I don't know about all you bird enthusiasts out here in blogland, but since my fascination with photographing birds from my area of the world is still a bit 'infantile' in observing them, [Corpus Christi is dubbed the birdiest city in the USA], I am out and about with my camera and binoculars strung over my neck, ready to fire it up, and digitally photograph what I see. I don't tote around my bird book...well, what I mean by that is, I don't take the book out of the case - it's in my binocular case tho. I, instead, take pictures only and move on. That way, I'm not missing anything when there is a lot of activity in the area....stopping to look up a particular species diverts my eyes from all the bird sightings. I wait 'til I get back home, transfer the photos of the day to the computer and then take the time to identify them if need be. At first there was always some confusion when it came to spotting and identifying the white water birds. Are they egrets or herons? After studying and studying and trying to memorize the difference. I think I've got it now. Thing is, there is also a morphing time that Little BLUE Herons are all decked out in white! As are the Reddish Herons. Keep track of the leg and beak color!! The GREAT WHITE HERON has yellow legs and yellow beaks....the COMMON EGRET has black legs and yellow beaks....the SNOWY EGRET has black beaks and black legs [with yellow feet only if you'll notice and they're not wading at the time]...while the LITTLE BLUE HERON in morphing stage, show white plumage but has a dull blue beak and light green legs. The Reddish Herons are very similar once again...ID them if you will, by the yellow beak with black tip; in their white stage !!
- CORPUS CHRISTI - June 8, 2012 — Corpus Christi has reached an important milestone worth celebrating. For the 10th consecutive year it is America's Birdiest City. As accustomed as we have become to hearing this announcement this time of year, it's always a welcome news. It's the result both of nature's bounty and a human effort to observe and document it. The birds are here in great numbers and in more varieties than in any other U.S. city. But that alone isn't enough to win the award. The fact needs to be verified. The award depends on the hard work of the verifiers — volunteers who have become adept at spotting and documenting bird species so Corpus Christi can win this title. We enjoy seeing Corpus Christi win. But, now that the city has won 10 of these in a row, perhaps it's time for Corpus Christi, the other cities that compete for this distinction, and the San Diego Audubon Society, which coordinates the contest, to recognize the obvious and declare "game over."
SNOWY EGRET
photo taken: Packery Channel - Mustang Island Corpus Christi Texas
SNOWY EGRET
photo taken: Texas A&M Campus Birding Trail - Corpus Christi Texas
SNOWY EGRET & LITTLE BLUE HERON [in back of egret] and BLACK NECKED STILT
[thanks go to Ken and Larry for the corrections found in the comments]
[thanks go to Ken and Larry for the corrections found in the comments]
with the green legs of the Little Blue Heron, they should still be easily ID'd during their 'white' season
photo taken: Port Aransas Nature Preservel - Port Aranasas Texas
COMMON EGRET
photo taken: Indian Point Reserve - Portland Texas
REDDISH EGRET
photo taken: Indian Point Reserve - Portland Texas
Awesome egret photos. I just shoot and shoot and shoot when we are out birding. I make what I think is an id and like you wait till they are uploaded to the computer to make the final id. I check sites online to help and if in doubt I contact our local expert birder who helps me out. I had to do that this week for the id of a young heron we spotted. I think I need a better birding book.
ReplyDelete...there are some fabulous online ID'ing sites. That and a good book [I mark off the ones I see] are helpful.
DeleteAwesome shots of the egrets and herons. The little blue is one of my favorites. I have never seen the Reddish Egret. Wonderful post and photos.
ReplyDeleteI really like to spot the water fowl mostly. I guess I'm lucky tho, lots of water fowl here. LOL The Reddish Egret is beautiful....especially when their neck plumage is fanned out in their display ritual during mating season.
DeleteYou have some magnificent shots here Anni. I am a novice in identifying too and also go home, download my photos and then look them up. Have a great week!
