Violet Sabrewing
February 2013 – Monteverde, Costa Rica
What a stunning little bird… and also a bit of a bully. These were the biggest hummers in the group and they knew it – chasing all their cousins away from the feeder.
Violet Sabrewing
Category Archives: ***** – Wow
Slate-throated Redstart
Slate-throated Redstart
February 2013 – Monteverde, Costa Rica
Another common warbler in the cloud forest. These were particularly cooperative photographic models… at least a couple of them were.
Slate-throated Redstart
Another photo of this colorful little bird.
White-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
August 2012 – Wind River Mountains, Wyoming
At first I thought these were some more exotic species, but didn’t take long to realize they were the familiar White-crowned sparrow. This one was chomping on a caterpillar at about 10,000ft elevation.
White-Crowned Sparrow
May 2011 – Blacklock Point, Oregon
I’ve always thought that the White-crowned Sparrow was a lucky bird – saved from an otherwise drab existence by a few brilliant zebra stripes on the crown. If it wasn’t for that I’m not sure they’d get much attention.
This bird was busy eating seeds from some ground-cover plant on top of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, near Blacklock Point, Oregon. He was so unconcerned by my presence that I was able to get within a few feet. In fact, I had to back-up, because my lens couldn’t focus that close!
Pine Grosbeak
Pine Grosbeak
August 2012 – Wind River Mountains, Wyoming
Amazing how different the coloration of these birds can be. I saw a number of these and think they were either females or young birds… It took a bit of deduction to come to the conclusion they were Pine Grosbeaks.
Pine Grosbeak
November 2004 – Mt. Ararat, Washington
This was one of a small flock of Pine Grosbeaks, feeding on beargrass stems that were poking through an autumn snow on the south side of Mt. Rainier.
Wilson’s Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
August 2012 – Wind River Mountains, Wyoming
I was surprised to find Wilson’s Warblers picking through the willows at 11,000ft elevation in the Wind River Mountains. These are fairly widespread birds… Apparently, they have no problem with a wide assortment of habitats too.
Wilson's Warbler
May 2008 – Tillamook State Forest, OR
In 2008, I hiked the length of the Wilson River Trail in the Oregon Coast Range. This is a 20.6 mile trail along a section of the Wilson River. It seemed an appropriate place to spot a Wilson’s Warbler. This guy was singing and circling around. I took a 20 minute break from hiking, and managed to get myself deep into a bush near where the bird had been returning. So, I just sat there and waited for him to come back. I had nearly given up, when he came closer than ever and allowed me to snap a few clear shots.
Marsh Wren
Marsh Wren
July 2012 – Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, WA
Just a day after the photo below… I finally managed to the the shot I’d been looking for… and dozen of other shots of blurry grasses and such.
Marsh Wren
June 2012 – Jackson Bottom, Oregon
These birds are active and will come in close when called, but they’re still hard to photograph, as they almost always stick to thick reeds/grasses. This is the first decent image I’ve gotten after plenty of attempts. Still, there is a blurry blade of grass obscuring half the bird, but that’s just how it goes…
Savannah Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
June 2012 – Sauvie Island, Oregon
I had a great moment with this Savannah Sparrow an hour after sunrise, just setting out along the trails on Sauvie Island.
Savannah Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
June 2011 – Hillsboro, Oregon
I was surprised to get as close to this Savannah Sparrow as I did. It was just getting near dusk – great light! I just wish I could have gotten a slightly clearer angle. The birds never listen to me when I tell them to pose.
Wrentit
Wrentit
May 2012 – Indian Sands Beach, Oregon
I was walking along the trail saying “This looks just like the sort of place you’d see a Wrentit”. I had only seen one once before, further up the Oregon coast. Sure enough, not more than 30 seconds later, this one appeared. These birds are neither Wrens nor Tits… but seem to be the only American representative of the Babblers found in Europe.
Black Oystercatcher
Black Oystercatcher
May 2012 – Secret Beach, Oregon
Sometimes you sit and wait for a bird to do something – anything – to make the photo memorable. This Oystercatcher only opened his bill for a moment, but it added a whole new dimension to the image. Almost like he’s warming up his jaw to take-on that mound of mussles he’s standing on. Or, maybe he had something to say. A moment later, he flew off.
Black Oystercatcher
January 2009 – Shi Shi Beach, WA
I came across these Black Oystercatchers on Shi Shi Beach – along the Washington coast – in early 2009. Usually, these birds are quite skittish, but I managed to get fairly close, just being patient. I waited for a wave to crash behind them to add a little drama, and some better contrast to the scene. Normally, having two subjects in an image isn’t a good approach, as the eye doesn’t know where to settle (three or one is better…), but it is what it is… I figure, it’s also pretty uncommon to get a couple Oystercatchers lined-up like this, so I’ll take it.
Black Oystercatcher
May 2011 – Sister’s Rock, Oregon
Here’s another pair of Black Oystercatchers – this time along the southern Oregon coast. Strange that sometimes these birds won’t let me get within 100 yards, and other times, they seem not to care about me at all.
White Pelican
White Pelican
May 2012 – Tule Lake, California
This pelican seemed particularly at peace with itself in the early morning at Tule Lake. I sometimes wonder if these birds appreciate the beauty and serenity that surrounds them at moments like this.
White Pelicans
May 2012 – Sauvie Island, Oregon
A flock of White Pelicans circled above me on this morning. These birds were likely passing through on migration. They do breed much further east along the Columbia River in eastern Oregon & Washington.