"birding" fun

[birder]

With late summer the last of the nestlings from the year here are nearly (their parent hope) have left the nest. Here are 2 young Osprey at the nest this year, both flying well, but still hanging around the nest to see if they might get a fish or two yet

[Ashrunner]

Got me a life bird recently.

It's a female Anna's Hummingbird.

[ashevilleangler]

Congratulations! And a great photo as well.

[Kevin WS]

Posted some Ostrich photos in the wrong thread - must be old age!

Anyway here is a link to the pics, and an entertaining paper Ostrich if you have not seen it already.....

http://www.papermodelers.com/forum/o...elated-36.html

[Don Boose]

Nice ospreys, Glen. I hope to see lots of osprey at Cape May next month, when I will finally have the time to get acquainted with my new camera.

Congratulations on that beautiful hummingbird, Ash!

Kevin, you certainly have a lot of birds that are strange to those of us living on the east coast of North America.

Don

[Ashrunner]

Back in early 2005, I was walking the western side of the Dry Canyon Trail when I happened across a fence line. Walking along the fence, I noticed in the distance an Ostrich. So I began taking photos.

As I photographed the female bird and soon became aware of a thumping sound behind me. I turned and in the distance, saw the male plodding along. So I began taking photos.

Hopefully, if I have placed the photos in the correct order, you will see what occurred.

Needless to say, I did a dive out of the way as the bird hit the fence right in front of me (there should be a warning in a camera's telephoto lens and mean birds are closer than they appear) I then watched in amazement as the male Ostrich sat down and began waving his wings and moving his neck in a snake-like manner.

[Kevin WS]

Ostriches are actually very dangerous if you do not have something to fend them off - they have a beefy kick and can easily cause severe injury. They kick from the front and are substantial birds.

I am really not sure what your bird was up toy, but it all may have been around an egg.

The first bird is a female (as is the bird in my pics) and it looks like she is on a egg. She normally looks after the egg in the day (better camouflaged to do this then) and the black male takes over at night. Did the female get up and the male then sit?

Without an egg ostriches will not normally ever sit - especially since they are very vulnerable sitting.

[Ashrunner]

The female remained where she was the entire time. I assumed she was on the nest at the time and the male was just watching over things and didn't like how close I got.

I was going to let 'big bird' get close to me...I knew about how dangerous they can be.

All-in-all, it was a rather exhilarating encounter.

[whulsey]

Here's a couple from my July trip to the SLO-Morro Bay area a Heermannn's Gull watching a Great Egret strut around and a California Quail doing sentry duty for the covey.

[whulsey]

Some more from my July trip. At the ocean side of the Morro Bay Sand Spit a Great Egret goes after a crab and a Turkey Vulture on patrol. A couple of days later late foggy afternoon at Moss Landing a Blue Heron and a Great Egret