Duck and Bird Photos

[Ronstar]

Those flying pictures are fantastic.

+1. Quite fantastic. Nicely done.

 

[MRG]

The thread is about "Duck and Birds Photos", although I started this thread as a dedication to my friend redduck.

Catching birds in flight? When possible? Never with me! Perhaps that's why I like to shoot duck. They don't swim too fast.

Thanks for the explanation. I wondered why it was ducks and birds as ducks are birds.

I'd thought it might be for redduck, or that ducks are the best tasting birds.

Actually I find ducks interesting, had some as pets as a kid, very social birds.

 

[cantlogin]

Among a certain population, this is known as a Red Duck.

 

[NW-Bound]

Redduck is not a motorcycle rider, unless I am very mistaken. And as far as I know - and I do not know much, particularly about posters here - redduck has not volunteered how he chose his screen name.

In the OP, I did suggest that perhaps his was an infatuation with the ferruginous duck (see below linked photo from Wikipedia), but he never confirmed nor denied it.

Thanks for the explanation. I wondered why it was ducks and birds as ducks are birds.

I'd thought it might be for redduck, or that ducks are the best tasting birds.

Actually I find ducks interesting, had some as pets as a kid, very social birds.

��

Ducks are birds, yes, but more special. And tastier too.

We just had some roast duck when stopping in Calistoga recently, but I still harbor some craving for a bowl of Chinese roast duck noodle soup. I have been deprived of that for a few years now.

PS. My "superior" memory is failing! I had Chinese roast duck noodle soup in Montreal Chinatown last year. But, but, but it was not the same style as I had several times earlier. Then, I searched the Web and found out that what I had in Montreal was Cantonese style, while what I prefer would be HongKong style. Hence, my craving was not satisfied, and I still feel empty.

 

[yakers]

Raptor Identification

Had this problem/wondrous event. I have a couple bird feeders which mostly attracts finches & doves and occasional other birds. Well DW & I are watching one day and a finch, I think, maybe a dove, just left the feeder and boom, in mid air some raptor nails it and all we see is an explosion of feathers. I grabbed the iPhone and this was the best shot could get. I think its a Cooper's hawk DW thinks its a Peregrine , not a great view or pic. I felt terrible, I planned to be a bird feeder not a raptor feeder, DW went on about 'the circle of life'. Can anyone tell what the bird is from this pic?

 

[stepford]

Had this problem/wondrous event. I have a couple bird feeders which mostly attracts finches & doves and occasional other birds. Well DW & I are watching one day and a finch, I think, maybe a dove, just left the feeder and boom, in mid air some raptor nails it and all we see is an explosion of feathers. I grabbed the iPhone and this was the best shot could get. I think its a Cooper's hawk DW thinks its a Peregrine , not a great view or pic. I felt terrible, I planned to be a bird feeder not a raptor feeder, DW went on about 'the circle of life'. Can anyone tell what the bird is from this pic?

I'm not a great birder, but that looks more like a Peregrine to me (from the "face mask" and the thick body). I think we all have those inadvertent "circle of life" moments. We have a number of backyard plants that Rufous and Annas Hummingbirds like to visit. DW and I love to just sit and watch them. Then one day our cat found out...

 

[NW-Bound]

Speaking of hummingbirds and also the circle of life reminded me of this photo that I posted before, that of a more natural ending for a hummingbird. I found it hanging upside down on a vine when I was staining my house siding.

 

[audreyh1]

Had this problem/wondrous event. I have a couple bird feeders which mostly attracts finches & doves and occasional other birds. Well DW & I are watching one day and a finch, I think, maybe a dove, just left the feeder and boom, in mid air some raptor nails it and all we see is an explosion of feathers. I grabbed the iPhone and this was the best shot could get. I think its a Cooper's hawk DW thinks its a Peregrine , not a great view or pic. I felt terrible, I planned to be a bird feeder not a raptor feeder, DW went on about 'the circle of life'. Can anyone tell what the bird is from this pic?

Looks like a Coopers Hawk to me.

 

[cantlogin]

Speaking of hummingbirds and also the circle of life reminded me of this photo that I posted before, that of a more natural ending for a hummingbird. I found it hanging upside down on a vine when I was staining my house siding.

No no he's not dead, he's, he's restin'!

 

[NW-Bound]

I just recalled this shot of Canada geese on Deschutes River that ran through the downtown of Bend, OR, taken in the recent RV trip.

 

[NW-Bound]

... We just had some roast duck when stopping in Calistoga recently, but I still harbor some craving for a bowl of Chinese roast duck noodle soup. I have been deprived of that for a few years now.

