H.J. Ruiz – Avian101 – Page 885 – "My Backyard Visitors" – All about birds

Birds and Snow

I amaze myself when I observe birds how they handle a snowy day in order to eat their daily food and sustain survival through the winter days. I can see how the dig the snow and ice in order to get some grains. While at the feeders they clean up and dust off the snow or break any ice that covers the seeds and their usual feeding habits change to winter mode. They ingeniously adapt to the current weather conditions and handle themselves very well!

Red-headed Woodpecker

Song Sparrow

Cooper's Hawk (I)

Photographs © H.J. Ruiz – Avian 101

Tags: birds, photography, photos of birds, Red-headed woodpecker, song sparrow, winter mode

Cormorants

One of the most versatile sea birds are the Cormorants.All are fish-eaters, dining on small eels, fish, and even water snakes. They dive from the surface, though many species make a characteristic half-jump as they dive, presumably to give themselves a more streamlined entry into the water. Under water they propel themselves with their feet. Some cormorant species have been found, using depth gauges, to dive to depths of as much as 135 ft.

After fishing, cormorants go ashore, and are frequently seen holding their wings out in the sun. All cormorants have preen gland secretions that are used ostensibly to keep the feathers waterproof. Some source] state that cormorants have waterproof feathers while others say that they have water permeable feathers. There are many kinds of Cormorants all over the world.

The following photographs were shot in species from Florida.

Cormorant drying his feathers

Group of Cormorants in flight

Photographs © H.J. Ruiz – Avian 101

Tags: birds, cormorant species, Cormorants, photography, photos of birds

A Visit with Freedom – A rainy day in Arlington – Video

Jeff Guidry gives us a quick glimpse of Freedom, the female eagle that nearly died from two broken wings, and recovered to become part of a remarkable story.

Tags: Bald Eagle, Video

“The Birds”

Yesterday was an exhilarating experience to see that the blackbirds are back from their

"The Birds" Movie poster - Remember?

migration and are heading north. Why am I excited for that? Because for me it means that the weather will start warming up and we’ll have an early Spring! Yooppie! 🙂

You should have seen it in person, birds all over and flying low, others on the ground blanketing all the lawns.( Do you remember the movie “The Birds”?

I grabbed my camera and took some shots that I’m posting now. Let the photographs describe what I saw.