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Kathi Marston

@katmars69

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Amateur photographer & bird nerd. Photos are hand-held & mainly taken in the Phoenix Metro area.

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I finally got photos of the orange-headed, masked bandit known as the Olive Warbler. This little cutie is not a part of the wood warbler family instead it belongs in a family all by itself. It only comes into pine forests in AZ & NM in the US (but mainly lives in Mexico & Central America). Super happy to not only get photos, but to see one in Maricopa County today.

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#olivewarbler taken in Maricopa County by @katmars69

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8 months ago

Just got back from a birding trip in Southern AZ where I saw 13 of the 15 possible Hummingbirds that can pass through AZ during migration. These photos aren’t a complete list - they’re just my favorites from this trip. Rivoli’s, Blue-throated Mountain Gem, Violet-Crowned, Berylinne, White-eared, Broad-billed, Rufous, Lucifer’s, Broad-tailed, Rivoli’s, Blue-throated Mountain Gem, Berylinne & Rufous. It was a great trip!

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#hummingbird #hummingbirds #hummingbirdsofinstagram #hummers #birbstagram #birding #birdlovers #birds_adored #birdfreaks #birdlovers #birdnerd #birdwatching #nature #birbs #birdsofinstagram #isawabird #birbsofinstagram #birds #birdphotography #arizonabirding #birdsofarizona @audubonsociety @audubonsouthwest @instagramaz @az_living_ #bird #birdcaptures #wildlife #bird_captures #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #photography taken in Southern Arizona by @katmars69

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2 years ago

I’ve been driving out to Paloma Ranch (which is SW of Gila Bend off the I-8) to see migrating birds. It’s a long way to go to see farm fields, but the mix of the Gila River, water, trees & dairy sludge ponds provides a lot of food for migrating birds.
Here are some of my favorite photos from two separate trips.

White-faced Ibis•Whimbrel• Long-billed Curlew(3)•Swainson’s Hawk•Western Tanager (top), Red-winged Blackbird•Warbling Vireo• Nashville Warbler•Townsend’s Warbler•Great Egret on 🪺•Northern Rough-winged Swallow•Bank Swallow• Neotropic Cormorants on nests 🪹• Yellow Warbler•Wilson’s Warbler• Long-billed Dowitcher•Black-necked Stilt•Burrowing Owl

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#birbstagram #birding #birdlovers #birds_adored #birdfreaks #birdnerd #birdwatching #nature #birbs #birdsofinstagram #isawabird #birbsofinstagram #birds #birdphotography #arizonabirding #birdsofarizona #audubonsociety @audubonsouthwest @audubonsociety @instagramaz @az_living_ #bird #birdcaptures #wildlife #bird_captures #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #photography taken in Maricopa County by @katmars69

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a year ago

Some of my favorite recent-ish bird photos. A very obliging Red-Breasted Nuthatch (2), a Cassin’s Finch (female), a Purple Finch (male), an inquisitive Steller’s Jay, that got to close to photograph (and then flew to a further tree), A very rare Piratic Flycatcher, a Bushtit (female), 2 - too close California Quails (male) and then a scrawny juvenile, A harmful Northern Mockingbird, a Least Goldfinch, a Western Kingbird, a Yellow-rumped Warbler (a sign of cooler weather), a Wrentit and my first photograph of a really young Cedar Waxwing by @katmars69

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21 days ago

One of the fun things about summering at the beach was seeing birds in their bright breeding plumage and then watching it either fade or seeing juveniles in fresh plumage.

For instance as a Arizona native, I had never seen a Common Loon or an American Goldfinch in breeding plumage. Both are rare-ish here to begin with and if seen it's only in the winter.

Here are some of the fun contrasts I got to see: Common Loon (2), American Goldfinch (2), Common Tern (2), Willet (2), Spotted Sandpiper (2), Sanderling (3), Snowy Plover (2), Semipalmated Plover (2), Caspian Tern (2) by @katmars69

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25 days ago

We’re starting to wrap our summer in Morro Bay, so this post is to celebrate the great looks I got of some shorebirds that are difficult to see in Phoenix, if at all, and usually it’s through a scope at a waste treatment plant vs right in front of me at the beach.

Short-billed Dowitchers•Semipalmated Plover•Black Turnstone•Baird’s Sandpiper, •Pectoral Sandpiper•Snowy Plover•Red-necked Phalarope (L), Western Sandpiper (R)•Common Tern•California Gull•Brandt’s Cormorant (L), Pelagic Cormorant (R) taken in Morro Bay, California by @katmars69

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a month ago

This adorable Common Yellowthroat (female), put on quite the show for me. She flew onto 3 different perches (on different sides of me) while still managing to stay in great lighting. What a fabulous model!

#warbler #warbler #female taken in Morro Strand State Beach by @katmars69

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a month ago

Red-throated Loon (Diver)

One of the great things about spending the summer in California has been seeing birds (particularly shorebirds) in their breeding plumage. I have seen a Red-throated Loon in AZ, but it was in non-breeding plumage. This year I have seen lots of these loons (including Svalbard where they’re called Divers), but never close enough to really see their red throats.

The most reliable place to see them has been the Cayucos Pier, but until today they had been pretty far away (last 3 photos). Today I had one diving right under me, so close it was hard to get a photo. What cool eyes they have (now that I’ve seen them so close)! taken in Cayucos Pier by @katmars69

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a month ago

Scaly-breasted Munia

I got a little carried away taking photos of this Scaly-breasted Munia gathering nesting material. He/she returned multiple times making it hard to resist. Their scaly appearing feathers are so pretty.

I also noticed another adult with 3 immature SB Munia. Doing some quick research, I read they have back-to-back multiple clutches with short incubation and fledgling times. No wonder they’re spreading so quickly in California. taken in San Luis Obispo, California by @katmars69

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a month ago

I was showing @lmorgan_travels how cool the Morro Beach (my local birding patch) is when we witnessed this crazy interaction between two Marbled Godwits. It happened really fast and we missed capturing the start of the altercation, but at least I got a few pics.

It was a good day for birding my “patch” since we also saw 2 new patch birds, A Red Knot and a Ruddy Turnstone. I also got to show her where all the Snowy and Semipalmated Plovers hangout. taken in Morro Strand State Beach by @katmars69

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2 months ago

Red-shouldered Hawks.

It’s a treat to see so many of these hawks in Morro Bay. They’re rare in AZ (except for a small population at Hassayampa River Preserve), so it’s cool to see them everywhere here. by @katmars69

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2 months ago

Black Tern

On Thursday, I saw this greyish-backed Tern on the edge of a few thousand Elegant Terns. Silly me thought it was some immature plumage of a Forster’s (I didn’t look at it that closely) & then I went home and took a little nap. After lunch I started reviewing my photos and said “hey wait a second”. (Merlin was no help btw because Black Terns are super rare in Morro Bay and it depends heavily on location). I reported it in the local rarities What’s App, but it was 4 hours later and long gone. It was an adult Black Tern molting into its winter plumage.

Yesterday I went to Cayucos Pier (which is about 5 miles north) and saw another Black Tern! This time I was able to get the local community on it starting with both eBird reviewers and it looks like it’s likely the same bird. It was very cooperative and seemed to like the pier. I’m hoping it sticks around (lots of food there). Phew! I redeemed myself to the local birding community. by @katmars69

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2 months ago