Send ’em in, folks. I still have a backlog, but the level of the tank is draining.
Today we have two contributors who sent bird photos. The first is Karen Bartelt, whose captions are below:
A little mute swan (Cygnus olor) love from central Illinois. This was a family of six. One juvenile has a knob on its head, but seems ok. Spring Lake (southern Tazewell CO), IL.
The white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) are migrating south. Chautauqua NWR (Mason Co,IL) had at least 1000 last week (close up). The second shot reminds me of the old WWII movies and the bombing of Germany or Japan, where hundreds of bombers were overhead. This shot was taken about 3 miles from my house in Tazewell Co, IL.
Speaking of bombers, these are from Stephen Barnard in Idaho:
Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) divebombing a rival.
Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) searching for food in recently cut alfalfa.
Wonderful photos!
That hummer shot is amazing Stephen.
Hopefully the pelicans make a stop at Lake of the Ozarks on their way south. I’ve seen one massive congregation from a highway bridge but have never had the chance to see them up close, or even within range of my binoculars.
I’ve only seen one crane in my life, again from a highway, with no chance to stop and enjoy it. When I turned off and headed back on a side road, it was gone.
I’ve yet to see a Rufous Hummingbird or a Mute Swan…
Wonderful pics, all. I am jealous!
Great shots! I don’t think I’ve ever seen any group or flock of birds, let alone a pelican pod, whose airborne members’ wing position at any moment were all the same. Indeed, in that case it may be wise to take cover!😄
American White Pelicans are graceful flyers. They tend to soar in a coordinated way, like in the photo. They’re common here, but unwelcome by many, because they’re voracious fish eaters.
Love the angry bombing hummingbird!
Here’s a link to a video of young cat purportedly watching a horror movie:
http://www.chonday.com/Videos/cathormovij4
A good pictorial judgment of the human race from a higher perspective.
Seconding jblilie’s comment: great shot of the Hummer.