H.J. Ruiz – Avian101 – Page 801 – "My Backyard Visitors" – All about birds

Sunday Dining with HJ

This Sunday I have invited a wonderful couple! They’re Mr.& Mrs. Brown-headed Cowbird. Quite an entertaining couple, they’re not short of subjects for conversation. However, there was a moment of tense emotion and plain sincerity, when she asked her husband, “Why couldn’t we try to take care of our own babies?”.

I suggested to go for the wonderful dessert and leave that subject for a future visit. They agreed!

Text & photograph © H.J. Ruiz

Tags: Bird Humor, birds, nature, photography, photos of birds

For the Birds # 21

For the Birds # 21

Blue Grosbeak (M)

Boat-tailed Grackles (M)

N.Cardinal (F), Blue Grosbeak (M), Brown-headed Cowbird (F)

Great Blue Heron

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Boat-tailed Grackle (F)

Palm Warbler

Red-headed Woodpecker

All photographs © H.J. Ruiz – Avian 101

Tags: birds, Blue Grosbeak, Boat-Tailed Grackle, Brown-Headed Cowbird, nature, Northern Cardinal, photography, photos of birds, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-headed woodpecker

Kelp Gull

Kelp Gull – Latin name: Larus dominicanus

Also known as the Dominican Gull, is a gull which breeds on coasts and islands through much of the southern hemisphere. The nominate L. d. dominicanus is the subspecies found around South America, parts of Australia (where it overlaps with the Pacific Gull), and New Zealand (where it is known as the Southern Black-backed Gull or by its Māori name Karoro). L. d. vetula (known as the Cape Gull) is a subspecies occurring around southern Africa.

Kelp Gull

The specific name comes from the Dominican Order of friars, who wore black and white habits.

The Kelp Gull superficially resembles two gulls from further north in the Atlantic Ocean the Lesser Black-backed Gull and the Great Black-backed Gull. The Kelp is intermediate in size between these two species. This species ranges from 54 to 65 cm (21 to 26 in) in total length, from 128 to 142 cm (50 to 56 in) in wingspan and from 540 to 1,390 g (1.2 to 3.1 lb) in weight. Adult males and females weigh on average 1,000 g (2.2 lb) and 900 g (2.0 lb) respectively. Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 37.3 to 44.8 cm (14.7 to 17.6 in), the bill is 4.4 to 5.9 cm (1.7 to 2.3 in) and the tarsus is 5.3 to 7.5 cm (2.1 to 3.0 in). The adult Kelp Gull has black upperparts and wings. The head, underparts, tail and the small “mirrors” at the wing tips are white. The bill is yellow with a red spot, and the legs are greenish-yellow (brighter and yellower when breeding, duller and greener when not breeding). The call is a strident ki-och. Juveniles have dull legs, a black bill, a dark band in the tail, and an overall grey-brown plumage densely edged whitish, but they rapidly get a pale base to the bill and largely white head and underparts. They take three or four years to reach maturity.

The African subspecies L. d. vetula is sometimes split as the Cape Gull, L. vetula. It has a more angular head and a smaller shorter bill. The adult has a dark eye, whereas the nominate Kelp Gull usually has a pale eye. Young Cape Gulls have almost identical plumage to similarly aged Kelp Gulls.

NOTE: The Kelp Gull is a new addition to my Bird List as: # 177

Text © Wikipedia – All photographs © H.J. Ruiz – Avian 101

Tags: birds, black backed gull, Kelp Gull, nature, photography, photos of birds

Reddish Egret

Reddish Egret – Latin name: Egretta rufescens

It is a small heron. It is a resident breeder in Central America, The Bahamas, the Caribbean, the Gulf Coast of the United States, and Mexico. There is post-breeding dispersal to well north of the nesting range. In the past, this bird was a victim of the plume trade.

Reddish Egret

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), there are only 1,500 to 2,000 nesting pairs of Reddish Egrets in the United States – and most of these are in Texas. They are classified as “threatened” in Texas and receive special protection.

This species reaches 68–82 cm (27–32 in) in length, with a 116–125 cm (46–49 in) wingspan. Body mass in this species can range from 364–870 g (0.80–1.9 lb). Among standard linear measurements, the wing chord is 29–34.3 cm (11–13.5 in), the tail is 8.8–13 cm (3.5–5.1 in), the bill is 7.3–9.2 cm (2.9–3.6 in) and the tarsus is 11.7–14.7 cm (4.6–5.8 in). It is a medium-sized, long-legged, long-necked heron with a long pointed pinkish bill with a black tip. The legs and feet are bluish-black. The sexes are similar, but there are two color morphs. The adult dark morph has a slate blue body and reddish head and neck with shaggy plumes. The adult white morph has completely white body plumage. Young birds have a brown body, head, and neck. During mating, the males plumage stands out in a ruff on its head, neck and back.

NOTE: The Reddish Egret is a new addition to my Bird List as: # 176