Tufted Titmouse

Well, I have had this image since early July in Arkansas. I have looked up several images to try to identify this crested bird. I searched and searched and decided that it must be a flycatcher of some sort. I was wrong. I think that it is the apparent size of the bird that threw me off. It seems so much larger than 6" of a Tufted Titmouse. When I gave up on the ID, I sent the photo to Dave Brown, local birder extraordinaire and he let me know that I had a Tufted Titmouse.

This bird is on a power line and not in my sister's yard so you can imagine the distance that I was shooting. Much to my surprise the lighting worked in my favor this time. The shots turned out fairly clearly. The Tufted Titmouse is a very common bird to Arkansas, but I think that this is the only one that I saw.

They are akin to the Chickadees and are very bold around people, not the shy type. Someone recently asked about a Titmouse on the Discussion Group. The reply was that there are no recorded sightings of this little bird in this province. If you find one, be sure to tell someone. First sightings are a very big thing.

Fox Sparrow - Backyard

It is so nice when birds choose to visit my yard. This was the case with a pair of Fox Sparrows. In mid-July, I looked out, as I often do, on my yard and my three feeders. Much to my surprise and delight, I found six different species that day, including this Fox Sparrow.

Since the pictures don't take themselves, I ran for the camera and was able to get several shots of the different visitors. To my knowledge, this is the first time that the Fox Sparrow has come to call.

The Fox Sparrow is one of the more brightly colored sparrows. Its rufous color really sets it apart and makes it very easy to identify very quickly. On that day, the birds were all in an eating frenzy, no singing. They must have anticipated bad weathers because I often have the most feathered visitors, just before a spell of bad weather.

When I reviewed my posting of the Fox Sparrow of May 31st, there is no comparison to the detail of these photos. I continue to work my garden to make it a more desirable place for all birds to visit. It is like a never-ending Discovery Channel devoted to birds.

House Sparrow - Female

On May 31, 2010, I posted some images of House Sparrows. It was early in the Spring and they were very busy building their nests. Perhaps, that is why they were at the hardware store where I found them.

The shots, as usual, weren't great, so I was delighted when I came across this female House Sparrow in Newark, N.J. As soon as I stepped outside of the airport, I spotted this little bird.  It was so relaxed that I took the time to get my camera out and take a couple of shots before she flew away.

The colors in this picture are very true to the actual colors of this common bird in North America. It's colors and feathers seem to be in much better shape than other House Sparrows that I found deeper in the South where the weather had been hot since March.

Belted Kingfisher

The Belted Kingfisher is one of my favorite small birds. They can often be found by the water where they feed on small fish in the morning or evening. They are extremely fast and extremely skittish when people approach. IBecause of these factors, it is very difficult to get a shot of them.

I included this shot, even though it is very hard to distinguish that this is a Kingfisher, to illustrate the force behind their water dives. Most often, they get their prey on each powerful dive into the waters.

About two weeks ago, I came across six Belted Kingfishers feeding at Quidi Vidi Lake. I thought that I had hit the jackpot. It was about 45 minutes before dark and the sun kept peeping out from behind the clouds. I worked my way down to the shoreline on the South side of the lake and began inching my way toward them.

It was a real challenge, I even got my feet wet in an attempt to get close. They had their eye on me and I was lucky to get with 30 feet of them. Undaunted, I kept waiting for the moment to move in closer. It was nearing darkness and I had almost given up when another landed in a tree.

It is well known among birdwatchers, that the photo galleries amassed have few Belted Kingfishers. I wanted so badly to be one of the few with some great shots. While lighting and distance did handicap my images, I was able to get this great profile showing the fulling expanded crest. Although, it doesn't show the great blue color. The call of the Kingfisher is very distinct and very loud. It sounds somewhat that a loud chattering.

This my first chance to see the full face of the Kingfisher with it elevated crest. It has real personality. Oh, if only the sun had been over my shoulder instead of his.  It is exactly this kind of challenge in bird photography that will keep me going and going until I get the shots I want. For me, it will never get old.