Great Egret

The drying seaweed on the shore throws a splash of unexpectedly bright color~

This is a great egret, or Ardea alba. They’re found in great numbers across the globe and, being large and colored an almost-pure white, they feature on currency around the world from the New Zealand 2 Dollar coin to the Hungarian 5 Forint coin to the Brazilian 5 Reais note. Belarus also made commemorative 1 and 10 Rouble coins in 2008 for their Bird of the Year series.

Photo taken: May 23, 2021

Red-winged Blackbird

Those wing spots look almost velvety~

This is a red-winged blackbird, or Agelaius phoeniceus. It might’ve been your first instinct to assume that its red spots would be used to attract mates, but that does not appear to be true. In one study, “male Red-wings were captured and their [spots] blackened with Nyanzol D, a permanent black dye.” It found that nearly 2 in 3 blackened blackbirds lost their territory as opposed to 2 in 25 of the control group, but both groups could still attract a mate, suggesting that these red spots are mainly for intimidating other males.

Photo taken: May 23, 2021

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Of all the ways to identify this bird, the only way I managed in the end was by using its feet, which are a lovely color, by the way.

This is a golden-crowned kinglet, or Regulus satrapa. It, of course, has a golden crown like a king, but this photo was taken too early in the year to see that. It otherwise has a yellow stripe down the center of its head, although that, unfortunately, also cannot be seen in this photo. According to the Bird of the Day challenge I linked in the last post, though, this bird isn’t exactly the rarest, so hopefully I’ll get a better shot sooner or later~

Photo taken: Feb. 21, 2021

Ovenbird

I found one ornithologist’s “Bird of the Day Challenge“, which challenges you to see a certain bird each day — the bird above for today (Edit: May 12, whoops) — which I did not do, but I did recall seeing one on the side of a path last year.

This is an ovenbird, or Seiurus aurocapilla. They’re called that because of the shape of their nests, which are called ‘ovens’ for their dome structure and side entrance. (For comparison: brick oven vs. ovenbird nest.)

Photo taken: May 2, 2021

Common Tern

Flying in the water~

This is a common tern, or Sterna hirundo. As their name implies, they can be found on the coasts of all the continents, save Antarctica, and inland over the continents of the northern hemisphere. Like other terns, they are well-equipped to fly very long distances and so have occasionally been spotted well beyond their usual range. There have been sightings in Zambia, some 2,000 miles from the nearest residential site and 500 from the coast; the nominate (of North America and Eurasia) subspecies has been spotted in south-central Brazil and Australia; and the far-eastern subspecies has been seen in western Europe, 3,000 to 5,000 miles from their breeding range.

Photo taken: Jun. 19, 2021

Snow Geese

Certainly, I’ve seen cleaner V’s.

These are snow geese, or Anser caerulescens. They migrate along narrow corridors, meaning that they can be found gathering in the tens or even hundreds of thousands in small pockets of wetlands. While the sight of ten thousand geese taking off is beyond spectacular, I’m not sure of how best to capture such a scene with my camera — it’s just too chaotic. Smaller splinter groups like the one above are much more manageable.

Photo taken: Feb. 21, 2022

Bald Eagle

I returned to the same place I went almost exactly one year ago (posts: [1], [2]), though the sky was even more overcast this time because of the morning’s snowstorm.

This is a bald eagle, or Haliaeetus leucocephalus. According to a volunteer I met, who was counting eagle sightings, things aren’t like they used to be at this observation site. Despite the fact that there were fewer eagles overall a decade or two ago, fewer eagles are coming south for the winter because it’s just not getting cold enough to force them — especially the adults like the one above — to do so. Sounds plausible, though I don’t have proof of its veracity. (Range Map)

Photo taken: Feb. 13, 2022

Mute Swan

Saint Valentine’s Day is coming up~

This is a mute swan, or Cygnus olor. As one of the most prominent symbols of love, you’ve probably seen a card with two swans facing each other in the pose above to form a heart. Even going back to mythology, Aphrodite, the Greek god of love, was often depicted riding a swan, which was one of her sacred animals.

Photo taken: May 23, 2021

Common Yellowthroat

Singing, tongue and all~

This is a common yellowthroat, or Geothlypis trichas. Contrary to my comment, songbirds don’t actually sing in a way that involves their tongue. Rather, they have a two-sided vocal organ called a syrinx that lets them produce two notes independent of each other and at the same time, resulting in the complex and varied songs we hear.

Photo taken: May 23, 2021

Tree Swallow

Soaring through the sky~

This is a tree swallow, or Tachycineta bicolor. Up until about a decade ago, it was thought that small songbirds did not soar, “due to their smaller musculature and wings. Gliding would reduce the flight speed, so it was assumed.” This was overturned by studies done in Israel — not observing tree sparrows, but European bee-eaters — that showed no indication of decreased speed while gliding, meaning that birds small and large use soaring and gliding to save energy without having to slow down. (source)

Photo taken: Jun. 20, 2021