Category Archives: Bird Categories

Snowy Owl

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Snowy Owl photographs taken at Lakeshore State Park on Milwaukee’s Lakefront on December 9, 2013.

Snowy Owl

Snowy Owl

Binomial name: Bubo scandiacus

Category: Typical Owls

Description: Adult males are mostly white with a few dark feather tips.  Adult females and juveniles are white with dark scalloping on chest, back, wings, and tail.  Yellow eyes, black beak, and feathery feet.

Size: 20”- 28” long, 49” – 59” wingspan

Weight: 3.5 lb. – 6.6 lb.

Habitat: Wide open, treeless spaces such as shorelines, lakes, open fields, and agricultural sites.

Diet: Small mammals such as rodents, lemmings, voles, mice, rats, rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, and other birds such as shorebirds, songbirds, ducks, geese, and pheasants.

Nesting: The female builds a nest on a mound with good visibility.  She scrapes away the top layer of soil and, over several days, presses her body into the ground to make a depression.  She will lay a clutch of 3 to 11 eggs and incubate them for about 5 weeks.  Both parents will defend the nest and care for the hatchlings which are born pure white.  The same nest may be used year after year.

Notes: Snowy owls are considered the heaviest owl in North America, weighing about a pound more than its closest contender, the Great Horned Owl.  A snowy owl was featured in the Harry Potter series when Harry received his pet, Hedwig.  It is also the official bird of Quebec.

Snowy Owl

Great Black-backed Gull

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Great Black-backed Gull.  Photographs taken at Wind Point and Shoop Park in Racine County, Wisconsin on November 30, 2013.

Great Black-backed Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Binomial name: Larus marinus

Category: Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

Description: The largest member of the gull family.  White feathers with grayish-black backs and wings.  The wings have white wingtips.  Pink legs, strong yellow or pinkish-yellow bill.

Size: 25” – 31” long, 4’ 10” – 5’ 7” wingspan

Weight: 1.7 lbs. – 5.1 lbs.

Habitat: Rocky and sandy coastal shorelines, ponds, lakes, and marshes

Diet: 50% or more of their diet is often garbage or human refuse.  They also eat fish, insects, crabs, smaller birds, chick eggs, and land animals such as rats.

Nesting: Both parents build several nests on or near stacks of rocks or fallen logs. The female chooses the best one, and it is lined with grass, seaweed, and other vegetation or garbage such as rope and pieces of plastic.  The female will lay a clutch of 3 eggs and both parents incubate them for about 28 days.  Both parents raise the hatchlings, take turns finding food.  The breeding pair will reuse the same nesting site year after year.

Notes: Great Black-backed Gull feathers were used in clothing while feathers were fashionable in the late 1800’s.  Once the trend ended, populations began to increase.  This trend continues with the increase in refuse sites across North America and Europe.

Great Black-backed Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

To view the gallery of images, please click here.

Red-headed Woodpecker Adult and Juveniles Storing Acorns

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Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn

A Red-headed Woodpecker adult and juveniles storing acorns for the winter in Marquette County, WI.  Photographs taken November 19, 2013.

Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn

Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn

Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn

Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn

Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn

Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker pulling acorn from tree top

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker pulling acorn from tree top

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker after removing acorn cap by striking it

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker after removing acorn cap by striking it

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker after dodging acorn cap

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker after dodging acorn cap

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn piece

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn piece

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn piece

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn piece

Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker just after storing an acorn piece in tree cavity

Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker just after storing an acorn piece in tree cavity

To see the gallery of images, please click here.

Birdwatching in Marquette County

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While birdwatching in Marquette County, I was able to photograph Eastern Bluebirds, a Red-headed Woodpecker, and others on October 26, 2013. Images were taken near a small water source where birds were coming and going, bathing, preening and drinking.

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Eastern Bluebird

 

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Eastern Bluebird

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Red-headed Woodpecker, Juvenile transitioning to the red head

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Blue Jay

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Blue Jay

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Dark-eyed Junco

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Blue Jay

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Black-capped Chickadee

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Eastern Bluebird

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Eastern Bluebird

To see the gallery of images, please click here.

Rufous Hummingbird

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Rufous Hummingbird photographed in Sheboygan, Wisconsin on October 27, 2013.

Rufous Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Binomial name: Selasphorus rufus

Category: Hummingbirds

Description: Primarily rust-colored feathers with a small patch of white on the chest.  Red-orange patch on throat.   Short wings and a slender, slightly sloping bill.

Size: 2.8″-3.5″ long, 3” – 4” wingspan

Weight: 0.071 oz. – 0.18 oz

Habitat: Open broadleaf forests, orchards, meadows, parks, swamps, and yards

Natural Range: West Coast from Alaska to Mexico and Rocky Mountains, wintering in the Gulf Coast and Southeastern Atlantic states.  They are occasionally, although rarely, found in cold-weather areas such as the Midwest due to their surprising hardiness.

