As I mentioned last month, the birds we see in the field are rarely posed like the illustrations in our field guides. Rather, we see them from underneath, or with parts hidden by leaves, or, as is so often the case, flying away. When it comes to dabbling ducks (and some other waterfowl), we may find that the most helpful field marks are underwater, and all we’re treated to is a view of the tail. If only we had a field guide that portrays these birds bottoms-up!
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I left you hanging last month. I injured my back, and wasn’t able to sit in a chair long enough to write much of anything. My blog took a back seat to simply getting essential tasks done. No fun. Now I’m scheduled for back surgery, so my posts will have to be sporadic until I fully recover. Still, if one has to be sidelined, I’m glad it’s happening now, while the pandemic keeps us mostly home in any case.
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Now that you’ve made it to the end of the year, it’s time for a challenge. By now you should realize that all the quiz birds this year were females. Most females lack bright colors, but I couldn’t resist the Christmas colors on this gorgeous lady.
She was was photographed in Australia in October. What species is she? (It’s a bit of a sexist name, actually.)
The answer will appear at the end of next Monday’s post.
This bird was photographed in California in February. Can you name it? The answer will appear at the end of next Monday’s post.
This bird was photographed in Colorado in February. Can you name it? The answer will appear at the end of next Monday’s post.
This bird was photographed in Colorado in June. Can you name it? The answer will appear at the end of next Monday’s post.
Birds are sometimes amazing at disguising themselves, but we birders can rise to the challenge and spot them anyway. Just for fun, I think it’s time for a little quiz. No, not an ID quiz—this one is simply “Can you find the bird?”
Easy, right? Here we go…
This bird was photographed in Colorado in June. Can you name it? The answer will appear at the end of next Monday’s post.
This bird was photographed in Colorado in May. Can you name it? The answer will appear at the end of next Monday’s post.
This bird was photographed in Colorado in June. Can you name it? The answer will appear at the end of next Monday’s post.
Mountain Plover 