Albatrossity starts off the week, no surprise there! Then we have the final post in the series from UncleEb, more hiking in some amazing canyons with TKH, and then we close the week out with Maine #10 from JanieM and the start of a series from Steve in Mendocino!
Albatrossity
Birding in winter in Flyover Country can seem fairly uncolorful, dominated by dun-colored sparrows, hawks, and flocks of blackbirds, larks, and longspurs. The color palette is slim, but the subtle patterns of those colors, frozen in time by the camera, are revealed to be complex and gorgeous. Let’s take a look at some of those.
On The Road – Albatrossity – Flyover Country Winter Birds – 2Post + Comments (24)
But first, good news. My local dark Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis Harlani), aka Harley, returned to his regular winter territory on or before October 25 this year. I got his picture the day after I first sighted him. This is at least his 10th (tenth!) winter here. As you might (or might not) know, avian influenza has been hammering North American birds this summer, and hawks are among the most susceptible, since they often feed on dead or dying waterfowl. So I admit I was trying to prepare myself for a winter without this dark companion. It was incredibly uplifting to see him on station again this season. Here’s a composite shot of two images, dorsal and ventral sides of this gorgeous and resilient raptor. Click here for larger image.