The bird picture thread

[carole]

We have a nice wildflower thread going but birds are also a common sighting on the trails.

I was hiking along didn't pay attention to this


Do you see anything?


The quick flight had me look closer


I counted 5 but that shot came out blurry

 

[ADKnBVI]

Hi Carole,

I hope I identify these all correctly...

Spruce Grouse on the way down from North Twin

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on the Mt Percival Trail

Bald Eagle at Lake Umbagog

Boreal Chickadee on Crawford Path

Common Yellowthroat at Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge


Valerie

 

[Viewseeker]

eggs

carole,
are those wild turkey eggs?

 

[mtnpa]

carole,
are those wild turkey eggs?

Look to me like they come from the rare White Mountain Alligator

 

[carole]

carole,
are those wild turkey eggs?

Definitely not turkey. The bird that flew was quite small and the eggs are no more than an inch long, very white with brown specks. I could have easily stepped on the nest as it is right next to the trail.

Very nice pictures, Valerie!

 

[Early Bird]

Definitely not turkey. The bird that flew was quite small and the eggs are no more than an inch long, very white with brown specks. I could have easily stepped on the nest as it is right next to the trail.

Very nice pictures, Valerie!

Anyone an expert on eggs? A wild guess might be ovenbird. I know they are ground nesters. I'm off to look up what I can learn from my reference books. Where were you?

 

[DougPaul]

I saw the last few feet of a Cooper's hawk diving on some prey (a bird) on the ground. Ran inside, got my camera, and got these pics. The closest pics were at a range of ~20ft, all were taken with a 135mm lens. The location was a suburban field in central NJ.

http://mysite.verizon.net/dbpwebjunk/hawk-attack/index.html

Doug

 

[Neil]

Sory about the focus. I think these are Paruline Warbler eggs.

 

[carole]

A wild guess might be ovenbird. I know they are ground nesters.

I looked up info on ovenbirds and think you are most likely correct. I couldn't resist going back to check on the nest and a small bird again quickly flew out then ran/hopped very quickly away from the nest. I didn't get a good look at it but size and movement is consistent with ovenbird.

But then I thought the eggs were gone until I got a closer look:

 

[Early Bird]

I looked up info on ovenbirds and think you are most likely correct. I couldn't resist going back to check on the nest and a small bird again quickly flew out then ran/hopped very quickly away from the nest. I didn't get a good look at it but size and movement is consistent with ovenbird.

But then I thought the eggs were gone until I got a closer look:

Wow! That is precious. Thanks for sharing. What I found out about ovenbird eggs is that they are white with brown speckles that are darker around the larger part of the egg. Looks like the one Neil posted, I'd say. An oven bird is a warbler. I don't know if there are other birds who lay similar looking eggs and are ground nesters.

 

[Neil]

I got the name wrong. It was a Northern Parula Warbler.

The nest was in some moss on a rock about 3 feet off the ground. I saw a flash of blue fly out.

I remember finding a pic of the Parula's eggs on the net but now I can't find it.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Carole, I believe you have yourself a Whip-Poor-Will. They are ground nesters, and have those big red eyes. I have had one living near my house for nearly 10 years -- it comes back every June, a week or two after Memorial Day. I have only seen it a few times.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whip-poor-will -- a fair photo. my Audubon book has a better image which looks a lot like your photo. They are most elusive creatures.

Tim

 

[carole]

Carole, I believe you have yourself a Whip-Poor-Will.

A whip-poor-will would be too large for the bird I saw leave the nest each time. I also have them living near by.
The dark spots you see are the heads of three perhaps not eyes. You can also see a yellow beak. (We get to watch phoebes nest and hatch each year and they look very similiar when they hatch). The babies in my picture are no more than a day old. I hope to check on them before they leave the nest.

 

[islandside]

Hi Carole;
I found this info on-line...

"The most common ground-nesters in the forest include the Wood thrush, Hermit thrush and Veery and a loud little warbler called the “Ovenbird” which sings an incessant “Teacher, teacher, teacher.” Its nest looks like a tiny Dutch oven tucked against the base of a tree – hence the name".

here's the link to it...

http://cs.newhampshire.com/blogs/fo.../20/Ground-Nesting-Birds-in-Early-Summer.aspx

On another note, coming down from the top of Mount Major, right at the start of The Bay View trail one day last week, we inadvertently disturbed this ground nesting couple.
I had heard a bird calling in the trees since we had been at the summit, a loud single "chirp", as we got closer to where the sound was in the trees, I tried to get closer to get a picture. All of a sudden, the female bolted from the nest on the ground near my feet, joining the male in the trees to do their best to let us know we were trespassing!
The photo is not that clear a shot, but at least I got the male and the female in the same image! We didn't want to stick around too long so they could get back to there parental duties.



I searched for photos of the listed ground-nesters listed above, but none of them look like the pair I saw.
I know one of you guys will know who we saw that day...

Greg

 

[carole]

I searched for photos of the listed ground-nesters listed above, but none of them look like the pair I saw.
I know one of you guys will know who we saw that day...

Greg

Eastern Towhee (also called Rufous-sided Towhee, sometimes called a Ground Robin). I have seen and heard several there.

 

[Paradox]

Stellar Jay

Chip and I saw these birds about the size of a Robin at Narada Falls on the road to Paradise. The blue has a beautiful irridescence.

 

[Kevin Judy and Emma]

Neat stuff!

This thread doesn't seem to have a specific function like "birds seen in the White Mountains this spring", so, here's a few I'd like to share. Hope it's OK.

I photographed this Saw-Whet Owl on Boott Spur Trail last July.

Most people hate 'em, but I love Canada Geese. These are on the Shawsheen River in Andover, Massachusetts.

One of my favorite birds to photograph is the Great Blue Heron. This is also on the Shawsheen River in Andover. Their favorite fish is Hornpout.

I caught this shot at sunset on the Powow River in Kingston, NH. It's right outside my backdoor.

KDT

 

[Kevin Rooney]

On the topic of camouflage - can you spot the 3 ptarmigan in this photo? (They're about the same size as a partridge/ruffed grouse, and are clustered in the center of the photo.)

 

[forestgnome]

Excellent images! The owl by KDT is amazing. Carole's nest and KR's ptarmigans and Valerie's grouse are also excellent. Keep 'em coming!

happy trails

 

[Danielle]

Steller's Jay

Chip and I saw these birds about the size of a Robin at Narada Falls on the road to Paradise. The blue has a beautiful irridescence.

Those are Steller's Jays. Nice photos.

This is a great thread! I love to "bird" when I'm out hiking or running. I rarely have my camera, but it's fun to see what birds others have captured "on film" in the woods.