H.J. Ruiz – Avian101 – Page 872 – "My Backyard Visitors" – All about birds

Brown-headed Nuthatch

The smallest mature bird I have photographed is the Brown-headed Nuthatch. This tiny bird is an amazing flier and natural acrobat. It can walk down tree trucks or any kind of wood. It loves the sunflower seeds, he grabs one at the time and goes back to its nest or a safe place and cracks the seed open to eat the oily pulp filled with nutrients. It’s one of the hardest birds to get a good photograph because it moves extremely fast and its sudden moves makes a good test for any photographer’s patience.

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Text and photographs © H.J. Ruiz – Avian 101

Tags: birds, Brown-Headed Nuthatch, nature, photography, photos of birds

Great Blue Heron

The Great Blue Heron is one of my favorite birds for photography, they are very photogenic, large and slow moving. They act as if they are posing for you and every move they make enhances the shot. Besides the have a great plumage and elegant poise. With this bird there are no wasted shots like with other birds that move so much that you need 20 shots or more to get 1 good one!

I could be shooting photos all day long with them as subjects!

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Text and photographs © H.J. Ruiz – Avian 101

Tags: birds, Great Blue Heron, nature, photography, photos of birds

Boat-tailed Grackle

The Boat-tailed Grackles are very abundant in all the areas of the Coast of Georgia, that includes all of the islands.

These birds have adapted very well to the wetlands and marshes of Georgia and also very conveniently to the parks of the urban areas. They forage on a variety of food, from food discarded in garbage bins to fish scraps and small fish picked right from the water. They are omnivores and eat very indiscriminately. They are large birds with a voracious appetite. Travel in groups commonly.

Female

Click on images to see enlargements

Text and photographs are © H.J. Ruiz – Avian 101

Tags: birds, Boat-Tailed Grackle, nature, photography, photos of birds

Field Sparrow

One of the most loyal visitors and residents in my backyard are the small Field Sparrows. They are pretty little fellows that all year round are coming to my feeders. It doesn’t matter if is raining, snowing or there’s hail coming down, they’ll make their way to the feeders.

Their main food is small seeds and I imagine that they might eat mosquitos or small insects. I’ve never seen them eat any worms or grubs. Another thing I haven’t seen is a nest made by them. I don’t like to disturb any birds or their nests with my presence. I limit myself to refill the feeders with seeds and make sure these are clean.