Townsend's Solitaire

[k-hawinkler]

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Olympus OM-D E-M5 + KIPON L/R-m4/3 + Leica Vario-Elmar-R 105-280/4.2

[gshay]

K-H,

 

In a word, OUTSTANDING!

 

Sitting here in the early hours and found this, WOW!

 

Guessing heavy tripod, and you know where they will land?

 

Please tell us, What the heck `bait' are you using? What is your trick in getting them to you're house? Not fair!

 

You're batting 1000%!

 

Our bird friend,

 

George

 

And your 30,40, 50 miles hikes, what are, you super-stud? Can barely make it to make a "head-call" every 15 minutes!

[stuny]

Very nice.

[k-hawinkler]

K-H,

 

In a word, OUTSTANDING!

 

Sitting here in the early hours and found this, WOW!

 

Guessing heavy tripod, and you know where they will land?

 

Please tell us, What the heck `bait' are you using? What is your trick in getting them to you're house? Not fair!

 

You're batting 1000%!

 

Our bird friend,

 

George

 

And your 30,40, 50 miles hikes, what are, you super-stud? Can barely make it to make a "head-call" every 15 minutes!

 

 

Hi George,

 

Thanks for your feedback. You certainly have a vivid imagination. I like that.

But relax, please! The answer to your question is staring you in your face, namely: WATER!

 

This area is very dry. The birds could fly a couple of miles and a 1000 feet down to reach the Rio Grande.

But it's less risky and less work for them to go to the water dishes folks set out.

I have even seen a coyote drinking out of one of our water dishes. But a Blue Jay sounded the alarm.

Already now, this early in the year, the bees are out in full force and getting their water from the tank for the horses.

My guess, they try to stay away from the birds.

[k-hawinkler]

Stuart, Iduna, Tony, Suuumm55,

 

Thank you.

[Karl G]

Another very nice one, thank you.

[vdb]

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Wonderful!

[k-hawinkler]

Karl, Virgil,

 

Thank you.

 

These birds only seem to move locally.

In the summers they move to higher elevations.

In the winters they come down to lower elevations.

[kaethe]

I always enjoy your bird images, especially the variety. Here in SF, my feeders attract mostly pairs of finches and an occasional hummingbird.

kaethe

[k-hawinkler]

kaethe,

 

Thank you.

Indeed the variety of birds that come through here is quite large.

Of course, I just love your Yosemite and other images.

[platypus]

K-H,

You are so right about the water, we have the same situation here as it is such a dry area.

I have my garden regulars that come for the water dishes in groups and singles,

they change seasonally, it's interesting to study their habits. I also feed out seed and,

for the meat eaters, minced beef. The cost certainly adds up, but, as I have been

doing this for 13 years my customers have come to expect it, for some of the birds

I have been feeding many generations.

This summer my Kookaburra parents managed to raise three chicks thanks to the mince doles.

To get that number of chicks from one hatching is quite rare, Kookaburras lay five to seven eggs each year,

however the first hatched chick is usually the biggest and strongest and if the parents can't supply it with enough food

it will happily devour it's younger siblings as they hatch, so there is usually only one surviving chick each year.

This year though there were four "feeder birds" (both parents and two brothers from previous years) doing runs almost

non stop from my house to the nest, this went on for approx. five weeks until the chicks flew.

There are now seven Kookaburras lining up to be fed every evening.

Interestingly enough Kookaburras don't drink water at all, they get enough moisture from their diet of frogs, lizards (and mince) etc.

Dee.

[k-hawinkler]

I always enjoy your bird images, especially the variety. Here in SF, my feeders attract mostly pairs of finches and an occasional hummingbird.

kaethe

 

 

Hi Kaethe,

 

One more thought. I used to visit California a lot before I retired.

One place for fantastic BIF action is Santa Cruz or Capitola (I forgot which), just north of the piers.

In late afternoon, when the wind blows at the cliffs from the ocean, creating an uplift,

the Pelicans (?) can soar effortlessly high above the cliffs before diving into the bay to catch their dinner.

A very impressive sight, but a challenge to capture with a camera.

One trick would be to get the steady stream of high-flying Pelicans and the coastline in one photograph.

The other one would be to capture the birds with a camera, right before they dive into the ocean.

An incredible scene to witness for sure. So, one probably would need normal, WA- and Tele-lenses.

 

Good luck.

[k-hawinkler]

K-H,

You are so right about the water, we have the same situation here as it is such a dry area.

I have my garden regulars that come for the water dishes in groups and singles,

they change seasonally, it's interesting to study their habits. I also feed out seed and,

for the meat eaters, minced beef. The cost certainly adds up, but, as I have been

doing this for 13 years my customers have come to expect it, for some of the birds

I have been feeding many generations.

This summer my Kookaburra parents managed to raise three chicks thanks to the mince doles.

To get that number of chicks from one hatching is quite rare, Kookaburras lay five to seven eggs each year,

however the first hatched chick is usually the biggest and strongest and if the parents can't supply it with enough food

it will happily devour it's younger siblings as they hatch, so there is usually only one surviving chick each year.

This year though there were four "feeder birds" (both parents and two brothers from previous years) doing runs almost

non stop from my house to the nest, this went on for approx. five weeks until the chicks flew.

There are now seven Kookaburras lining up to be fed every evening.

Interestingly enough Kookaburras don't drink water at all, they get enough moisture from their diet of frogs, lizards (and mince) etc.

Dee.

 

 

Hi Dee,

 

Many, many thanks for sharing your interesting stories.

I wonder whether you have some images to share of the Kookaburras as well.

Amazing behavior indeed. Well, survival focuses the mind.

It's a tough world out there for most beings.

A little help provided, sometimes goes a long way.

Thanks.