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| Bluebird |
Visitors (including us) love to pet and feed the farm animals. I think we may ask the family to join us there on Mothers Day. The kids never get to see farm animals.
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| Summer Tanager |
As we ventured into the big meadow across from the historic home, we heard a Summer Tanager singing in the trees. He wasn't afraid of anything, certainly not two birders, and he jumped from branch to branch to check us out. As I stood there taking photos, someone stopped their car, "What are you all doing?" They have a rule that professional photographers have to have a permit. We are just birders, we replied, and then had a nice conversation with her about the art of birding. This beautiful guy is still in the middle of molting into bright red feathers all over.
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| Summer Tanager and Bluebird |
I've been concerned about the small numbers of Bluebirds we've seen this spring. This one decided to stop on the same branch as the Tanager to be sure I didn't miss him.
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| Red-bellied Woodpecker |
Heading down the trail towards the waterfall, a Red-bellied Woodpecker landed on a tree with nice loose bark. He pecked and peered, and finally stuck his long tongue under a piece of bark to come up with a nice juicy bug to take back to his children.
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| Scarlet Tanager |
There are only two kinds of tanagers in Kentucky. The Summer Tanager sounds like a robin with a sore throat and calls "Picky-tucky-tuck!" The Scarlet Tanager is red with black wings and calls out "Chick-burr!" So when I heard that call we started searching, and found him for a very short while, hiding behind a tree trunk. From underneath you can just glimpse his black wings.
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| House Sparrow |
On the way home, we slowing drove past the community gardens since someone said they had nest boxes and more Bluebirds. At first glance, I thought this was a Field Sparrow, but they don't nest in cavities. A friend said it's a female House Sparrow, well known for taking over nest boxes from other birds. I never noticed how pretty the female of this species is.
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| Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs in FLorida |
This spring I've found more sandpipers than usual, and they are some of the toughest birds to identify in my opinion. So I've been eager to photograph them and try to make the call myself. Here is my standard comparison shot from a trip to Florida. The Lesser Yellowlegs is shorter, of course, but how often do you find them standing quietly next to each other? So the next step is to look at the beak. The Greater Yellowlegs' bill is roughly 1.5 times the length of its head, while the Lesser Yellowlegs' bill is barely longer than its head length. The Greater Yellowlegs' bill also has a very slight upturn and is thicker, particularly at the base, while the Lesser Yellowlegs' bill is straight and thinner. OK, that looks right.
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| Greater Yellowlegs |
I thought someone said the Ibis was back at Hays Kennedy from yesterday, so I grabbed Dick so he could see it this time. When we arrived, we found 3 Great Blue Herons, but not the Ibis. However, there were Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs as well as several Killdeers foraging in the mudflats at the edge of the pond. Ok, this one has a really long thick bill - must be the Greater Yellowlegs, right?
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| ?? Yellowlegs |
Well, doggone it. I thought this was the Lesser since the beak looks so thin, but now I'm not sure. The beak certainly looks longer than the head.
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| Yum, lunch! |
At least all that probing under the plants came up with something yummy to eat. I also noticed them head bobbing. Most birds who do this bob their heads down. This one would raise his head, then return it to the first position. Very unusual.
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| Eastern Meadowlark |
The grass is kept mowed on the other side of this pond and Meadowlarks sit in the grass and sing. Just where I can get a nice photo. It's raining today, so I'm giving my feet a nice rest by staying home.
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