Twitter – Feral Pigeon

Elizabeth — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:56:00 +0000

Do you use Twitter? I’ve been trying to keep up on social media technology. ahem.

Did you know that feral pigeons have their own page? The status updates include “coo coo coo” and “looking shifty.”

I hope you enjoy this as much as I have.

Pigeon Guillemot

Elizabeth — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 01:29:00 +0000

We’re back from the marshes of Pescadero, CA. Alas, I did not find any avocets, but I saw tons of birds. I saw at least five kinds of birds that I’ve never seen before. Tonight I’ll be trying to determine whether I saw different types of terns or one kind with slight variations. The key to these water birds is in the beak, the tips of the primaries, and the shape of the head. If you ever have a question about bird identification, you can post a picture on Birdforum. The members are incredibly nice and very knowledgeable.

Have you ever been to Pescadero? It’s lovely.

Growing up in Massachusetts, I was really quite surprised the first time I saw a California coast. It’s all high bluffs and crumbling rocks here in California.

Onto the birds!

Pigeon guillemots live along the coast and obtain their food by diving into the water. Their name is derived from their similarity to pigeons. I was really surprised to discover that they are not water pigeons. Just look!

They have awesome bright orange feet.

They are very vocal. We kept hearing an eee-eee-eee and they’d come flying out of the rock crevices.

Pigeon guillemots are quite common, especially this time of year, when they’re breeding in crevices, caves, or burrows. This next part is from my field guide and it’s so funny that I have to quote directly from the book: ”In their summer courtship rituals, these birds flaunt their scarlet mouths and wave their scarlet feet while peering down the throats of potential mates.” Don’t you wish I captured a picture of that? Instead I can only show you the inside of their mouths.

They were really busy today. They were searching for food, calling to each other, disappearing inside the rocks. I suspect that they’re raising babies right now. They feed their babies throughout the day to reduce the time it takes for the babies to fledge.

I wanted to get a really good picture of their feet. We kept yelling “Show us your feet” but they’re stubborn.

You see that face? That’s the face of a bird with resolve. He will not show you his feet.

Birds in Motion – Pigeon, Pelican, Heermann’s Gull, White Crowned Sparrow

Elizabeth — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:57:00 +0000

I love capturing birds in motion. The most common, scrappy bird becomes a piece of art. Below is a pigeon flying after pieces of bread. This may be my favorite bird picture because his head and the pieces of bread are in focus, while the wings become out-of-focus at the edges.

This is a brown pelican. I like how his primary feathers flip upwards. (Photo by Jon)

The heermann’s gull curves his wings in the same shape as the waves.

Here you can see three different primaries curving at the tips.

The white-crowned sparrow moves so fast, his wings are almost a blur.

Avian Explorer » pigeon

Twitter – Feral Pigeon

Pigeon Guillemot

Birds in Motion – Pigeon, Pelican, Heermann’s Gull, White Crowned Sparrow