Owls From Animal Crossing New Horizons

My partner's aunt and uncle live in a little patch of forest in East Troy, WI. They have a beautiful garden that attracts many different animals, but every time we visit I have to see how the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are doing.

This past August I was especially excited to visit. I had only had my new camera for a couple weeks, and I knew I could get some lovely shots of the Hummingbirds that simply weren't possible before.

[ID: A female Ruby-throated Hummingbird hovers over a bright red flower. She's mostly shiny green, with white throat and breast, and white flecks near her dark eyes and tail feather tips. She has green leaves on either side, and seems to be hovering in a void on a nearly black background. End ID]

[ID: A female Ruby-throated Hummingbird sits on a wire plant frame. She's mostly shiny green, with white throat and breast, and white flecks near her dark eyes and tail feather tips. She's grasping the wire with tiny black feet. She's sticking out her long white tongue, perhaps cleaning up after drinking nectar from the nearby flowers. The background is mostly out of focus, showing green plants and one red flower in the lower left corner of the frame. End ID]

These photos are both possibly the same female Ruby, indentified by her white throat rather than the red iridescent gorget that's exclusive to mature males. I feel like the first picture is the more artistic one, but I am much more charmed by the second where she seems to be licking her chops with that incredible tongue!

I went birding at Aldo Leopold Nature Center in Monona, WI today. One highlight of the hike was all the American Tree Sparrows foraging in the tall grass around the center. This one in particular was checking me out quite a bit from various perches just off the path. (I could tell it was the same one from that little bit of something stuck to their bill.)

[ID: An American Tree Sparrow clings to a small twig. The Sparrow fills the frame, showing the details of the tan and brown streaks in its wings, broken up by two white wing bars. Its head is mostly gray with a brown eyeline cutting across a dark eye and a ruddy brown cap. It has the characteristic two-tone bill, grey above and yellow below, with a small bit of something black stuck to the lower bill. End ID]

I also got to see two distinct Red-tailed Hawks wheeling around overhead, likely looking for prey. The first one is likely immature, judging from the banded tail without much red in it, while the second one is clearly an adult.

[ID: An immature Red-tailed Hawk soars in an overcast sky. The hawk is mostly while, with brown streaks on the head and breast. the wings have flecks of brown, and the light shining through the wings and tail show thin bars. End ID]

[ID: An adult Red-tailed Hawk flies toward the camera at an angle. The hawk is mostly white with a brown head and brown edges on the outstretched wings. Its yellow legs are hanging down, showing an aluminum leg band on the left one. The tail is fanned and tawny brown, indicating that this is a mature adult. End ID]

There were also lots of Dark-eyed Juncos mixed in with the Tree Sparrows. They were generally more skittish, but I did snag this nice photo of a Junco checking the scene from the top of a bare bush.

[ID: A Dark-eyed Junco sits on a bare twig at the top of a bush, looking just to the left of straight at the camera. It is almost entirely grey, with white underparts and a pale pink beak. End ID]

[ID: A portrait of a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak. She's shown from the shoulders up, in high detail. Prominent in the frame is her big, dark eye with lines of brown and tan around her head leading to a large, pale pink beak. End ID]

Here's a picture of the most cooperative bird I've encountered in the wild. This past August, I had recently upgraded to a new camera and was on a hike with my Father-in-Law at Antigo Lake. We were slowly walking the boardwalk when I saw something moving in the bushes just on the other side of the railing.

I knew right away that it was a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak because of, you know, the huge beak. She sat just about 6 ft away and held perfectly still, allowing me to find a nice window through the branches and take a few bursts. Even though I was still learning the new equipment, I believe this remains the most detailed picture of a bird I've taken to date. Go ahead and zoom in on the eye. You can pick out all kinds of tiny feather structures that had been totally invisible to me until then, lost in either motion blur or the lower resolution of the sensor. Lately I've been seeking out birds that never sit still or won't go anywhere near people, but I should really spend more time taking portraits of birds that are more comfortable with presence.

