Alaska and Washington: 9&10-18

Steller Sea Lions

Bulls and younger males

Feeding frenzy near Port Townsend, WA

Handsome sailboat

Juvenile Pigeon Guillemot snorkeling as it looks for food items.

Guillemots feed close to shore, searching shallow waters for sculpins, bennies, and other small fish.

They “fly” underwater with short, muscular wings that are well-adapted to fly through a medium as thick as water.

Adult Pigeon Guillemot snorkeling

North Shore Beach: 10-21-18

Black-bellied Plover

This is the only American plover that has a hind toe on its foot (though it’s so small it’s difficult to see in the field)

Marbled Godwit

The black-tipped pink bill is characteristic of non-breeding birds

When feeding it often inserts its entire bill into the mud and its entire head can be submerged.

Its cousin, the Bar-tailed Godwit is a long-distant migrant

Semipalmated Plover

The term “semipalmated” refers to its partially webbed feet.

Don’t you just love newspapers?!

Bird Survey, Pinellas NWR: 10-21-18

Brown Pelicans on Miller Family Bird Colony Island

Preening

The hooked tip of the bill, the “egg tooth, is very handy for preening those all-important feathers.

Male Osprey across from the Howard’s dock

Black-hooded Parakeets

Rock Pigeon/Dove

White Ibises, by far our most common Ibis

Lots of dead fish from the Red Tide.

Many different species were observed but catfish were the most common.

Double-crested Cormorant, launching into flight

Great Egret, our largest egret

Green Heron, our smallest heron and one of the few tool-using birds.  It commonly drops “bait” onto the surface of the water and grabs the small fish attracted to the object (we’ve seen twigs, feathers, leaves, and even popcorn used as “bait”)

Humpback Lunge feeding

Indian Peafowls at Moccasin Lake Nature Park: 10-12-18

The peacock (male peafowl) has some of the brightest feathers and one of the most impressive sorting displays of any bird in the world.

The Peahen on the left seems uninterested in the gyrating courtship display of the male.

The peacock’s back and belly have iridescent feathers in a scale pattern but they are best known for their “train.”  This is not their tail but long feathers which cover the base of the tail.

Preening

The train is covered in ocelli, which are round spots that look a lot like shining eyes.

Thankfully, the peacocks shed their train every year after the mating season, so these magnificent feathers can be gathered and sold without the birds coming to any harm and the average lifespan of a peacock is about 20 years.

A group of peafowl forages on the ground each day for grain, insects, small reptiles and mammals, berries, figs, leaves, feeds and flower parts.

Peacock

Peahen

Peahen with her peachick.