J R Compton.com    images    ideas    words    resume    links    Contact Us    DallasArtsRevue    Search

All Contents © 2006 by J R Compton. All Rights Reserved. DO NOT USE images without permission & payment.
  Bald Eagle    Pelican Beaks   Herons    Egrets    Both    Feedback    MAP     Links    Feedback
Special thanks to Jason M. Hogle for identifications in purple type. Hi

White Rock Lake, Dallas, Texas USA

Some Interesting Bird Links

Nice video showing some of the diversity at the drying beds
Story & great photos of Killdeer sex by Jason Hogle.
The Owl Show - Molly & McGee (mostly her) live 24/7 in glorious color.
Starr Ranch Barn Owl - her life live in black & white.

March 9

Grackle Wing-up Courtship Display

Grackles are in the big middle of courtship these days, and I seem to be mid-way into an emphasis on smaller birds, although Grackles are at the larger end of the spectrum of small bird sizes. It's really fun watching their courtship procedures and displays, but one must be very quick, because they're not subtle and they are not slow.

Grackle Head-up Courtship Display

Another display form to let any females in the vicinity — and there was one — know that this big, puffied-up male was interested in starting something, now.

Grackle Courtship Dance

She got a lot closer. Close enough to do a little dance. Him looking big and powerful with all those rustled feathers. Her meek and demure and quiet.

Grackle Courtship Chase

Then he chases her off, and I was beginning to think, well, that's the end of that, when here she came back.

Submission and Dominance or Something Like That

Immediately locating herself right next to him.

Monster Bird

Don't know 'bout you, but if I was smaller than this bird, I'd be affraid. So I think that's what this is about, being formiddible.

Hot Dog Grackle

I didn't see any sex happening, but there was some major strutting around after she agreed to go along with his little dance for a few seconds.

Grackle Fly Away

Then he flew away.

Barred Owl in the Woods by Anna Palmer

We heard this one who-who-whoing for a long time near where we were looking for another bird we've not yet seen, although we coming back. Anna was in the lead as I and my ortho boot and broken foot clunked through the woods behind her. I saw the owl flying away three or four times, but I never got the Rocket Launcher up and aimed correctly before it flew too far away.

top

March 6

Yellow-rumped Warbler — a.k.a. "Butterbutt"

No idea who it was when I photographed it. Booger of a time getting it instead of all those branches in focus. Didn't really recognize it till I saw those yellow spots on its breast. Then I knew. It's so rare I know who a little bird is, I get excited when it happens.

So-called "European Starling" with a big juicy berry

They're called European, so we'll just leave it at that this time. I like that it has that big berry trapped in its beak and that moments later it disappeared down its gullet.

I Thought It Was Going to be a nother Starling, but now I doubt it.

Dudn't look like any of the pictures in my books. Who is this?

Mockingbird A

I've given up refusing to photograph Mockingbirds just because there's so darned many of them I mean, following that logic very far would mean I'd have to stop photographing grackles for the next hundred or so year. But it's way to easy to photograph mockingbirds on wires. The real challenge would be to finally captured one flying and stop the action of those wings, so we could see those major wing striped in all their glory.

Northern Mockingbird, Our and nearly every other state's State Bird

I get a little thrill every time I see one flashing those bright stripes as it wings across my field of vision. Someday. Someday I'll capture that action the way I see it in my head. Someday. I'd got all excited when I saw this one, illuminated bright yellow by the setting sun, wondering who it might be. Then, suddenly, when I sucked the yellow away with Photoshop, I recognized my old buddy, the Mock.

top

March 3

Juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

40-degrees Fahrenheit felt cold this morning, but no wind blew. After I clunked down T.P. hill very carefully, ever expecting and hoping I'd roll with it if I fell, I inched down near the waterline. I was after small herons, and I could already see at least two dozen of them in the trees on the other side, and maybe three or four right over the water, but I never saw another or an adult Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, and I miss them.

Black-crowned Night-Heron Resting its Right Leg

When an ersatz Yellow-Crown rookery was stinking up a high class neighborhood in Upper Lakewood, we had many of them here. Since that homeowner got tired of his home and yard stinking every spring, we don't. But we have lots of Black-crowned Night-Herons. Both species have been seen in the Medical Center Rookery off Inwood Road, which is near enough, I suppose.

