Blue Grosbeak

Blue Grosbeak, Spc. Name: Passerina Caerulea

Blue Grosbeak (F)

Medium size songbird, the male species have back, chest and shoulders intense blue, very bright. Their wings have brown edges and brown bars with some white and black borders. Conical beak black with lower part silvery color. Black mask covers around eyes and face.

Females grosbeak are similar in size and shape however the plumage colorations are quite different; in their case the body is mostly cinnamon brown with wings bars pale brown and dark brown. Their beak same as the males but they have no mask.

Blue Grosbeak (M)

Grosbeaks nest in shrubs, and eat seeds as well as insects. They are migratory birds. Living mostly in the Southern States of the USA.

They physically resemble the Northern Cardinals with exception of color.

"Hawks at a Distance" - Book Review

Hawks at a Distance”

Identification of Migrant Raptors

Written by Jerry Liguori

Book review:

“Mr. Liguori’s gargantuan task of identifying and describing to the maximum detail on the 29 species of raptors, as well as the pictorial at close visual and shape-distant identifying puts the perspective to a higher level, no pun intended. Complementing are proper uses of Terminology plus comprehensive Glossary, Migration Timetable and code of Ethics to be aware while birding.

This book “Hawks at a Distance” is an advanced study written by an authority in raptors. Mr. Liguori’s book is great to be read with attention and what you learn you will treasure  greatly if you are an active birder.”

_H. J. Ruiz -”My Backyard Visitors” & “My Winged Pals” Web Blogs

Book Publisher: Princeton Press

Northern Mockingbird

Northern Mockingbird, sp. name: “Mimus Polyglottos”

Northern Mockingbirds are medium-sized songbirds, slender and with long tail. They have small heads with long thin bills with a hint of downward curve and long legs.

Their wings are short, rounded and broad.

Overall gray brown, paler on the breast and belly with two white wing-bars on each wing.

The white on the wings and tail become flashy in flight.

Their habitat: Towns, suburbs,backyards, parks, forest edges and open land. They love to sit conspicuously on high vegetation, fences, poles and other high points to observe from there. They are very aggressive when guarding their territory. Also are excellent imitators of other bird’s songs.

By my own observations on these birds y have noticed that once they pick a territory to set their nests they also become very possessive and zealous of what’s going on at the surroundings. They become the guardians of all the other nests and their inhabitants against birds not from the area. 

Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird - Spec. Name: Agelaius Phoeniceus

The Red-Winged Blackbird is one of the most abundant birds across North Amarica.

Red-winged Blackbird (M)

Stocky broad -shouldered blackbird with a conical bill and a medium size tail slightly flared.

Males are hard to mistake, they are glossy black body with red and yellow shoulder badges.

Females are streaked and dark brownish overall, pale on the breast and whitish eyebrows.

Their habitat: They live in salt water marshes, watercourses and wet roadsides as well as dry meadows. Practically live everywhere. Urban or rural areas.They love to stand on high places to observe and hang out.

These are parasitic blackbirds, laying their eggs in other birds nests to be cared and hatched. Many species destroy the eggs that are not their own.

Red-winged Blackbird (F)

Visit to Jekyll Island

Last Summer I visited Jekyll Island in Georgia where I had the opportunity to see and photograph the Boat-tailed Grackle for the first time.

Boat-tailed Grackle (M)

Boat-Tailed Grackles - Spec.Name: Quiscalus Major

A large, long-tailed blackbird, the Boat-tailed Grackle is found exclusively along the Gulf and Atlantic coast of the United States. The noisy, iridescent, purple-black male is hard to miss when it displays on power lines and telephone poles. The smaller brown female is much less conspicuous, and might even be mistaken for a different species.

Boat-tailed Grackle (F)

I saw them picking pieces of bread, pop corn and other left overs at the picnic areas. After a short Summer shower, these Grackles wade and take baths in the puddles to refresh themselves.

Great Audience for a bad Comedian

Laughing Gull, Spc.Name: Larus Atricilla

A smallish gull with a black head, the Laughing Gull is abundant along the southern Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Infrequently found away from the ocean, it takes advantage of human habitat modifications, foraging in parking lots and dumps, and breeding on dredge spoil islands. As their name describe, this birds have a call that sounds very much like laughter.

• The Laughing Gull is normally diurnal, being active during the day. During the breeding season it forages at night as well. It usually looks for food along the beach at night, but will also hover to catch insects around lights

• Nests in marshes, on beaches, and on islands along coast.
• Found along coasts, in estuaries, bays, and inland lakes.
• Feeds along the ocean, on rivers, at landfills, and in urban parks

Laughing Gull

Who'da hooded bird?

Red-headed Woodpeckers (Melanerpes Erythrocephalus) are beautiful and strong birds, excellent flyers, they fly very fast and sometimes do acrobatics to sort out any obstacles on their path. As all woodpeckers this specie has a large strong beak capable of boring holes in tree trunks.

Red-headed Woodpecker

His head and neck is bright red, the underbody is white, the body is black as well as the wings. this bird in not very common but it is not endangered specie, their territory is kind of limited.

Not very often they go to feeders to eat but when they do the hang upside down to do it.

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They are monogamous birds and usually fly in pairs, they tend their eggs and chicks with much care. They are not migratory birds.