PS. My "superior" memory is failing! I had Chinese roast duck noodle soup in Montreal Chinatown last year. But, but, but it was not the same style as I had several times earlier. Then, I searched the Web and found out that what I had in Montreal was Cantonese style, while what I prefer would be HongKong style. Hence, my craving was not satisfied, and I still feel empty.

I wrote the above on 5/5/15 while RV'ing, and on 5/17, look what I got myself in a Chinese restaurant. I had to put the generous roast duck pieces aside to make it easier to eat the soup.

I feel like having another bowl right now.

 

[redduck]

The thread is about "Duck and Birds Photos", although I started this thread as a dedication to my friend redduck.

Catching birds in flight? When possible? Never with me! Perhaps that's why I like to shoot duck. They don't swim too fast.

Whoops. I seemed to have somehow over-looked this thread when it made it's appearance a mere three years ago (rounding up). I imagine I was doing something else at the time. Anybody have a photo of me doing something else in August of 2012? In any case, I am flattered that
NW-Bound kinda dedicated this thread to me. (Guess he'll never make that mistake again).

And, to answer the question: why I use the screen name "redduck". I don't remember.

 

[BBQ-Nut]

So, I throw out bird seed for the 'locals' and enjoy the company...morning doves, California quail, scrub jays, California towhees and spotted towhees, white crowned sparrows, the occasional curved bill thrasher or starling.


But this morning saw a bird I knew was not a 'local' as it used its beak to climb and maneuver about the fence. I'm guessing parakeet?


Got a shot here-not a good one, but as best I could zoom in with.

Any birders here want to ID this?

 

[NW-Bound]

No birder here, but it surely looks like a blue parakeet to me. Some have a yellow face, like the following photo linked from the Web.

 

[MRG]

I had one as a kid. Good eye.

 

[freebird5825]

I googled...it is indeed a boy parakeet. It must have escaped or been released. Is it tame ?

Budgerigars - Parakeets, Melopsittacus undulatus

 

[BBQ-Nut]

I googled...it is indeed a boy parakeet. It must have escaped or been released. Is it tame ?

Budgerigars - Parakeets, Melopsittacus undulatus

I didn't try to approach...after I got the shot, one of the hyper scrub jays zoomed in (sometimes I call them the playground bullies) and the parakeet scooted off.

 

[Nemo2]

Traveling across Northern Australia in the early 1960s we'd see flocks of Budgies and Cockatoos, (mostly white Cockatoos, but occasionally a group of the rarer black ones), wonder if they're still around in such numbers.

 

[Avalon]

But this morning saw a bird I knew was not a 'local' as it used its beak to climb and maneuver about the fence. I'm guessing parakeet?

Likely someone lost a pet. You might watch for lost bird postings. Sometimes owners will report missing/lost birds to the local vet clinics also.

I've had 5 budgies/parakeets show up in the last 7 years or so. Managed to rescue three. I believe you posted a pic of a small hawk a while back? Budgies are comparatively easy for them to spot due to lack of camouflage (other than the natural green).

Hard to tell gender from you pic, but the cere (just above the beak where the nostrils are) will be tan on adult females and blue on adult males.

 

[Nemo2]

Out for a walk, riverside, today without the camera, and that's when there's always something to see.

So, we deked home, less than 1/4 mile away, grabbed the camera, hopped in the car and rushed back in case they decided to leave.

Looks as if it's the first day off the platform for the baby Ospreys.

The two chicks and one adult on the power poles, with another in an adjacent tree. The adult in the tree kept up an almost constant whistle, perhaps trying to encourage the youngsters to move? They didn't, at least while we were there anyway.

 

[frayne]

Spider for breakfast !

 

[Walt34]

DW will love that shot. She hates spiders.

 

[BBQ-Nut]

Looks like a mockingbird....I feel sorry for the spider - I hate mockingbirds.

 

[imoldernu]

I know I posted this somewhere else on ER, but here for birders... short "many hummer" MP4....

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzIlEZaaj9AKekNVQVhpeEZQLUU/view?usp=sharing

 

[Skyward1]

Had this problem/wondrous event. I have a couple bird feeders which mostly attracts finches & doves and occasional other birds. Well DW & I are watching one day and a finch, I think, maybe a dove, just left the feeder and boom, in mid air some raptor nails it and all we see is an explosion of feathers. I grabbed the iPhone and this was the best shot could get. I think its a Cooper's hawk DW thinks its a Peregrine , not a great view or pic. I felt terrible, I planned to be a bird feeder not a raptor feeder, DW went on about 'the circle of life'. Can anyone tell what the bird is from this pic?

Nice catch. It's a Sharp-shinned Hawk.