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  • Two ducks take a sunset flight in the golden glow of Lake Superior on Minnesota's North Shore
    Sunset Flight.jpg
  • A Herring Gull In Flight Over Lake Superior. The American Herring Gull or Smithsonian Gull or is a large gull which breeds in North America, where it is treated by the American Ornithologists' Union as a subspecies of Herring Gull.
    Herring Gull Flight.jpg
  • A white Egret flies over the pond looking for a morning meal
    Morning Egret Flight.jpg
  • The Snow Goose has two color plumage morphs, white (snow) or gray/blue (blue), thus the common description as snows and blues. White-morph birds are white except for black wing tips, but blue-morph geese have bluish-grey plumage replacing the white except on the head, neck and tail tip. The immature blue phase is drab or slate-gray with little to no white on the head, neck, or belly.<br />
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Outside of the nesting season, they usually feed in flocks. In winter, snow geese feed on left-over grain in fields. They migrate in large flocks, often visiting traditional stopover habitats in spectacular numbers. Snow Geese often travel and feed alongside Greater White-fronted Geese; in contrast, the two tend to avoid travelling and feeding alongside Canada Geese, which are often heavier birds.<br />
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The breeding population of the Lesser Snow Goose exceeds 5 million birds, an increase of more than 300 percent since the mid-1970s. The population is increasing at a rate of more than 5 percent per year. Non-breeding geese (juveniles or adults that fail to nest successfully) are not included in this estimate, so the total number of geese is even higher. Lesser Snow Goose population indices are the highest they have been since population records have been kept, and evidence suggests that large breeding populations are spreading to previously untouched sections of the Hudson Bay coastline.
    Snow Goose Flight.jpg
  • A male Northern Cardinal flies through the winter storm dodging the tree branches in the woods laden with icicles. The skies were dull and grey with a bit of a purple tint, the air was brisk and chilly. The only signs of beauty and life was this bold red bird flying from tree to tree on this cold winter day in my Missouri back yard.
    Flight Of A Winter Cardinal.jpg
  • Ladybug taking off into flight
    Taking-Off.jpg
  • A White-Breasted Nuthatch Taking Flight From a Tree Branch
    Nuthatch Liftoff.jpg
  • A Bird flies high in the skies catching some rays. There is freedom in flight
    Fly Free.jpg
  • Watching huge flocks of Snow Geese swirl down from the sky, amid a cacophony of honking, is a little like standing inside a snow globe. These loud, white-and-black geese can cover the ground in a snowy blanket as they eat their way across fallow cornfields or wetlands. Among them, you might see a dark form with a white head?a color variant called the ?Blue Goose.? Snow Geese have skyrocketed in numbers and are now among the most abundant waterfowl on the continent. <br />
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The Snow Goose, also known as the Blue Goose, is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed. Snow Geese don't like to travel without the company of another couple dozen geese and can form flocks of several hundred thousand. Family groups forage together on wintering grounds, digging up roots and tubers from muddy fields and marshes. In flight, they are steady on the wing with even wingbeats.
    Snow Geese Over New Melle.jpg
  • Ruby-Throated Hummingbird in flight on a textured green background
    Fly Free Hummer.jpg
  • One of my little lady's running through a little preflight routine. All systems appear to be a go!
    pre-flight-checklist.jpg
  • A Heron flies above the water with a fresh catch
    Flyin With Food.jpg
  • Downy Woodpecker - Male 2.jpg
  • A seagull flies over the ocean framed by blue skies
    Gull Over The Water.jpg
  • One may think there's a tiny little baby hummingbird flying among the flowers, but more than likely it's a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth.<br />
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This moth will feed during the day and it's shape, coloration and scaleless wings give it the appearance of a small hummingbird. There are two common varieties of this attractive and interesting member of the Sphinx moth family.
    clearwing humming bird moth.jpg
  • Hemaris thysbe, the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth or Common Clearwing (wingspan 38-50 mm), readily visits flowers by day throughout the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada, where it ranges far to the north, even into the Yukon. It is not difficult to see why many gardeners would mistake an Hemaris thysbe moth for a small hummingbird as it hovers, sipping nectar from flowers through a long feeding tube. The moth hovers briefly, sipping for only a few seconds before darting off to a new flower. Green body "fur" and burgundy wing scales suggest a small ruby throated hummingbird.
    clearwing humming bird moth shag.jpg
  • Hummingbird Afternoon Glow.jpg
  • An Autumn Scene Along The Hiking Trail At Busch Wildlife in Saint Charles, Missouri.
