birding, photography and living with pet birds
Posted in shorebirds on Jul 31st, 2010
At Farmington Bay I saw my first Black-Crowned Night Heron. He was standing on a perch completely motionless. I thought at the time that perhaps he was motionless because hoped that I thought he was part of the wooden perch. But it turns out that night herons hunt by standing motionless and hunting amphibians. So [...]
Posted in cockatiel on Jul 28th, 2010
Our birds are so spoiled. We had three cages connected for the birds to run on top of and play. Jon suggested that we add a fourth cage so that Audrey could have some space. The fourth cage is on the right in this picture. Birds always want to be as high as possible. So [...]
Posted in shorebirds on Jul 25th, 2010
Yesterday we headed to Antelope Island, which appears to be sponsored by Chevron. Hmm. (photo by Jon) Antelope Island is very dry. It looks completely different from the last time we visited. There hasn’t been a real rain in Utah since May. To reach the island, you drive down a long causeway. That’s where the [...]
Posted in seabird on Jul 24th, 2010
The breeding plumage of Eared Grebes is wild looking! Would you believe that these birds have white, grey and black plumage in the winter? They look more like the Clark’s Grebe in the winter, but with a shorter black beak. Every time I see one it reminds me of a teenager because they look like [...]
Posted in cockatiel on Jul 21st, 2010
Trevor is making huge strides in being a human-friendly bird. It started with slow steps at night. He would let me snuggle with him a little at night. Then he became more willing to let me snuggle him during the day. Then he enjoyed my presence in general. Trevor especially enjoys sitting on a pillow [...]
Posted in conservation on Jul 20th, 2010
The garden has started producing! I have officially harvested three tomatoes and lots of basil. Here are my spoils from last Sunday. The blackberries were planted last year by the last people to live in the house. Thank goodness we didn’t assume the plants were weeds! The former residents also planted green grapes that are [...]
Yesterday was hot! We went to Farmington Bay and stayed just long enough to get some good pictures. Can you see how the heat warps the picture in the distance? I’m going to learn a lot this summer about how to take pictures in extreme heat. The birds were feeling the heat too. Check out [...]
Posted in waxwing on Jul 17th, 2010
When Jon and I first visited Utah, we saw Cedar Waxwings. I wanted to post pictures of them, but I couldn’t get great shots. A year later, armed with a new lens and a new camera body, I have the pictures! Waxwings are named for the tiny bits of red that appear and the tips [...]
Posted in random on Jul 16th, 2010
Do you remember how the other day I was lamenting my inability to remember bird calls because I’ve filled my head with 90′s music? Well, I’ve been reading this book called Good Birders Don’t Wear White. It’s a collection of articles by various birders. In one of the articles, the author laments how he has [...]
Posted in cockatiel on Jul 13th, 2010
Audrey understands acoustics. He knows that if he yells from on top of his cage, he’s easy to ignore. But when Audrey is on the floor and he yells from the top of the stairs, his screech carries. Audrey will brook no dissent from the humans. I appreciate Audrey’s skill. I get frustrated with Conner’s [...]