Birds and Nature

Since we have been discussing how to differentiate Chihuahuan from Common Ravens on Cobirds (colorado birding listserve), I thought this was an opportune time to upload the two pics of Chihuahuan Ravens (below) I took on 12-19-2010 in Texas I hadn't got up here. Both sets of pics show very nicely the long and thick nasal bristles on the stout bill of Chihuahuans (more than 2/3 rd's of the bill) versus the long bill (with minimal nasal bristles) found on Commons. It may be useful to enlarge the pics of the Chihuahuan Ravens by double clicking on each one (won't work with Common Raven pics due to technical issues). SeEtta

WARNING--THIS IS REALLY GRAPHIC. This is an extended version of the one I posted below. It is quite long as it follows the vulture as circles the wind turbines for awhile including several apparent close calls before getting too close to one and getting hit. The date on this is 2009 and location is Crete. It also has some rather distracting music and ads at the bottom. The worst is the extended video of the bird flopping around and trying unsuccessfully to fly plus close-ups of the injured bird. At the end it says that some paragliding pilots go to rescue the bird which they do successfully. This video was posted on American Bird Conservancy Facebook page so I emailed them asking if they found out if the bird survived. They did respond but said they didn't have any information on what happened with the vulture after what is shown in this video. As I noted in earlier post, this is illustrative of the need for proper siting of wind farms. I support RESPONSIBLE renewable e...

This is very sad as you watch a vulture in Crete circle a wind turbine too close and get hit by the blade. This is the less graphic video clip but it does show the vulture being hit, falling to the ground and flopping around briefly. Note the extended video says vulture accident not fatal accident but I could not find clarification. I am posting a longer version that is much more graphic as it shows the bird on the ground trying to fly and just breaks my heart (it brings me to tears just describing it, it is not for the very tender hearted). The longer clip shows the bird being rescued but there is no information on whether it survived. This brief clip is not easy to take either but illustrates the problem with improperly sited wind farms and the need for RESPONSIBLE renewable energy development. SeEtta

These were a few of a small flock of Western Bluebirds drinking yesterday from melted snow in tire tracks in Lakeside Cemetery here in Canon City. SeEtta

The top pic shows a Brown Creeper with some food it found in the crevices of the bark of the tree on which it was foraging. When I enlarge the pic the food item appears to have tiny legs-maybe a small spider?? The bottom pic shows the cinnamon wash found on the rear scapulars and on the distal part of the otherwise white underparts visible below the wings. SeEtta

I first heard Brown Creeper high-pitched calls then found two Brown Creepers following each other from tree to tree as they worked their way up, probing for insects and larvae. It is noted in Birds of North America online that "pair formation takes place by Feb or early Mar, probably before territory establishment" for this species. SeEtta

I think most of us enjoy seeing these colorful female American Kestrals, the smallest member of the falcon family. This little lady was hunting in a field in my town of Canon City,CO when I took these pics today. I think this species has such a sweet looking face that conceals the reality that are hunters of live food. Their prey includs warm blooded critters such as backyard birds (which can be upsetting to those who feed the birds they take), but it also includes mice (which many of us applaud). Many who display the photos they have taken of birds include only those with clear head shots and rarely show back views or views of the underparts. Since in the real world we often see birds from behind or underneath I think it is important to post pics showing what that looks like. SeEtta