Including one with an atypical bill.
A trip to the Wasatch Mountains yesterday morning didn’t produce any spectacular images but I got some photos I like well enough and spending time with birds and other critters in a beautiful green setting always beats the hell out of staying home and being forced to confront the realities of life in the city. Especially these days.
Today’s post is sort of a ‘trip report’.
This Willow Flycatcher was heard more than seen. I kept hearing him singing behind some willows but he just wouldn’t come out and play. He tantalized me for so long I eventually backed my pickup up to avoid the willows and there he was, singing on top of a high perch.
Like many birds most of his singing was done while he was facing straight forward (rather than with his head turned left or right) so I never managed to get an ideal singing pose. But I kinda like this one because it looks like he’s reaching toward or singing to blue sky at the top of the frame, at least to me.
I also had an aggravating stretch of time with this bird that produced soft images for some unknown reason. Murphy again.
A few of the Yellow Warblers in the area came in closer than this one did but in part because of their bright color I think this species can produce unusually nice images with the bird small in the frame.
A Mountain Chickadee ‘after the bath’.
There’s a seep almost directly below the chickadee that birds of a variety of species like to bathe in but it’s mostly hidden by vegetation so I can’t get photos of them actually bathing. My best chance is to get them sopping wet and preening afterwards.
This bird looks pretty disheveled and it…
didn’t look any better after it turned on the perch. That unfortunate curved brown twig to the left ruined many of my photos of this bird but these photos aren’t about ‘pretty’ anyway.
A brief transformation from feathers to fur.
As I travel the mountains looking for birds it’s always a pleasant experience to encounter other wildlife in such a natural and attractive setting. This Mule Deer was grazing/browsing near a mountain stream and looked up at me briefly. I just think it’s a peaceful, calming photo.
While I was photographing other birds this young female Belted Kingfisher still wet from her last dive flew in for some fishing from a branch overhanging the stream. She was side lit so the lighting is a little contrasty but I’ll always point my lens at a close kingfisher.
Do you notice anything unusual about her?
Her lower mandible is atypically short relative to her upper mandible. I didn’t notice it in the field but I sure did when I looked at my photos on my computer at home.
Here we see the more typical relative lengths of Belted Kingfisher mandibles on a different female.
So that’s my trip report – nothing particularly special but some interesting images nonetheless. On mornings like yesterday I try to remember – if all images were special they wouldn’t be special, would they.
How’s that for some convoluted logic…
Ron
A note about mandibles:
In most vertebrates the upper jaw is called the maxilla and the lower jaw is called the mandible but in birds it’s very often (though not always) different, inexplicably so in my opinion.
In birds the upper portion of the bill, an extension of the upper jaw, is typically called the ‘upper mandible’ while the lower part of the bill is called the ‘lower mandible’. It’s confusing and inconsistent if you ask me.
Several years ago one of my ex-students called me out (nicely) when I referred to a bird’s upper bill as its upper mandible rather than its maxilla so I just wanted to explain why I’ve used that terminology here. For further discussion of this topic see the David Harkins comment thread below.
wow, at least something good to smile about
Lovely day!
Yup.
Many, many thanks.
I have just cleared nearly 800 spam emails from my blog and I am heading off to my voluntary work shortly.
Your feathered and furred interlude put me in a MUCH better place to face the day.
I may not nail the heads of people who irritate me to a coffee table after all.
So this post not only made me feel better, potentially it has saved others from gbh.
Wow, that’s a bunch of spam, EC. Guess I’d better check mine sometime soon. It’s the spam phone calls that irritate me even more. One just woke me up from my afternoon nap.
Some of mine had got through to various posts as well. Hiss and spit.
And yes, I am not a fan of those calls either.
These days I tell them to put it in writing and hang up.
Lovely collection, looks like a relaxing morning well spent.
It was, April – mostly. Thank you.
“Special” certainly can mean different things to different people or in different circumstances. I remember taking a couple on a very short birding trip years ago and their most special bird was an American Robin. They were from Italy and this was their first day for birds in North America. They were so excited when the robin hopped in front of us. I then realized how excited I would be seeing one of their common bird for the first time. It made me look at that robiin a little more closely.
Good point, Dan. A European Robin would certainly be a special bird for me.