Diet: Tree and flower nectar, small insects, and hummingbird feeders

Nesting: The males may mate with several females but do not care for the young.  The female provides all parental care, building a nest in a protected tree or shrub.  They favor either deciduous or coniferous trees such as spruce, cedar, maples, pines, birch, and hemlocks.  The nest is made out of bud scales, lichen, spider silk, and dandelion or thistle down.  The same nest may be used year after year and not necessarily by its previous occupant. The female will lay 2-3 eggs at a time, laying 1 brood per summer.  She incubates the eggs for 15-17 days, and the young remain in the nest for 15-19 days.

Notes: This high-strung bird is considered extremely aggressive and will chase other animals from feeders or its nest including larger birds, chipmunks, and even other hummingbirds.  Like other hummingbirds, Roufus Hummingbirds are adept flyers and can hover, dart, and perch with ease.  They have even been seen to pluck insects out of midair.

Rufous Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

To see the gallery of images, please click here.

Whooper Swan

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Whooper Swan photographed at the Otsego Marsh in Columbia County, Wisconsin on October 27, 2013.  At this time it is unknown if this bird is a wild bird or an escapee bird.

Whooper Swan

Whooper Swan

Binomial name: Cygnus cygnus

Category: Ducks, Geese, and Swans

Description: White body with a black and yellow bill, more yellow than black.  Black legs and feet.

Size: 55” – 65” long, 81” – 108” wingspan

Weight: 16 lbs. – 31 lbs.

Habitat: Freshwater lakes, shorelines, slow rivers, wetlands, marshes, swamps, and bogs

Natural Range: Breeds in Northern Eurasia and winters primarily in the United Kingdom and Southern Asia.  It is extremely rare to see one in the United States.

Diet: Aquatic plants, leaves, stems, roots, grasses, and sedges.  In winter will also eat grains, acorns, and vegetables such as turnips or potatoes.

Nesting: Both parents build the nest out of grasses, leaves, and other plants pressed into a mud flat or reed beds.  The male will stand guard while the female incubates the eggs (4 -7 eggs per clutch).  Mating pairs will breed for life, and the same nest may be used repeatedly over several years with repairs being made as necessary.  Sometimes offspring from previous years will rejoin their parents.

Notes: Although large in size, this bird has comparatively small legs.  Consequently, it spends most of its time swimming and scouring bodies of water for food instead of walking on land.  It is also the national bird of Finland.  The yellow markings on each swan’s bill are unique and can identify a particular bird in much the same way humans may be identified by fingerprints.

Whooper Swan

Whooper Swan

Whooper Swan

Whooper Swan

Whooper Swan

Whooper Swan

Whooper Swan

Whooper Swan

Whooper Swan

Whooper Swan

To see the gallery of images, please click here.

Yellow-rumped Warblers and Cedar Waxwings Sharing Berries

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Yellow-rumped Warblers and Cedar Waxwings sharing the berries of a cedar tree in Waukesha County.  Photographs taken October 19, 2013.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

1st winter Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Binomial name: Setophaga coronata

Category: Wood-Warblers

Description: Both males and females have gray streaks, white on wings, and yellow rumps.  Males have black streaking on slate blue backs while females also have brown steaks.  Both have black bills and legs.

Size: 4.7″-5.9″ long, 7.5” – 9.4” wingspan

Weight: 0.39 oz. – 0.49 oz.

Habitat: Broadleaf and pine forests, mountains

Diet: Insects such as beetles, ants, aphids, grasshoppers, and spiders, as well as berries, fruits, and seeds

Nesting: The female builds the nest on a conifer branch out of grass, pine needles, twigs, and feathers. The male may help supply materials.  The clutch size is 1 to 6 eggs, usually 3 or 4, with 1 to 2 broods laid per season.  The female incubates the eggs for 12 or 13 days and the young can fledge after 10 to 14 days.

Notes: Four related species are often lumped together as the Yellow-rumped Warbler: Myrtle Warbler, Audobon’s Warbler, Mexican black-fronted Warbler, and Guatemalan Goldman’s Warbler.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

1st winter Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

1st winter Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

1st winter Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

1st winter Yellow-rumped Warbler

Cedar Waxwing

Binomial name: Bombycilla cedrorum

Category: Waxwings

Description: Pale brown on and chest with gray wings and tail.  Pale yellow belly with and a bright yellow tip on the tail.  Black mask on the face outlined in white and red drops on wings.  Black bill and legs.

Size: 5.5” – 6.7” long, 8.7” – 11.8” wingspan

Weight: 1.1 oz.

Habitat: Open woodlands, orchards, and residences, particularly locations with fruit and berry sources

Diet: Berries, fruits, insects, and cedar cones

Nesting: The courtship ritual involves the male doing a “hopping” dance.  If a female is interested, she’ll “hop” back.  Mating couples will pass small objects between each other such as flowers or food and may rub bills affectionately.  Females handle most of the nest-building using twigs, grass, feathers, and animal hair.  4 to 6 eggs will be laid per clutch with 1 to 2 broods per season, and the female incubates them for 11 to 13 days.  Both parents will care for the young.

