Flocking At The River

The Missouri River is hosting a Flock of Ring Billed Gulls. Above, resting on a sandbar, below, circling and looking for fish.  They are swift and graceful diving down to the water, grabbing a fish and taking off again.  The 8th picture below shows a Gull with a fish in beak. Nikon D850. Tamron 159-600mm lens. 

When Birds Go Fishing

 Ring-billed Gill flying over the Kaw River looking for lunch.   Dove down for take out.    Used the
                          Nikon D500 and 80-400mm lens, ISO 1000, F9 at 1/640th.

Hungry Times

Starting in February I clear (if necessary) an area in the back yard and fill it with wild bird seed. There are many grateful visitors.  Sometimes they even get along.

Winter Color

Visitors to the back yard...one (above) Saturday...one (below) today.  

Backyard Birds

With practice I AM getting better at photographing these little hyperactive dinosaurs.  

Below, Cardinal making eye contact

 Above, Flicker.   Below, Fly Catcher

 Above, Sparrow.  Below, Robin making eye contact.

....and bathing

 Above, Junco.  Below, Mourning Dove

 Above and below, Cardinal

 Above, Common Grackle.  Below, Sparrow

Above, Grackle.  Below, Junco 

And the rest are repeats, except for the Blue Jay.

Penn Valley Hawk

Sometimes you just get lucky. I was just under the Scout statue waiting for the sun to set a little more... when I noticed a hawk in a nearby tree. Birds are notoriously hard to shoot but I always try. As he/she took off I fired a burst or two and got three good shots. Nikon D3, F11 at 250th, ASA 400....70-200mm lens ... they are beautiful in flight.