    Along the Hiking Trail.jpg
  • A flock of geese swim across Lake 15 at August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area in Saint Charles, Missouri
    Geese on Lake 15.jpg
  • Downy Woodpecker 1.jpg
  • Downy Woodpecker - Male 1.jpg
  • A Downy Woodpecker takes off from a white swing feeder after grabbing a snack
    Fly Away Downy.jpg
  • A Flock Of Snow Geese Fly Through Wentzville Skies on a cold March Morning
    Crowded New Melle Skies.jpg
  • A Bold Green Summer Tree reflects off of Lake 15 at August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area catch Bright Blue Skies and Puffy Clouds on a Summer Afternoon
    Green Scene at Lake 15.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 female Mallard is predominantly mottled with each individual feather showing sharp contrast from buff to very dark brown, a coloration shared by most female dabbling ducks, and has buff cheeks, eyebrow, throat and neck with a darker crown and eye-stripe
    Flying Female Mallard.jpg
  • Seagull Flight on a beach in Grand Marais Minnesota
    Seagull Flight.jpg
  • I bee in mid flight attempting to make a floral landing
    339A7041.jpg
  • Fireflies and Butterflies Fly By Vibrant Fire Lights at Night
    Funkidellic.jpg
  • A Seagull soars through skies of blue
    339A7797.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
  • An American White Pelican Swims In The Lights Of Night<br />
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One of North America's largest birds, the American White Pelican is distinctive for its nine-foot wingspan, conspicuous white body, and the improbable proportions of its large bill and pouch. Despite their size, the pelicans are graceful fliers, with flocks soaring high in the air and wheeling in unison. In flight, black wing tips and trailing edges are good field marks. American White Pelicans may be seen cooperatively foraging in shallow waters, or at adjacent loafing sites, where they are tolerant of human observation at a respectful distance.
    Pelican Swims At Night.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
  • Common Grackles are blackbirds that look like they've been slightly stretched. They're taller and longer tailed than a typical blackbird, with a longer, more tapered bill and glossy-iridescent bodies. Grackles walk around lawns and fields on their long legs or gather in noisy groups high in trees, typically evergreens. They eat many crops (notably corn) and nearly anything else as well, including garbage. In flight their long tails trail behind them, sometimes folded down the middle into a shallow V shape.
    IMG_3324.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
  • A Black-crowned Night Heron in Green Waters. The Black-crowned Night Heron, commonly abbreviated to just Night Heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia. Black-crowned Night-Herons are stocky birds compared to many of their long-limbed heron relatives. They're most active at night or at dusk, when you may see their ghostly forms flapping out from daytime roosts to forage in wetlands. In the light of day adults are striking in gray-and-black plumage and long white head plumes. These social birds breed in colonies of stick nests usually built over water. They live in fresh, salt, and brackish wetlands and are the most widespread heron in the world. <br />
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Black-crowned Night-Herons often spend their days perched on tree limbs or concealed among foliage and branches. They forage in the evening and at night, in water, on mudflats, and on land. In flight they fold their head back against their shoulders, almost making the neck disappear.<br />
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These are social birds that tend to roost and nest in groups, although they typically forage on their own. Look for them in most wetland habitats across North America, including estuaries, marshes, streams, lakes, and reservoirs.
