Feeding – Page 39 – Feathered Photography

Red-tailed Hawk Carrying Prey in Beak Instead Of Talons

In my experience Red-tailed Hawks in flight most often carry prey in their talons but this molting adult surprised me a little.

Snowy Egret – “Golden Slippers” Running On Water

The distinctive bright yellow feet and deeply contrasting jet-black legs of the Snowy Egret can really grab your eye when they’re visible above the water’s surface or even when the egret is in flight – so much so that both the bird and its feet are often referred to as “golden slippers”.

Extremes In Fish Size White Pelicans Will Attempt To Eat

American White Pelicans eat fish almost exclusively and the size range of fish they’ll attempt to swallow can be extreme. If they show poor judgment they can get into serious trouble.

Eastern Kingbird Adult And Fledgling – A Question Of Behavior

Yesterday morning at Farmington Bay I photographed a subtle but interesting bit of kingbird behavior that caught my attention and piqued my curiosity.

The Shrike And The Grasshopper (and noticing the “little things”)

I make every effort in the field to “read” the behavior of my avian subjects. Sometimes I’m right and sometimes I’m not but either way it’s a learning experience for me and my percentage of accuracy does seem to be improving. One of the payoffs can be better bird photographs for a variety of reasons.

Magpies Scavenging Entrails Rejected By Raptors

On my last Montana trip I think I figured out part of the reason why Black-billed Magpies often perch high on power poles in some areas. I’m sure this apparent behavior is known to others but it was something new for me.

The Sapsucker And The Ant

Sometimes the presence of a tiny, almost miniscule arthropod can make or break a bird photograph.

Savannah Sparrow – Fearless Dragon Slayer

This little Savannah Sparrow was one of my most memorable birds on our recent Montana camping trip. It was a fearless and a relentless hunter.

Great Egret Trying To Survive A Harsh Winter

Great Egrets are unusual in my area but we occasionally get a few individuals in winter. Unfortunately this bird chose to hang around during one of our harshest winters in years and the heron struggled to survive. I don’t know if it succeeded.

Fledgling Yellow-headed Blackbird, Begging For And Then Receiving Food

I’ve been stuck in the house for what seems like an eternity because of the gloomy weather and lack of light. It rained all day yesterday (which is unusual for us here in the semi-desert) and I keep thinking of all the early summer bird activity I’m missing so this morning I reached back into the archives for some shots that would remind me of what I’m not seeing and photographing. I’m a glutton for punishment…

Loggerhead Shrikes “Mate Feeding”

Five days ago I posted a series of images of a male Loggerhead Shrike feeding his mate (a ritual that is part of the pair bond between mated birds) and at the time I mentioned that I had photographed the same behavior the day before from the same birds. This is that sequence of images.