Pintail
March 2013 – Sauvie Island, Oregon
Ok, not the greatest shot of a Northern Pintail, but it’s a start… about a dozen of them were over on the lake at Wapato access area.
Northern Pintail
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Bewick’s Wren
Bewick’s Wren
April 2013 – Smith and Bybee lakes, Oregon
The Bewick’s wrens have just returned for the spring, and were busy establishing their territories. This location is in north Portland, a bunch of wetlands between a landfill, an industrial zone, and the main port of Portland. You might not think a great natural area could exist here, but it does.
Bewick’s Wren
June 2012 – Hillsboro, Oregon
This wren was just hammering an unfortunate caterpillar on the fence. The thing turned into a pulp when he was done. He was feeding fledgling chicks who were hiding in nearby bushes.
Bewick’s Wren
April 2012 – Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon
This wren was flitting around the branches, singing his heart out. He stopped just for a moment to let me snap his photo.
Double-crested Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
March 2013 – Fernhill wetlands, Oregon
This is a young Double-crested Cormorant. The older birds are much more black. Cormorants need to air-dry their wings (not very practical for a seabird), which is what this was is doing in the early morning light.
Brewer’s Blackbird
Brewer’s Blackbird
March 2013 – Fernhill Wetlands, Oregon
These birds are common in suburban parking lots across the country. They’re often overlooked, and dismissed. But, they do have a certain beauty – just look at those eyes. This one is a male.
Ring-necked Duck
Ring-necked Ducks
April 2013 – Sauvie Island, Oregon
Caught in the act… Gosh this doesn’t look too comfortable for the female, but I guess it works.
Ring-necked Duck
March 2013 – Sauvie Island, Oregon
Another pair… slightly closer, slightly better photo… different location.
Ring-necked Duck
April 2013 – Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon
This pair of Ring-necked Ducks saw me from a 100 yards away, and were taking no chances… quickly swimming away…
Chestnut-backed Antbird
Chestnut-backed Antbird
February 2013 – Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica
A few of these were foraging in the very dark and shady undergrowth just inland from the beach at Manuel Antonio National Park.
Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush
Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush
February 2013 – Central highlands of Costa Rica
This little thrush perched on a post along the trail for a few moments… They seemed fairly common in open areas in the highland areas of Costa Rica.
Resplendent Quetzal
Resplendent Quetzal
February 2013 – Central highlands of Costa Rica
And there it was… a bird that seems more myth than reality. The male’s tail feathers can grow to about 2 feet, but this one had recently molted. You can just see a glimpse of his scarlet red chest. These aren’t particularly active birds… they spend a lot of time sitting still – perched on branches in the mid-to-high canopy
Resplendent Quetzal
The female is a bit more drab, but still quite a sight to see…
Rufous-collared Sparrow
Rufous-collared Sparrow
February 2013 – Central highlands of Costa Rica
These birds appeared to be rather common in the high elevations of central Costa Rica… I saw them mostly in places that had been disturbed by human habitation… sort of like an exotic version of a House Sparrow.
Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager
Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager
February 2013 – Central highlands of Costa Rica
The environment in this area is a cloud forest at about 9000ft elevation… perhaps 2 hours drive south of San Jose along the Pan-American highway. This bird only appeared for a few moments, but I managed a pretty clear and quick shot.