo
    cmon share your food.jpg
  • Donald is a Golden Eagle Ambassador at the National Eagle Center in Minnesota.  Donald had his right wing broke in two places when he was hit by a car in California. Donald can no longer sustain flight due to his injury...Golden eagles can be found around the world in the northern hemisphere.  Due to Donald's accident he is now able to help visitors at the National Eagle Center understand and learn about the life and habitat of golden eagles.
    golden_eagle_ambassador_donald.jpg
  • March 1st on a snowy afternoon the husband and I decided to head out and see what kind of photos we could capture while it was still snowing.  ..We came across 2 fields along Hwy D in New Melle, Missouri were hundreds of what I believe to be Snow Geese were making themselves at home.  I took this shot as I thought it was unique and interesting. They are beautiful.
    new_melle_snow_geese.jpg
  • This little lady was playing in a fountain just enjoying the beautiful weather at the Saint Louis Zoo.
    quackers.jpg
  • A Dabbling Duck swimming in the shallow waters of one of the blue lakes in New Town - Saint Charles, Missouri
    Dabbling in Blue Waters.jpg
  • This is the nest of Killdeer. ..Several KillDeer have made the trees on the Gold?s Gym parking lot home for the next 26 to 28 days of their incubation period. .
    killdeer3.jpg
  • A male Wood Duck rocks in the water mimicking a rocking horse, putting on a vibrant show.<br />
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Wood Ducks forage in the water by taking food from the surface and up-ending to reach food underneath. They also graze on land. Pairs form on the wintering grounds, and males attract females by showing off their brightly colored plumage. Females demonstrate strong fidelity to the sites where they hatched (philopatry), and they lead their mates back to those sites in the spring.<br />
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Male Wood Ducks are flamboyant in breeding plumage, practically unmistakable with their brightly colored chestnut and yellow bodies, green droop-crested heads, bright red bills, and bold white barring on their faces and bodies. Females are drabber, with subtle iridescence on overall grayish-brown bodies, spotted flanks, and a white teardrop surrounding each eye. Juveniles appear similar to females, as do non-breeding males in eclipse plumage (from June to September), although they have the red bill and white facial markings.
    Woody Rocking Horse.jpg
  • The Bald Eagle has been the national emblem of the United States since 1782 and a spiritual symbol for native people for far longer than that. These regal birds aren't really bald, but their white-feathered heads gleam in contrast to their chocolate-brown body and wings. Look for them soaring in solitude, chasing other birds for their food, or gathering by the hundreds in winter. Once endangered by hunting and pesticides, Bald Eagles have flourished under protection. <br />
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The Bald Eagle dwarfs most other raptors, including the Turkey Vulture and Red-tailed Hawk. It has a heavy body, large head, and long, hooked bill. In flight, a Bald Eagle holds its broad wings flat like a board. <br />
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Look for Bald Eagles near lakes, reservoirs, rivers, marshes, and coasts. For a chance to see large Bald Eagle congregations, check out wildlife refuges or large bodies of water in winter over much of the continent, or fish processing plants and dumpsters year-round in coastal Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
    Eagle With an Attitude.jpg
  • Most of the country drives during an eastern North American summer will turn up a few Eastern Bluebirds sitting on telephone wires or perched atop a nest box, calling out in a short, wavering voice or abruptly dropping to the ground after an insect. Marvelous birds to capture in your binoculars, male Eastern Bluebirds are a brilliant royal blue on the back and head, and warm red-brown on the breast. Blue tinges in the wings and tail give the grayer females an elegant look.
    Bluebird Watching.jpg
  • The gangly Double-crested Cormorant is a prehistoric-looking, matte-black fishing bird with yellow-orange facial skin. Though they look like a combination of a goose and a loon, they are relatives of frigatebirds and boobies and are a common sight around fresh and salt water across North America?perhaps attracting the most attention when they stand on docks, rocky islands, and channel markers, their wings spread out to dry. These solid, heavy-boned birds are experts at diving to catch small fish.<br />
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Adults are brown-black with a small patch of yellow-orange skin on the face. Immatures are browner overall, palest on the neck and breast. In the breeding season, adults develop a small double crest of stringy black or white feathers.<br />
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The Double-crested Cormorant is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It occurs along inland waterways as well as in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America.