Notes: Unlike most birds, the Cedar Waxwing specializes in eating fruit.  Instead of separating and regurgitating seeds from fruit and berries as most birds do, Cedar Waxwings will pass them.  Occasionally if fruit has become overripe, Cedar Waxwings may ingest too much and become intoxicated or even die.

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

To see the gallery of images, please click here.

Red-headed Woodpecker Storing Acorns

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A Red-headed Woodpecker storing acorns for the winter in Marquette County, WI.  Photographs taken October 13, 2013.

Red-Headed Woodpecker

Red-Headed Woodpecker

Red-headed Woodpecker

Binomial name: Melanerpes erythrocephalus

Category: Woodpeckers and Allies

Description: Red head with black back and white underparts.  The wings are black with white wingtips.  Adult males and females have identical plumage (sexually monomorphic).

Size: 7.5″- 9.8″ long, 16.7” wingspan

Weight: 2.0 oz. – 3.4 oz.

Habitat: Deciduous and coniferous forests, orchards, swamps, wetlands, and farmland

Diet: Insects, fruits, berries, nuts, and seeds

Nesting: Nests are built by both partners in cavities of dead trees or utility poles.  The males do most of the cavity excavation.  Females lay 3 to 10 eggs at one time, up to two broods per season.  The first brood is laid in May and incubated for 2 weeks, and hatchlings remain in the nest for 24 to 31 days.  Red-headed Woodpeckers often reuse the same nesting cavity year after year.

Notes: The Red-headed Woodpecker stores food, only one of four species in North American known to do so.  It may hide nuts, seeds, and insects.  In fact, Red-headed Woodpeckers awesome store grasshoppers still alive, stuck in tight crevices or covered with bark.  The Red-headed Woodpecker was also featured on a stamp from the United States Postal Service in 1996 and from 1999 – 2006.

Red-Headed Woodpecker with acorn piece to hide under bark

Red-Headed Woodpecker with acorn piece to hide under bark

Red-headed Woodpecker just finished breaking apart the acorn with its bill in tree limb packet

Red-headed Woodpecker just finished breaking apart the acorn with its bill in tree limb pocket

Red-headed Woodpecker just finished breaking apart the acorn with its bill in tree limb packet

Red-headed Woodpecker just finished breaking apart the acorn with its bill in tree limb pocket

Red-headed Woodpecker takes flight to a nearby tree limb to hide the acorn piece behind bark

Red-headed Woodpecker takes flight to a nearby tree limb to hide the acorn piece behind bark

Red-headed Woodpecker takes flight to a nearby tree limb to hide the acorn piece behind bark

Red-headed Woodpecker takes flight to a nearby tree limb to hide the acorn piece behind bark

Dead oak where Red-headed Woodpecker was photographed

Dead oak where Red-headed Woodpecker was photographed

Red-headed Woodpecker hiding acorn piece

Red-headed Woodpecker hiding acorn piece

Red-headed Woodpecker hiding acorn piece

Red-headed Woodpecker hiding acorn piece

Red-headed Woodpecker takes flight to a nearby tree limb to hide the acorn piece behind bark

Red-headed Woodpecker takes flight to a nearby tree limb to hide the acorn piece behind bark

For the gallery of images, please click here.

White-Tailed Kite

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White-Tailed Kite near Leola Marsh, Adams County, Wisconsin.  Photographed on September 30, 2013.

White-Tailed Kite

White-Tailed Kite

Binomial name: Elanus leucurus

Category: Hawks, Kites, Eagles, and Allies

Description: White with black shoulders and wingtips; elongated wings and tail.  Red eyes and yellow legs.

Size: 14” – 17” long, 35” – 40” wingspan

Weight: 8.8 oz. – 13 oz.

Habitat: Coastal areas, marshes, sparse woodlands, and grasslands

Diet: Rodents and other small mammals

Nesting: Both parents choose the nesting site and may participate in building the nest; sometimes only the female builds the nest.  The nest is typically in the top third of a tree and is shallow and made with twigs and grasses or leaves.  The female will lay an average of 4 eggs at a time, laying 1 brood per season.  The incubation period lasts 30 to 32 days and the young remain in the nest for about 35 days.

Notes: The White-Tailed Kite can hover in midair 80 feet above the ground without flapping its wings by facing into the wind.  This behavior is called “kiting,” thus the name White-Tailed Kite.  From this stationary position, the White-Tailed Kite will plunge straight down to retrieve its prey.

White-Tailed Kite

White-Tailed Kite

White-Tailed Kite

White-Tailed Kite

White-Tailed Kite

Please click here to see the gallery of images.