Birds in the Wild – Circadianreflections Blog

Friday’s Feathered Friends-Birds, Birds, Birds

February 28, 2025February 27, 2025Posted in Birding in Nevada, Birds in the Wild, PhotographyTagged American Bald Eagle, Birding, Birds of North America, Cooper's Hawk, Downy Woodpecker, Nikon, Pygmy Nuthatch56 Comments

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I thought I’d share some of the birds I’ve seen the last couple of weeks.

Starting with a little Pygmy Nuthatch. It was flying to and from its nest the hole in a tree trunk you can sort of see behind it.

©Deborah M. Zajac | http//:circadianreflections.com Image

A female Downy Woodpecker who was cold that morning. It was 15 degrees F when we started birding. She didn’t move from that tree for the longest time.

Another morning I had the pleasure of viewing a posing Cooper’s Hawk. Look at that tail!

Then it showed off its wing.

Then it flew showing off its wing span.

Last but not least, I saw the pair of Bald Eagles in their tree near my house on my way out last week. He was obscured by all the branches, but she was up high and in the open. I had to stop for a photo of her.

That’s all I have for you this week. I may be late getting to your posts and blogs this morning as I’m birding with my bird group.

More to come…

Friday’s Feathered Friends-A Great Day Birding

May 10, 2024May 5, 2024Posted in Birds, Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, Friday's Feathered Friends, PhotographyTagged American Bald Eagle, Birds in Flight, Birds of Prey, Black-billed Magpie, Brewer's Sparrow, Friday's Feathered Friends, Lark Sparrow, Marsh Wren, Nikon, Sage Thrasher, Song Birds57 Comments

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Last week I was birding with a group I belong to. We had a very exciting birding day with 66 species sighted. There were lots of great sightings, one was while in a big field in a Washoe Co. in the sagebrush, we saw a Brewer’s Sparrow and I got a few good images. It’s a “lifer” for me. A “lifer” is the first time you’ve ever seen a bird species.

*Brewer’s Sparrow Singing its Morning Song*

We saw two adult Bald Eagles which was exciting because one flew onto a telephone pole carrying food of some sort and started eating. Then we heard another Eagle call out and fly into the scene ready to attack from behind!

It tried to steal the food of the BE on the pole. The BE with the food took its prey and flew over to a nearby telephone pole and carried on eating while the would-be thief sat on top of the pole trying to figure out what went wrong and why he now had control of the pole but no food. 😂

In three images: The approach, The Attack, and the would-be thief flying off several minutes later very disappointed. I was too far away from the poles to get good images, but they’re keepers and good enough to tell the story with.

The Would-be thief flyby was better as I had moved closer by then.

Some other cool birds I saw and photographed were:

*Black-billed Magpie with Blue reflected in its eye*

I don’t have any cool bird fun facts for you today as the post would be too long. It’s already longer than my usual post.

FYI, I will be late getting back to you on the comments but, I will get to them.

I hope you all have a great week-end!

Nikon D850|Nikkor 500mm PF-e| PS CC 25.7.0

more to come…

Friday’s Feathered Friends- Hooded Mergansers

February 2, 2024January 31, 2024Posted in Bird Photography, Birding in Nevada, Birds in the Wild, PhotographyTagged Birds of North America, Friday's Feathered Friends, Hooded Merganser, Nature, Nikon, Pond52 Comments

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I saw these in early January and since we’re on the very edge of their migration path I feel very lucky to have seen them.

The male has lovely dark coloring and a wonderful hood. During the courting season he continuously tilts his head all the way to his back and up again and back again with his hood raised as it is in this image while he swims very near the female trying to capture her as a mate. It’s called Head Throwing. He also gives her a hoarse croak. It’s pretty neat to see them courting.

The female looks rather dull compared to the male but, her crown or hood is lovely too. I liked the way the sunlight lit up her hood.

*Hooded Merganser Female*
They were swimming somewhat far apart from each other on this morning and not interested in courting, but luckily their hoods were up.

Fun Facts:

Similar to other cavity-nesting ducks such as Wood Ducks, Common Mergansers, and Common Goldeneyes, Hooded Mergansers often lay eggs in nests of other ducks, both their own species and others. This is called “brood parasitism” and is similar to the practice of Brown-headed Cowbirds. In turn, other cavity-nesting duck species will parasitize Hooded Merganser nests. Female Hooded Mergansers can lay up to about 13 eggs in a clutch, but nests have been found with up to 44 eggs in them.
Hooded Mergansers find their prey underwater by sight. They can actually change the refractive properties of their eyes to improve their underwater vision. In addition, they have an extra eyelid, called a “nictitating membrane,” which is transparent and helps protect the eye during swimming, like a pair of goggles.
Hooded Merganser ducklings leave their nest cavity within 24 hours of hatching. First, their mother checks the area around the nest and calls to the nestlings from ground level. From inside the nest, the little fluffballs scramble up to the entrance hole and then flutter to the ground, which may be 50 feet or more below them. In some cases they have to walk half a mile or more with their mother to the nearest body of water.
On the bird family tree, Hooded Mergansers (genus Lophodytes) lie between goldeneyes (Bucephala) and the other North American mergansers (Mergus). They share many courtship behaviors and calls with both of those groups.
The Hooded Merganser is the second-smallest of the six living species of mergansers (only the Smew of Eurasia is smaller) and is the only one restricted to North America.
The oldest recorded Hooded Merganser was a male and at least 14 years, 6 months old when he was shot in Mississippi in 2009. He was originally banded in Minnesota in 1995.