Northern Cardinal Among Berries

While I was there, I gradually discovered many other species. I know cardinals are common, but I've rarely photographed them well — this well.

Northern Cardinal Eating Berries

He ate a lot of them while I tried and tried to get him in focus. Sometimes, he'd bend over backwards to maintain a secure perch and still gobble him some berries. Those berries don't look very appetizing to me, but this cardinal was enraptured.

Mallard Fly-by

Lots of Mallards in the lagoon today, as usual, and I tried other shots. But this was the only one that looked worth a darn. I guess, this was the only way I could get enough light on one.

Northern Shoveler Pair

Nice thing about White Rock, if there are exotic or semi-exotic species about — not that Shovelers are all that unusual, although a lot of them would be — it's ever so much easier to get close to them. Unless, of course, they are one of the extraordinarily shy creatures like our masses of Ruddy Ducks.

American Coot

Speaking of common species ...

Downy Woodpecker

While I was busy desperately hoping for a nice slow crowned heron to fly up the lagoon past my waiting lens, I kept hearing the deep, hollow knock-knock knocking of a woodpecker. Took four tries before I finally sighted it near the top of one of the great tall trees down near the bridge. Tiny little bird, way high up and far away. Click.

That Same Downy Woodpecker

Would have been nice to see her eyes, and I'm not entirely certain where they would be exactly. But I like this shot, all fluffy with pretty feathers and spots and all of it in glorious Black & White.

Red-winged Blackbird Jump

Always wonder if they're trying to avoid being photographed or just hyper-active birds. I suspect the latter, but when I clicked, he jumped.

Red-winged Blackbird Landing

There's an ever-so-slender bit of red wing showing in the upper shot and none here, but I've shot those things so often, it only seems fair to show them without it from time to time.

Nutria Swimming

And now for a little comic relief. I saw at least two large Nutria [from Spanish, literally 'otter.'] I know less about Nutria than I know about a lot of birds, but I was startled and surprised when the first one, while apparently swimming serenely up the lagoon, suddenly dived all the way under.

Nutria Swirl

Creating a little swirling water space warp, whose next step was always to ...

Plunk

Explode in a vertical gush of pyroteched water — that I unfortunately never once managed to capture on silicon, that was immediately followed by a generalized splash. I wondered if it might be some sort of way to attract the opposite sex.

Cedar Waxwings in My Tree at Home

I thought about driving around and finding some more birds, but eventually figured that was enough. Then while clunking across my front porch I heard a clatter and whoosh in my tree. Looked up and there were these magnificent creatures. Going after yet another fresh bunch of berries in yet another of the trees in my yard.

Looking Up at a Cedar Waxwing

I did think, briefly, that I could have just stayed home and gradually caught waxwings doing something more interesting than just standing there.

Cedar Waxwing

I've never seen them in my yard before. I guess I should watch more carefully next winter — and tomorrow.

top

Village Creek drying beds

March 2010

Horned Lark? 

This was really the second most interesting bird I photographed at the Drying Beds the other day. The Great Blue Herons up in the trees were by far more interesting that anything else we saw, but they were way far away. This was much closer, and I have no idea what it is. The books blur right now.

Later, I looked up Thrashers, but they're different. With that short beak, good chance it's a sparrow. Lots of those have breast stripes and dark tails, but I'm still looking for a bird with a crown like that, though I suppose it could be an optical dillusion. Mmmmmm. I just don't know. Usually turns out to be something common as dirt, but it's not a grackle or a mockingbird. What is it?

Female Bufflehead

I knew this lady the second I laid eyes on her, swimming with her mate. I suspect this is as close as I've ever got to a female Bufflehead. Maybe the males are more shy.

Northern Shovelers Shoveling

Shovelers shoveling was a hoot to watch. We both photographed them swirling in tight circles, but my still shots of them just look like a mess. Not an apparent circle in sight. Here they're doing what they do, beaks in the murk eating away.

Male Shoveler

Handsome brute, eh?

Egret Silhouette Landing

Accidental happenstance pays dividends sometimes. Nice silhouette on the right wing.

top

Last month    Index of Pages    A year ago