That Willow Flycatcher embodies my feelings about being outdoors. Head thrown back, full-throated song, don’t care who’s watching – joy unbounded.
Yeah, I know, birds can’t express “joy” – or something.
Fantastic series of images, Ron.
Isn’t it amazing that as we seek the extraordinary among the mundane how special the mundane can become?
“Isn’t it amazing that as we seek the extraordinary among the mundane how special the mundane can become?”
Well said, Wally. In fact it might be perfectly said.
It appears you had a very varied shoot yesterday.
I listened to all the songs of the birds you posted (okay, you might not call the Belted Kingfisher’s sound exactly melodious). Couldn’t find a song for the one with big ears.😉
Lyle, that one with big ears (assuming you’re not talking about me) makes sounds but it certainly couldn’t be called singing.
Thank you for this sampling of birds. I really enjoyed it because these birds are not common in North Phoenix. Clearly I need to get out more. Perhaps when we have a vaccine for the virus.
“Perhaps when we have a vaccine for the virus”
When and if, Pat. It’s scary when you only have to let your guard down once…
Thanks.
It is surreal! Thank God for my dog, Marley who is my constant companion as are the birds in my backyard, especially my Gambel’s Quail! Stay safe Ron!
Another nice (late) start to the day. Like others, I really enjoyed the flycatcher. You can practically hear him singing! And I love any bird after a bath, especially the cardinals on our back deck. 🙂
Thanks, Kathy. I’d love to have cardinals on my deck, especially the females.
Love the flycatcher. He or she looks so very happy singing!
Sallie, female Willow Flycatchers singing is uncommon so I’m pretty sure this one is a male. And if a bird can be happy I’d say this one was for sure!
Just FYI, I generally need to linger over your images, just to take in all the beauty, loading up my patience reserve. And in these times, I REALLY need beauty just to get through the day.
Case in point, I stretched my ability to deal with FB comments about how one political party is the root of all evil in this world. I thought I could handle one more, but I was WRONG. I SHOULD have toddled off to bed, but I scrolled a little too long. Evidently I was teetering on the edge of my patience and one of my FB “friends” nudged me over the line! The facade cracked, then shattered into a zillion pieces. Even though I throttled myself early in the process, I’ll need to apologize this morning, so I lingered a little longer than usual 🙂
Thank you for my beloved chickadees! They ‘re probably my favorite non raptor just because they’re so brave and pretty. And the yellow warbler and kingfishers and the doe helped a lot, too. The willow flycatcher is a new one for me, I think (I’ve slept since then. Stuff falls out), and to catch a singer singing is always a special moment. THANK YOU!!
OK, I think I can move forward today and adult successfully. I’ll be in charge of the Cornell redtail hawk chat this morning, so that’ll help, too. The kiddos are getting boisterous now, strengthening their wings, readying themselves for their first flight into their big world. This is always an exciting time and scary for the regular two-legged humans who come in to chat.
Laura, almost without exception I avoid comment threads on political posts because I get so riled up I either answer in kind or can’t sleep or both.
I ignore those threads for my own peace of mind. If it’s “ignorance is bliss” so be it. It beats the hell out of ruining my mental and physical health.
Yep, I need more ignorance is bliss. I didn’t sleep well last night and my mind is still winding and spinning through all the ca-ca going on around us! I NEED my peace back. Thankfully, Jack is outside, collecting sunshine, his wings spread and squatting on his perch. Love that boy! Focusing on magic today!
Nice group! I love seeing them all. Especially the western chickadee and mule deer that I don’t see here on the east coast. But I think my favorite is the willow flycatcher. I have a soft spot for those little guys.
Recently photographed a Chipping sparrow and didn’t find out until I got the images on the screen that he had deformed short bulbous toes on both feet. He had been hopping around singing and moving normally so I never noticed while shooting. When I saw the pics up close I marveled that he/she could even perch! This is one of the great things about photographing birds – you see so much that is lost to the naked eye because it is either too small or because it happens too fast
Joanne, it sounds like your sparrow may have avian pox. See the third photo in this earlier blog post.
https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2016/11/30/avian-pox-a-significant-but-preventable-risk-for-birds-at-feeders/
Ahh – that just might be it! Going to take another look at the photos!