Fun Facts gleaned from allaboutbirds.org

Nikon D810| Nikkor 500mm| PS CC 24.4

I hope you all have a great week-end. If the weather permits I’ll be birding this morning and will respond when I get home. If the weather is poor I’ll be here!😀

more to come…

Something for Sat. Ruby Crowned-Kinglet

January 20, 2024January 24, 2024Posted in Birding in Nevada, Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, PhotographyTagged Nevada, Nikon, Photography, pine tree, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Washoe County45 Comments

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I don’t want the week to go by without a post so here we have me posting on a rare Saturday.

This little Kinglet is so cute, but very flitty normally but, on this day earlier this month I was able to get quite a few good looks at this one.

They’re a small bird being only 3.5-4.3 inches in length, and weigh 0.2-0.3 ounces.

They get their name from a Ruby spot on their crown.

I have yet to see it flared, but here’s a look at the top of its head showing the Ruby spot.

This one is busy being an acrobat which afforded me a good look at its Ruby Spot which was a treat. Just look at how light they are it’s holding onto those pine needles and they aren’t bending!

Fun Facts:

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is a tiny bird that lays a very large clutch of eggs—there can be up to 12 in a single nest. Although the eggs themselves weigh only about a fiftieth of an ounce, an entire clutch can weigh as much as the female herself.
Ruby-crowned Kinglets seem nervous as they flit through the foliage, flicking their wings nearly constantly. Keeping an eye out for this habit can be a useful aid to identifying kinglets.
Metabolic studies on Ruby-crowned Kinglets suggest that these tiny birds use only about 10 calories (technically, kilocalories) per day.
The oldest known Ruby-crowned Kinglet was a female, and at least 8 years, 8 months old, when she was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in Texas in 2017. She was banded in the same state in 2008.

Fun facts gleaned from allaboutbirds.orghttps://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruby-crowned_Kinglet/overview

I hope you all have a great week-end!

Nikon D810| Nikkor 500mm PF-e| PS CC 25.3.1

more to come…

Whatever Weds. House Finch

November 8, 2023November 7, 2023Posted in Backyard Birding, Birds, Birds in the WildTagged blog, Fuji X-T3, House Finch, Male Birds, Red, Whatever Wednesday50 Comments

PLEASE DO NOT USE MY IMAGES WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION.

I’ve been MIA again and I’ll probably be on and off again for awhile. A family member is having some medical issues we’re working through.

PLEASE DO NOT USE MY IMAGES WITHOUT EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION.

I’ll catch up with you all soon. Stay well!

Fuji X-T3| Fujinon 100-400mm| PS CC 24.6

more to come…

Whatever Weds. This and That June 2023

June 21, 2023Posted in Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, Insects, Nikon, Photography, Reptiles, Whatever WednesdayTagged Bee Wasp, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Black-Headed Blackbird, Blue Belly Lizard, Cliff Swallow, European Starling, Nature, Nikkor 500mm Pf-E, Nikon D810, Western Fence Lizard, Whatever Wednesday39 Comments

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Here are several images of things that have caught my eye since my last post. Oh, and I bought a new lens so, I’ve been using it exclusively to make sure it’s a good copy. The last time I took my 300mm lens out it was hunting an awful lot…like it was doing many years ago when the Auto-Focus motor was going out which did quit working soon after. I had it repaired/replaced then, but the lens is so old now it’s not worth repairing so it has become a bookend and, I upgraded to a newer, longer lens.

*Western Fence Lizard aka Blue Belly Lizard*

*Black-chinned Hummingbird-First sighting of the year!*

So, what do you think…the lens looks like a keeper? I love that it doesn’t weight a ton. It’s a little lighter than the 300mm it’s replaced!

#1 Grandson is here. He’s been here just over a week. We’ve been to the lake several times do some kayaking. We’re not sure how much longer he’s staying. He says another week. We’ll see. I think he’ll be missing his mom and littlest too much before then, but he can stay as long as he likes. 😍

I hope your week is going well, and your slide into the week-end is smooth and easy.

Nikon D810| Nikkor 500mm Pf-E| PS CC 24.5.0

more to come…

Friday’s Feathered Friends- April Sightings

April 28, 2023April 28, 2023Posted in Birding in Nevada, Birds in the Wild, Friday's Feathered Friends, PhotographyTagged Birds in the Wild, Downy Woodpecker, Eagle, Fuji, Golden Eagle, Nevada Birding, Nikon, Phainopepla, Pinyon Jay, Raptors, San Clemente Birds49 Comments

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I haven’t shared any of the birds I’ve been seeing lately so thought I’d share some of the birds I’ve seen in the last month or so .

The Yellow-headed, and Red-winged Blackbirds are back, and I’ve seen several Robins, and some water birds, but I’ll share those soon.

The weather has warmed up so we’re turning the sprinklers back on, and breaking out the outdoor cushions this week-end, and setting up my new birdbath!

I hope you all have a lovely week-end!

Fuji X-T3| Fujinon 100-400mm| Nikon D810| Nikkor 120mm| PS CC 24.4.1

more to come…

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