"birding" fun

[birder]

Good one Doug you are in the right ballpark for sure, is a trick question though..

[Ashrunner]

Well, it is either a Pacific-slope or Cordilleran Flycatcher. Knowing your location, I would say it is the latter.

Here is a toughy for y'all...

[SCEtoAUX]

Looks kinda like a turkey vulture.

[birder]

TV, right by the way, but there is some discussion about which one lives here, nice Ash, good flying pic those are hard for me...
Actually the distinction is only by voice on these empids, and to say for certain one would have to hear them sing, only thing they very rarely make a sound when nesting! More challenge is probably the Hammonds vs Dusky, which I separate almost as much by habitat than appearance...very similar except some small differences in stance and behavior...

[Ashrunner]

I have never been able to determine flycatchers, but I rarely seen one here.

I do know each species has a different bill, but you need to look close to see the differences.

Dang...I thought the flying Turkey Vulture would throw people off...hehe.

[birder]

Nice Doug you beat me We have 3 empids here in the summer regularly, but they choose different places to live and have distinct voices thankfully. Of course whether you call the pictured one a Western (as I learned it) or yellow bellied, or cordilleran/pacific slope is certainly of no difference to the bird, which has nested here for centuries...it's a bit amusing really. They choose to nest on small ledges under overhangs over the water often, at least near the water, and like shaded mossy rocky areas. They are shy, but not very afraid of people, and are most shy during nesting. (I think I hear them sing around 4 am, but not sure about it..) The Willow has a great fitz-bew call, easily remembered, and lives along the marsh edge. The Dusky I find in brushy hillsides, but doesn't have as much yellow on the belly as the "Western".
If I am not sure I just call it an "Empid sp"

[Ashrunner]

"Empid sp" is the only way I know them...hehe.

[Kevin WS]

Nice shot Ash.

I really like in flight shots - and spend my life trying to get decent shots. Reakon my hits are around 1 to 350-400!

That's the advantage of digital though!

Funnily enough my best shots have always been totally unplanned and off the cuff so to speak!

How is the new Powershot for in flight shots?

[Ashrunner]

I love shooting flight shots. I'm also very critical about which photos I let others see. The image has to be sharp and have a good overall look to it. Most of the time, a blue sky background is good enough. 8v)

However, once in a while I'll get lucky, such as I did with the attached image. I made this image on Christmas day 2007. I noticed the Rufous-morphed Red-tailed Hawk sitting on a fence post. I was able to get a few photos of it on the post before it decided the big, black thing I was holding to my eye was dangerous and it took wing.

I continued shooting as it fly in front of me and then in front of a stand of trees. When I was able to look at the images on my computer, this shot just blew me away.

[Don Boose]

It IS a magnificent shot. The edges of the bird are so sharp and the background is just sufficiently fuzzy to bring out the depth of the image.

Don