National Bird Day

Yes, January 5th is National Bird Day! I’m sure that all of the birders out there are celebrating. I’m not a birder, but my wife is, and with her help I’ve learned to distinguish subtle differences between different birds like crows and turkeys. Although I usually have a camera with me, I’m not a bird photographer either. Without a lens longer than 200 mm, how could I be? But, if a bird happens to get in the way of my lens, I’m willing to take its picture. So, in honor of this special day, I thought I’d share some of my non-birder bird photos.

I’ll start out with this photo sequence of two loons meeting in a lake. They are obviously in love. It’s really romantic! To see more images of loons and hear their haunting calls, see Looney Tunes.

Since Washington Island, Wisconsin is a favorite place for family vacations, here are a couple pictures from the island. An ore boat sailed by one evening just as a flock of pelicans were heading back from a long day of fishing. And, of course, who could look at this seagull without thinking of Bob Dylan?

(Click on any photo in a gallery to enlarge, then use arrows to scroll through the images.)

On hikes around the neighborhood or in nearby parks, birds are often laughing at me from a distance. But if they get too close they will hear the click of a shutter button. The gallery below shows some that came into view.

If you’re a sandhill crane colt, I guess being fed grubs is a real treat. One day a cardinal was quite upset that our birdbath was empty. I had to call the plumber. Another day a turkey strolled through the backyard. You can be sure that it was not November. In a field of bright yellow sunflowers, it was easy to spot a beautiful indigo bunting. I’m not sure why, but it seems like nuthatches are always walking upside down. Though it can be difficult to sneak up on a wood duck, I finally succeeded!

Even if you’re not trying at all to see birds, if you’re in Florida you can’t get away from them. I think that roseate spoonbills are just too pretty to ignore. Is that pink color real or was I in Disney World? There are so many long-legged wading birds of different colors that you can close your eyes, press the shutter button, and end up with a good photo. Osprey are really mean looking birds. If I were a little critter they would scare the heck out of me. While hiking in the Everglades on the Anhinga Trail, I came upon this, you guessed it, Anhinga! My scariest bird encounter came when I stopped at a rest area to eat lunch. Soon, a couple vultures landed on the table next to mine. I couldn’t tell if they were eyeing me or my lunch. I swallowed my sandwich in two gulps and quickly hit the road.

By the way, if you’re on the beach and you think you hear the sound of a car slamming on its brakes, it might actually be a heron coming in for a landing.

In order not to drag this out so much that I can’t finish while it’s still National Bird Day, I’ll just add one more small group of birds. I only have a few photos of hummingbirds. They’re too small and too fast, but I did catch one sitting down. And pileated woodpeckers always remind me of Woody Woodpecker. Finally, some birds are too big and too friendly to ignore!

Happy National Bird Day!

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