Post your best bird shots!

[bob williams]

I have seen some info on that bird and a few theories about it.....what do you think? Lesser Sandhill or melanistic variant or some kind of hybrid?

Well, We have a local bird expert that seems to think it's a juvi that didn't molt this year. In the spring they preen mud into thier feathers for camoflage, then molt before thier flight south. When you look at the picture closely you can see where he has no feathers on the neck indicating disease. So my guess is that he is simply a sick or malnurished bird that din't molt.

Here are some from the Bosque today:

Northern Flicker---Sorry, I wasn't up for cleaning up all of the small branches



Sandhill Crane---



And what's a trip to the Bosque qithout one flyout shot

[Joel Eade]

Well, We have a local bird expert that seems to think it's a juvi that didn't molt this year. In the spring they preen mud into thier feathers for camoflage, then molt before thier flight south. When you look at the picture closely you can see where he has no feathers on the neck indicating disease. So my guess is that he is simply a sick or malnurished bird that din't molt.

Here are some from the Bosque today:

Northern Flicker---Sorry, I wasn't up for cleaning up all of the small branches

I wonder if this is a Gila Flicker? Color pattern on the head is different than the one I saw in my yard.

[bob williams]

I wonder if this is a Gila Flicker? Color pattern on the head is different than the one I saw in my yard.

I don't know, you may be correct---now I have to go investigate to see if I have been mis-identifying this guy.

@dave, Love the first seagull shot--This one really "pops"---

[bob williams]

Nick, Joel, Great work. Joel, That texture is very "painterly" like---I really like the effect. And Nick That first one of the gull skimming the water is killer---again, nice work to you both. Sorry for the late reply but I have been out of the loop this weekend (had to do a computer rebuild-- but all is running good now) anyway, I thought that any serious bird photographer would appreciate this video http://youtu.be/OcCP4_R8QBw what was most impressive was this:

8 Years
18 expeditions
544 days
51 field sites
39 species
39,568 photos

I guess I shouldn't complain if I have a bad day at the Bosque Del Apache. Seriously this just goes to show what the folks at National Geographic and elsewhere have to go thorugh to get those incredible shots.

Enjoy.


Bob

[Joel Eade]

Nick, Joel, Great work. Joel, That texture is very "painterly" like---I really like the effect. And Nick That first one of the gull skimming the water is killer---again, nice work to you both. Sorry for the late reply but I have been out of the loop this weekend (had to do a computer rebuild-- but all is running good now) anyway, I thought that any serious bird photographer would appreciate this video http://youtu.be/OcCP4_R8QBw what was most impressive was this:

8 Years
18 expeditions
544 days
51 field sites
39 species
39,568 photos

I guess I shouldn't complain if I have a bad day at the Bosque Del Apache. Seriously this just goes to show what the folks at National Geographic and elsewhere have to go thorugh to get those incredible shots.

Enjoy.


Bob

amazing work! I would love to get some images of some of those.

[nvitalephotography]

I wonder if this is a Gila Flicker? Color pattern on the head is different than the one I saw in my yard.

Gila Flickers dont have that black cresent on the breast. Gilded flicker might be a possibility (maybe that's what you meant), which look similar to northern flickers, but I would still say its a northern mostly just because of the range that is typical of gilded flickers.

The head can vary in Northern flickers from brown as you see in this one, to more grey, and males will have red on the back of the head.

Either way though, its pretty.