Folks, I picked up a lifer just down the street from my house! It was raining a bit on Sunday, so we decided to dig our raincoats out of storage and go hunt for some puddles in need of splashing. Now, I've learned my lesson over the past couple years: never leave home without the binoculars or the camera. And this time I was very glad I grabbed the bins before heading out.

[ID: A Horned Grebe floats on the blue water of Lake Monona. They are facing to the right, showing an impressive profile in the evening sunlight. The Grebe is a small ducklike creature, mostly black with smudges of brown on the flanks and throat. Their head is their most striking feature, black with piercing red eyes. Above and behind each eye a tan stripe radiates backward to create a small crest, the eponymous horns. A thin line of pink skin traces forward from the eye to join with the black dagger of a bill tipped with white. Small beads of water sit on the Grebe's back from their most recent dive below the surface. End ID]

But wait, wasn't it raining at the beginning of this story? It was! We wandered through the neighborhood for a while, mom and kid forging ahead while I lagged behind counting Sparrows and Finches. We made our way down to a park at the edge of Lake Monona. Of course, I had to go out on the dock to check the water for anything interesting. Sure enough, there were a pair of small birds bobbing with the waves, diving down to hunt, and popping back up again. I said to myself, "are those Grebes?" just before I noticed a flash of tan on their heads. Folks, I knew I had never seen a Grebe with tan on it before! I called Caitlin over, handed her the binoculars, and dashed home to grab my camera.

[ID: A Horned Grebe floats on the choppy grey water of Lake Monona. The bird appears to be drenched, but unbothered by the rain. In the low light it's just possible to make out the tan horn on their head and the brownish flank against the black body. End ID]

The above photo is a much more accurate representation of my view from Sunday. The rain began to pick up as I was returning with my camera, but I ignored the poor conditions and set up to shoot anyway. I needed to be sure of the species for my life list! So I got cozy on the downwind side of a nearby tree and started scanning the water for small black birds popping up. I did eventually relocate them, fairly far out on the lake. I was also surprised to see a Common Loon cruise by at a much closer distance.

[A Common Loon floats in profile, partially submerged, on the grey water of Lake Monona. The Loon is almost entirely black, with the white checked back and tapered white neck band characteristic of their breeding plumage. Their gently curved head and knifelike bill are jet black. End ID]

Certainly not the best pictures I've taken, but they were good enough to make a positive ID. For the time being, I would have to be content with this documentation. A couple days later, however, the clouds had passed through and we had just enough time for a walk before dinner. And it was golden hour! Perhaps the Grebes were still around?

[ID: A Horned Grebe floats on the blue water of Lake Monona. The lake is much calmer and the sunlight is reflecting off the wet feathers of the Grebe. End ID]

Not only was the Horned Grebe back at the same dock, it was much closer this time and very cooperative, turning back and forth to make sure I could see their best angles. I sat right down at the end of the dock and snapped away while my kid went looking for sticks to bash on the rocks at the shoreline. It was very peaceful sitting out by the lake, listening to the birdsong, the fitness class at the top of the hill, the captain of the rowing team calling out their orders, my son making up games about climbing the rocks and telling me all the arcane rules he just uncovered. Even the Loon came back around for another cruise.

[ID: A Common Loon floats out in the distance on the blue water of Lake Monona. End ID]

I went looking for spring ducks the other day. The boardwalk between Upper Mud Lake and Lake Waubesa in Madison is usually a great place to see all the weird waterfowl that migrate through in March. And they were there! The trouble this year is we had such a warm February that almost all the ice was already gone from the lakes. So pretty much everyone except the Mallards were way out in the middle of the water. And this goof:

[ID: An American Coot stands on a small patch of vegetation at the edge of a lake. They're turned away from the camera, but looking back over their shoulder. The Coot has a slate grey body about the size and shape of a football, and black head with a bone white bill and a dark red eye. Their lobed feet are a pale yellowish green, great for walking on top of loose marsh vegetation and mud. End ID]

I'm quite fond of American Coots. Silly name aside, they have an awkward profile, beady little eyes, and beautifully weird feet. We only see them here during spring and fall migration, so it's a little treat to have flocks of them passing through. And this one in particular didn't seem to mind us watching them pick along the shore from the boardwalk. Just a sassy little glance over their shoulder before going back to their foraging.

