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avesoptographical

@avesoptographical

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Yellow-Headed Blackbird - Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

The yellow-headed blackbird, possibly my favourite bird OAT. People find the call of this bird unnerving, a long robotic buzzing, metallic grating, in contrast to the beautiful song of its common neighbour the Redwing Blackbird.

They’re common to wetlands, and you can easily spot them perched upon the stalks of semi-aquatic plants. “Perched upon the top of the plants, like candle flames.”. This bird is identified by its bright yellow head, black body (Males) Yellow/lightbrown belly, darker brown cap (Females).

They feed upon Insects, agricultural grain, and grass seeds in the winter.

The Latin name, “Xanthocephalus” means “Yellow-headed”, and it belongs to the Icteridae family of birds. by @avesoptographical

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4 months ago

Northern Flicker, Yellow-shafted Flicker, Red-shafted Flicker - Colaptes auratus

The northern flicker is a type of woodpecker that forages for ants, insects, berries, nuts and occasionally flycatches. They will also probe bark off trees to find insects underneath.
They are found to take dust baths, cleaning harmful oils and bacteria from their feathers. They are also seen squishing ants, preening the remains into their feathers to kill parasites and bacteria. The formic acid in the ants causes this.
There are 2 types of Northern Flicker, the Yellow-shafted and the Red-shafted flicker. They can be identified by their colouration, however, there is a significant amount of hybridization between these two species, so they are classified under the “Northern Flicker”. The ones in my photos are the “Red-shafted flicker”, although they seem to be a bit hybridized in their colouration.
The male can be seen in the first pair of photos; the female is seen foraging on the ground. by @avesoptographical

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5 months ago

Red Wing Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus

Recognizable by its red wings and black body (male), brown white and black camouflage (female), this bird is found among reeds and wetlands, identified by its almost robotic sounding birdcall.
The males are very territorial, staking out a claim of wetland, before challenging other males for the territory. Often the birds with the biggest splotches of red on their wings are the winners of this territorial dispute.
These birds feed on seeds, waste grains and invertebrates, small vegetation, insects that they intercept during flight, and berries. by @avesoptographical

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5 months ago

Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos

An extremely common bird across the northern hemisphere, but nonetheless sporting a beautiful pattern of Green and blue (Males) and a spotted brown with white (Females).
These birds comb the shallows of lakes, ponds, rivers, for seeds of willows and other aquatic plants. They will also tip and dive their heads into the water to eat aquatic invertebrate, larval amphibians and fish eggs.
Mallards are known to breed with any other species of duck that catches their eye. Once they have breeded, the male will molt their extravagant plumage before molting back into their breeding colours again.
The name “platyrhynchos” means ‘broad, flat bill’ in Greek. The Mallard is classified as “Waterfowl”. by @avesoptographical

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5 months ago

The American Robin - Turdus Migratorius

The American Robin, a universally recognized bird across North America. Its song is easily recognized, and its prevalence across urban spaces is known.

Recognized by its Black (Male) and Grey (Female) caps, white and brown patterned neck, Brick red breast (Male) and light orange/brown breast (female).

A beautiful bird. They are known to forage vegetation, fruits, berries, larval insects, adult insects, and of course worms. Did you know they move across the ground, inspecting up and down, searching for movements in the soil? That’s how they locate worms.

Their Latin name, Turdus (haha) actually translates to ‘a thrush’, a classification of birds that the Robin belongs to. by @avesoptographical

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5 months ago

American Dipper, Water Ouzel - Cinclus Mexicanus

Characterized as a Dipper and a Songbird, I found this bird picking through the pebbles of the trails waterbed. This bird is commonly found doing just that, searching for insects, larvae, fish fry and eggs. Agile, you can see this bird diving, swimming, and navigating the cold mountain waters.
This one was frightened by my presence initially, but soon settled, performing its hunt while I watched.
As the field guide writes: “Ever vigorous and enthusiastic, yet self-contained, and neither seeking nor shunning your company, whirling like a leaf among beaten-foam bells.” by @avesoptographical

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5 months ago