birding, photography and living with pet birds
Posted in Costa Rica, tyrant flycatcher on Jan 22nd, 2012
I saw the Great Kiskadee more than any other bird in Costa Rica. He’s a beautiful bird and I love all the shots of him, but there were several times where I was taking pictures of tanagers in a tree and the kiskadee would jump in and distract. He obtained his name from the noise [...]
Posted in tyrant flycatcher on Jan 13th, 2012
We saw a lot of flycatchers in Arizona, but I really enjoyed seeing the Ash-throated Flycatcher. It might be in part because he let us take a lot of pictures. He was in this really desolate looking area. I don’t know why they call them ash throated since the whole front is ash colored. One [...]
Posted in tyrant flycatcher on Aug 19th, 2011
I’ve seen a lot of Western Kingbirds around Salt Lake City and Farmington this year. I even found a kingbird nest. I wasn’t able to get a picture of the bird on the nest, but I didn’t stay long because he was agitated and I don’t mess with nesting birds. I kept going back to [...]
Posted in tyrant flycatcher on May 20th, 2011
Most flycatchers are very dull looking. You identify them based on the eye ring or the crest because the feathers are grey or brown. This is not true for the male Vermillion Flycatcher. enough with the staring I don’t even want to look at you These guys were everywhere we went during the trip to [...]
Posted in tyrant flycatcher on Apr 10th, 2011
I used to see Gray Flycatchers, Dusky Flycatchers and Cordilleran Flycatchers in California. Utah is supposed to get all the flycatchers but I haven’t seen one yet. I’m planning to visit more forest areas in the summer so hopefully I’ll see them. In the meantime, the trip to Patagonia was great for seeing all the [...]
Posted in tyrant flycatcher on Mar 5th, 2011
California and Utah have Black Phoebes. They’re adorable birds that flit around every few seconds capturing bugs. These birds are ubiquitous in California. I’ve cataloged every pose in every place. The East Coast has Eastern Phoebes. They pretty much look exactly like Black Phoebes except their heads are supposedly lighter. I don’t see it, though. [...]
Posted in tyrant flycatcher on May 15th, 2010
Back to pictures of southern Utah. Can you imagine living in wide open spaces that are surrounded by mountains? I colleague of mine said that when he moved from Salt Lake City to southern California, he felt trapped by all the buildings. The picture below was taken from a parking lot right off the highway.
Posted in sparrow, tyrant flycatcher on Nov 14th, 2009
Today was a beautiful day in Pescadero. It was a bit cold, but not compared to the rest of the country. The beaches were mostly empty, though, so I guess the everyone believes that winter is approaching.
Posted in tyrant flycatcher on Oct 10th, 2009
It’s rare when a bird is as appropriately positioned as this picture. Before last August I had never seen a black phoebe. Now I see them everywhere: Pescadero, Moss Beach, Hayward, and San Francisco. I can’t decide if I’m better at spotting them or we’re in phoebe season. My field guide is rather unhelpful as [...]
Posted in tyrant flycatcher on Oct 4th, 2009
Fall has come to the Bay Area as slightly chilly air. We can all feel it; it’s very exciting. Yesterday we headed to Butano State Park in Pescadero, CA. There weren’t many birds, but the clear sky allowed for some beautiful photos. I really like these trees because of all the layers. They look like [...]