What a beautiful morning–thanks for bringing it to your blog-followers.
I especially enjoyed the Willow Flycatcher and Mule deer images……
Thanks, Kris. I should probably post more deer photos than I do. Sometimes I take deer almost for granted and I shouldn’t.
Oh well, memories, memories! Love the comments and yes, I even enjoy the human inconsistencies! But, these shots of yours are great, and I have to say I enjoy those the best! We all need to tough it out and enjoy life, nature and wildlife the best we can. Keep those images coming, stay safe!
Thank you, Dick. You too.
As a former student of ornithology, I was curious about your note on mandibles. I didn’t remember learning it that way (back in 1984), so I did a quick Google search. About 90% of the results for “avian skull anatomy” were labeled maxilla and mandible. Here is a link to a lecture flashcard as an example… https://quizlet.com/201420252/anatomy-lecture-13-avian-anatomy-flash-cards/
I did find a couple references to upper and lower mandible, but that seemed to be the exception to the rule in my somewhat anecdotal Google research. 🙂
I enjoyed the nice sampling of birds in today’s post. The Willow Flycatcher photo is especially beautiful!
Yes, you do find it both ways, David. The more ‘scientific’ sources are more likely to use maxilla and mandible but most mainstream birding related sources use upper and lower mandible.
Even Sibley and Cornell’s Birds of the World use upper and lower mandible.
So I think it’s both inconsistent and confusing.
That’s unfortunate. Like you, I prefer consistency. I really like Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s “All About Birds” website. Their Bird Guide is my favorite source for ID help and range maps as well as natural history. (I monitor a lot of bird nests boxes, so the incubation and nestling periods are of particular interest to me.) I just looked at their “All About Bird Anatomy” and it’s quite simplistic and incomplete. They have the upper labeled premaxilla and the lower labeled dentary. (Which seems misleading for those relying on that information only.) Oh well. Can’t have everything.
And then there’s the ‘inbetweeners’ who use maxilla and mandible for the actual skull bones and upper mandible and lower mandibles for the bill. I wish for consistency too.
I love Cornell’s All About Birds and Birds of the World too. I’ve been a subscriber to the latter for about 10 years now, most of that time when it was just Birds of North America Online.
Nice outing! Actually, anything away from cities, particularly large ones, at this point in time with all the chaos! 🙁 Wondered about the bill but initially “shrugged”….;) The doe is showing a bit of rib but didn’t notice an udder to indicate she was nursing. Haven’t “seen” any fawns here yet tho it is “time”… At least you have an escape for awhile – so many don’t.
You’re right, Judy. I’m lucky to be able to get out at all.
Folks who live in Salt Lake City (I live in a nearby smaller incorporated city) are now on a week long curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. each day until June 8. For my longer birding trips this time of year I have to leave home before 5 AM or so to get there for morning light. If I lived in SLC I couldn’t do that, not legally anyway.
Enjoyable series. The yellow warbler and the doe are my favorites. 🙂
Thank you, Arwen.
Your nothing particularly special is very special to us Texans who do not see some of your species of birds.
Good point, Ann. I feel the same way about many of your Texas birds.
Nothing better than being out in nature in the early morning among the mountains, lakes, streams, etc. And each and every bird or animal that you can see and photograph makes it extra special. You don’t always need a great capture to have a great outing. 🙂
“You don’t always need a great capture to have a great outing”
Exactly, Everett. I still enjoyed yesterday morning quite a lot.
I’ll call these images special. 🙂 There’s so much variety in the animals, the settings, the behaviors — what a gift to open this early morning.
Thank you, Marty. I guess special, like beauty, can be in the eye of the beholder.
Or in the hold of the be-eyer! 😉
Good post! Why? Because today’s reminds me of so many …possibly most…of my outings searching for the ‘great’ capture! 🙂 You have a nice variety of birds and they are in their habitat doing what they do…I like that. Shows me we just keep going, doing what we do and do get rewarded with a great one occasionally (albeit…very often for you) but then you are the expert. I did notice the beak and thought…that’s not right…I need to look at some of my photos to compare but then you explained. I wouldn’t think that it would hinder her very much or would it?
I think she’ll probably be fine with that atypical bill, Kathy. Birds can be very adaptable.