I'm thinking I should start to fill out this new blog. My main artistic expression these days is photography, and birds are my favorite subject. So let's take a look back in the archive together.

[ID: A female Black-and-white Warbler clinging to the side of a lichen-encrusted tree trunk. She's checking the underside of a brown mushroom on the tree for something to eat. She has a mostly white body, with a thin back eye line and black streaks on her side and wings. End ID]

This little creature is a Black-and-white Warbler. We found her while hiking the New Glarus Woods State Park this past September. Folks think of Warblers as a springtime bird in the Midwest, as that's when they're looking their brightest and boldest as they migrate north for mating season. I appreciate the Black-and-whites like this little lady for being just as striking on their way back south.

We have family that live out in the woods in Walworth County, WI. It's always a treat to visit them, both for the company and the abundance of wild forest birds that visit their feeders. Their house is my one reliable place to see Tufted Titmice around here, so I had to bring my camera.

[ID: A Tufted Titmouse clings to a thin branch. It's mostly gray with white underparts, black bill, a black patch around the bill, and large black eyes. It has hints of orange under each wing and a small crest of top of its head. End ID]

The Titmice were very active at the feeder that day, but they're a tricky subject to catch. They will only perch for a second or two before seizing their moment to grab a seed at the feeder and fly off to eat it in private. So I had to keep my camera at the ready and pointed at one of their favorite landing spots to catch just a handful of frames.

[ID: An American Tree Sparrow sits on the branch of a small tree. It has streaky brown wings with two white wing bars, streaks of tan on the underparts, and a brown eye line and reddish brown cap. It has the characteristic two-tone bill for American Tree Sparrows: dark grey upper bill, yellow lower bill. End ID]

Of course, I had to grab a selection of shots for the other visitors while I was there. This American Tree Sparrow was also a first-of-year for me, seemingly the only one hanging out with the flock of Titmice, Juncos, and Chickadees.

[ID: A Black-capped Chickadee sits on a bare branch. It has grey wings and tail, with white underparts blending to cream under the wings. It has a dark black cap and throat encapsulating the tiny black beak and bright white cheek patches. End ID]

The Black-capped Chickadees were either a lot more numerous or bolder than the other birds visiting the feeders, with one or two grabbing seeds at any given moment and at least three or four others hanging out in the trees nearby looking for an opening.

[ID: A Dark-eyed Junco checks the grass near a brick walkway for food. It's likely a male from the dark grey body and head, with white underparts and tiny hints of brown in the back and wing feathers. The general dark plumage and black eye contrast with the pale pink beak. End ID]

And the Dark-eyed Juncos were happy to mostly forage on the ground in clusters near each feeder. This one in particular got quite a bit closer than the others, giving me a chance to capture a higher level of detail.

Banded Stilts

Photo Credit: Georgina Steytler

I came home today after an afternoon of birding with my kid to find a Red-tailed Hawk surveying my yard from the top of the nearest utility pole. Very fortunate that I had the camera at the ready! It was mostly ignoring me, which allowed for many photos from different angles. Even so, I managed to capture just a few frames of it staring right down the lens.

I also stepped around to the front porch at a lower angle to take a couple of portraits. My sharpest pics of a Red-tailed Hawk to date!

[ID 1: A portrait of a Red-tailed Hawk staring down in my general direction. The picture shows just the head and shoulders, both light brown and streaked, as well and the upper part of the off-white chest.

ID 2: A portrait of a Red-tailed Hawk staring off the left of the frame. The picture shows just the head and shoulders, both light brown and streaked, as well and the upper part of the off-white chest.

ID 3: A Red-tailed Hawk sitting on top of a utility pole, looking straight into the camera. It appears to be a light morph, with mostly off-white feathers broken up by a band of brown speckles along the breast. It's head is mostly brown and streaked. The eyes are bright yellow and glinting in the hazy afternoon sunlight. It's standing on one large yellow foot, with long dark claws wrapped around the top of the pole. End ID]