    Cormorant Curves.jpg
  • A Wood Duck Hen Preens Along The Shore of the Lake.<br />
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Wood ducks pair up in late winter and they begin breeding in early spring. The males attract females with their call and attractive, colorful breeding plumage. <br />
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Female wood ducks have grayish-brown bodies. The back is dark gray-brown and the sides are a lighter shade. The most noticeable characteristics of the females are found on the head. The head is gray with a white eye-ring around each eye. The head also has a crest of feathers at the back and white feathers on the throat and chin. <br />
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Wood ducks will 'tip up' and dip their heads under the water to find the standard wetland fare to eat like wild rice, smartweed, pondweed, bulrush, and lotus seeds, but they love to eat "out," of the water that is. They love fruits and nuts found in the woods like beechnuts, wild acorns grapes, and one of their favorites, acorns.
    Preening Wood Duck Hen.jpg
  • A member of the tribe of 'stiff-tailed ducks', the Ruddy Duck has a spiky tail that it often holds straight up in display. Female ruddy ducks have grayish-brown neck and body plumage. The sides of the head and neck are dull buff-brown with a single dusky horizontal stripe crossing a pale-gray cheek patch. The bill is dark gray and the legs and feet are grayish. Females are relatively silent.
    Adult Female Ruddy Duck.jpg
  • Most of the country drives during an eastern North American summer will turn up a few Eastern Bluebirds sitting on telephone wires or perched atop a nest box, calling out in a short, wavering voice or abruptly dropping to the ground after an insect. Marvelous birds to capture in your binoculars, male Eastern Bluebirds are a brilliant royal blue on the back and head, and warm red-brown on the breast. Blue tinges in the wings and tail give the grayer females an elegant look.
    Bluebird Midnight Highlight.jpg
  • The Wood Duck or Carolina Duck is a species of duck found in North America. It is one of the most colourful North American waterfowl. Males are iridescent chestnut and green, with ornate patterns on nearly every feather; the elegant females have a distinctive profile and delicate white pattern around the eye. These birds live in wooded swamps, where they nest in holes in trees or in nest boxes put up around lake margins. They are one of the few duck species equipped with strong claws that can grip bark and perch on branches.<br />
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In good light, males have a glossy green head cut with white stripes, a chestnut breast and buffy sides. In low or harsh light, they'll look dark overall with paler sides. Females are gray-brown with white-speckled breast. In eclipse plumage (late summer), males lose their pale sides and bold stripes, but retain their bright eye and bill.<br />
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Wood ducks breed across most of the central and eastern United States, southeastern Canada and along the Pacific coast from California to British Columbia. The highest breeding densities occur in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. In recent decades, the breeding range has expanded westward into the Great Plains region following development of wooded riparian corridors. Wood ducks prefer riparian habitats, wooded swamps and freshwater marshes.
    Wood Duck Flap.jpg
  • Male Mallard Duck was running for his life from all the little kids on a hot humid day at the zoo.  ..The male birds (drakes) have a bright green head and are grey on wings and belly, while the females are brown all over.
    mallard_duck.jpg
  • A Great Crested Flycatcher squawks in tree during bright noon light.
    Yellow Breast Brown Feathers.jpg
  • I took this shot of the male and female House Finch just hanging out in my front yard. <br />
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The House Finch is a bird in the finch family Fringillidae, which is found in North America. Adults have a long, square-tipped brown tail and are a brown or dull-brown color across the back with some shading into deep gray on the wing feathers. Breast and belly feathers may be streaked; the flanks usually are.
    male_female_house_finch.jpg