    Black-crowned Night Heron 2.jpg
  • No doubt about it - the flamingo is a curious-looking bird. Its body is extremely slender, its head small, its bill strangely curved and hooked. And then there's the matter of color - how many animals can you name that are HOT PINK?<br />
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Flamingos are social birds. They live in large groups, sometimes up to tens of thousands of birds, an undulating ocean of pink. The sound of a large flamingo flock is also impressive (they're often mistaken for geese) and can be heard a great distance away. The birds are very vocal and use a wide variety of honks, alarm calls and other vocalizations.<br />
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Flamingos in a colony feed together, breed together, and fly together. They eat by day, but when a feeding area no longer provides enough food for the flock, the birds move to another location at night.<br />
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The birds are quite distinctive looking in flight. They stretch out their long necks and legs and spread their wings so the black undersides are visible. A flamingo's wingspan can range from three to five feet, depending on the size of the bird.
    Flamingo Speaks.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
  • Meet Donald. Donald is the first Golden Eagle Ambassador and we are proud to have both eagle species that are native to North America represented at the National Eagle Center.<br />
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Donald came to the National Eagle Center after being treated at the California Raptor Center. He had been hit by a car near the town of Placerville, CA, breaking his right wing in two places. Donald is no longer able to sustain flight.<br />
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We are unsure of Donald's exact age. His fully adult plumage suggests he was at least five years of age when he was injured, so he hatched sometime before 2002.<br />
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Donald arrived at the National Eagle Center on January 8, 2008 and was named for the Donald Weesner Charitable Trust, whose generous donation made his arrival and training possible. During his first year, he continued to be bashful among the other eagles and with guests. He often spent the day looking only at the murals with quick glances toward people. Today, Donald often displays quite relaxed postures in the mews.<br />
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Golden eagles can be found around the world in the northern hemisphere, and Donald's presence at the National Eagle Center has ignited new interest in understanding the life and habitat of golden eagles.
    Golden Eagle - Donald.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
  • Hooded Mergansers are small ducks with a thin bill and a fan-shaped, collapsible crest that makes the head look oversized and oblong. In flight, the wings are thin and the tail is relatively long and rounded.
    Male Hooded Merganser - Color.jpg
  • Angel came to the National Eagle Center in 2000.  She had been found on the ground with a broken wing near Grantsburg, WI in 1999. She was just a fledgling and had been surviving on scraps of fish from nearby herons' nests.<br />
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Angel was treated at the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center in St. Paul, where she underwent surgery and realignment of the broken bone in her wing. Though repair of the bone was successful, the damage to the musculature could not be repaired. Angel is unable to sustain flight as she would need to survive in the wild.<br />
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Angel seems to have adjusted quite well as an eagle ambassador. She has matured from a dark headed juvenile to a fully mature, white-headed female bald eagle. Angel's loud vocalizations can be heard when a wild eagle passes by the windows of the National Eagle Center. Angel got her name in a naming contest by a 4th grade student from St. Felix School in Wabasha.<br />
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Angel's regal appearance has made her a favorite guest at many Native American ceremonies and countless educational events for schools, scout troops and communities.
    Columbia in B and W.jpg
  • The Tufted Titmouse is a small songbird from North America, a species in the tit and chickadee family. The active and noisy tufted, North America's most widespread titmouse, is remarkably uniform morphologically, genetically, vocally, and behaviorally throughout its range. Besides gleaning trees and shrubs for arthropods, it spends more time on the ground searching leaf litter than do chickadees and most other titmouse species.<br />
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A little gray bird with an echoing voice, the Tufted Titmouse is common in eastern deciduous forests and a frequent visitor to feeders. The large black eyes, small, round bill, and brushy crest gives these birds a quiet but eager expression that matches the way they flit through canopies, hang from twig-ends, and drop in to bird feeders. When a titmouse finds a large seed, you'll see it carry the prize to a perch and crack it with sharp whacks of its stout bill. <br />
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Tufted Titmice are acrobatic foragers, if a bit slower and more methodical than chickadees. They often flock with chickadees, nuthatches, and woodpeckers and are regular visitors to feeders, where they are assertive over smaller birds. Their flight tends to be fluttery but level rather than undulating.
    Tufted Titmouse Twinkle.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
  • Red-Bellied Woodpecker - Flight 1.jpg