ReplyDelete...thanks Denise, and hope you have a super week also.
DeleteI love watching the birds. Most of the ones I see are small birds and sometimes hard to capture photos of. But, I keep trying! especially when it is one that I haven't seen before. Like you I concentrate on taking the pictures and look them up once I get home.
ReplyDeleteHope your projects are continuing to go well for you.
Happy Sunday!!
...I am always thrilled to see one I've not seen before. I like to view backyard birds too. And now that it's so darned hot these past weeks, I tend to do just that...from indoors looking out.
Deletelol, that is what I do too. That is why I walk alone. It was not popular with the local birders. :( According to them I should be able to spot every detail of the sighting and put it on paper. How well can you do that if you rearely see a bird and don´t know it´s behaviour? So I go alone, take my pics and go home to study them. Mostly it is not much tosee around where I live. :( I see grey herons now and tehn but not your beautiful white ones.
ReplyDelete...I hear'ya. That is the best way for me. I don't want to be looking down at the book to identify a bird, I want to keep looking around and listening for others. There is plenty of time to go searching to ID them once I'm home. Of course, there ARE some birds you can ID on sight.
DeleteHello Anni
ReplyDeleteNice pictures you show as always.
I'm not the big birds know but like to enjoy nature and take pictures of birds etc.
Can see that some of those who put link in with you and Stewar, Australia's birds know .....
Wish you a good Sunday.
Hanne Bente
...when your life's work or volunteering and working with birds, I can see how easily it can be to ID them. But they had to start off as a novice too at one point.
DeleteI love that shot of the Heron, Egret and Stilt. What a fantastic moment.
ReplyDeletePS thanks for fixing my link.
...no problem. And thanks for linking up.
DeleteThanks for the info on ID-ing. Now I know the egret I posted is a common egrets and I didn't even have to look it up. I never take my bird books along. Like you, I try to ID after I get home. Most birds around here are little and very difficult for me to photograph, but I still get excited when I see or hear a new bird.
ReplyDeleteRubbish by Roan
....oh trust me, the blond roots really showed through when I was trying to figure out the difference. I have found over the months tho, that the beak, the feather pattern, and the leg colors are usually the 'key parts in id'ing the birds'.
Deletewonderful shots. i've seen snowies here this week for the very first time. :)
ReplyDelete...sorry it took me a while to respond to your comment, I just found your message in my blogger's spam folder. Why I don't know 'cause you've come here before and never left in the spam folder. Hmmmm.
DeleteYou posted a great selection pictures of egrets and herons there for us Anni. Like you say - there's a lot of them too, but fortunately (or not) we have less to get mixed up about over here in the UK.
ReplyDelete...ID'ing can become a huge task when it's so likely that they all look the same through the lens. LOL Thanks Phil.
DeleteBeautiful birds and interesting post processing. Being so far north, we tend not to see the more colorful and white birds.
ReplyDelete...but your photo this weekend was stupendous.
DeleteGreat series!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
ReplyDeleteLovely series of photos!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shots!
ReplyDeleteit's like "na nan na na na"...my birds are better than your lizard this weekend. [kidding] Seriously, your lizard photo is awesome tho, I'd much prefer getting up close and personal to feathered friends instead of scaled friends. Y'know?
Delete...thanks Nora.
ReplyDeleteVery pretty pictures! Corpus Christi is tops!! I think the herons with the stilt are a white Reddish Egret and a Tricolored Heron.
ReplyDelete...thanks for the corrections.
DeleteGreat shots of the various herons and egrets Anni! I think the large white bird in your trilogy is a white morph Reddish Egret rather than a Snowy. The legs look blue to me and the bill has only a black tip rather than being all black. The Great Egret, which may have been known as the Common Egret many years ago, is the organizational symbol of the National Audubon Society.
ReplyDelete...thanks for the input!!
Delete...thanks so much for your positive feedback.
ReplyDelete