mostlybirdsbutnotalways.blogspot.com
Mostly Birds (but not always): May 2014
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Saturday, May 17, 2014. Want Flies With That? Not really, because almost any bird farther than 35' was partially or fully obscured by vegetation. The 6 feet of gained close focus enabled me to get photos of some very cooperative feeding birds. Chestnut-sided Warbler eating caterpillar. And an order of flies. You got a little something right there. Here are some photos of warblers without their mouths full. Female Cape May Warbler. Blackpoll Warbler craning for a view. Mrs Black-throated Blue Warbler.
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Mostly Birds (but not always): August 2015
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Monday, August 3, 2015. Save the Drammatus for your Mammatus. Last evening a line of intense thunderstorms accompanied by high winds (and even a tornado in Huron County) rolled across Michigan toppling trees and knocking out power to tens of thousands. I was awoken from my pre-work nap by my alarm clock as I had slept through the whole storm. Taken from my driveway. Sensing a rare photo opportunity I grabbed my camera and headed toward the lake shore in the waning dusk. Things in the sky. Things I like: ...
mostlybirdsbutnotalways.blogspot.com
Mostly Birds (but not always): April 2015
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Saturday, April 25, 2015. Loons Over Old Yard. In the cropped version of the above photo the barcodes on the neck were clearly visible. Below are cropped shots of loons flying much higher. Hopefully I'll get some on the yardlist of my new yard in the upcoming week. Tuesday, April 21, 2015. Ludington Merlin and Bonaparte's Gulls. Merlin on State Route 116 leading to Ludington State Park. Pair of Red-breasted Mergansers on Pere Marquette Lake. Saw one Common Loon out over Lake Michigan,. This Osprey was on...
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Mostly Birds (but not always): February 2015
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Friday, February 27, 2015. New Backyard Bird List. Closed on my new house today. Put the feeders out and had no takers. Only bird seen was a American Crow flyover. The house shown above is not in my new neighborhood but rather about a mile from the house I've been staying in since November. Sunday, February 15, 2015. 2015 Great Backyard Bird Count. Didn't get any unusual birds at the feeders, but I did get plenty of photo-ops of the birds that did show. I ended up with thirteen species. Blue Jay - 6.
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Mostly Birds (but not always): September 2014
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Thursday, September 25, 2014. Imperial Moth Life Cycle. After finding an Imperial Moth back in July, I finally have a complete series of photos showing the progression of the offspring from egg to chrysalis. The above moth laid over 100 eggs over a 2 day period. The caterpillars hatched about 2 weeks later. The caterpillars fed on Sycamore or Maple leaves for 6 weeks. They grew to 5" long. The fifth skin shedding revealed the pupa or chrysalis. Discarded skin and resultant chrysalis. The Red-tailed Hawk ...
mostlybirdsbutnotalways.blogspot.com
Mostly Birds (but not always): May 2015
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Thursday, May 28, 2015. Finally back on a more birder-friendly schedule after spending most of peak migration on the dreaded dayshift. This morning I took a walk along the Lake Michigan shore after work to see if any shorebirds blew in on the southerly winds. Only shorebirds I saw were Spotted Sandpipers.. Here's a guy confident in his relationship. This guy either is in over his head or pulled a Kobe Bryant. Common Raven minding its own business. Crow also minding the raven's business. Early this after...
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Mostly Birds (but not always): October 2014
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Thursday, October 30, 2014. Snowy Owl Ludington 10/30/2014. For the past month I've been taking on a career change of sorts along with a. Relocation. With all this uncertainty I just wish there was some sort of sign that I'm making the right choice. Until that sign comes I'll continue taking walks along the lake shore with my camera searching for clarity. Early Date for Mason County per Dave Dister. On Sunday I found a couple of Lapland Longspurs mixed with a few Snow Buntings. Monday, October 27, 2014.
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Mostly Birds (but not always): Old Yard Review
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Tuesday, July 7, 2015. My one-third acre of paradise in Southgate has been sold. In my ten years at that suburban Detroit location I observed 140 species of birds. The best was the first and so far only Wayne County record Rufous Hummingbird that arrived November 7, 2011 and stayed until the 14th. All photos in this post were taken from the yard. The Rufous on fire. Best Loon shot from my yard. Cardinal photobombed by White-throated Sparrow. Northern Flicker and American Robin. Every September during the...
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Mostly Birds (but not always): April 2014
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Monday, April 28, 2014. Up until this morning my one day record for Common Loons flying over my yard was 11. This morning I had that by 7:05 AM and proceeded to get 24 more before 10 o'clock. The 35 loons were more than I had ever counted for an entire spring. Previous record was 30 in 2011. They flew over as singles, pairs and a group each of 4,5 and 6. 5 of the group of 6. Close-up of above bird. 4 of the group of 5. Close-up of above birds. Common Loon on Saturday. Moonrise at dawn on Sunday. I know n...
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Mostly Birds (but not always): March 2015
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Monday, March 30, 2015. Pileated Woodpecker in the Yard. Even before we closed on our new house I noticed the rectangular holes excavated into one of the yard's pines. Its a sure sign of Pileated Woodpeckers. After living in the house for three weeks the Pileateds finally showed up. Saturday, March 21, 2015. With my move Goldfinches have replaced House Sparrows as the nuisance bird. Tuesday, March 17, 2015. Northern Lights 3/17/2015 (with video). Green glow visible in twilight. It wasn't the best display...
