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Tag Archives: american coot

Always Birding

Whether dog walking, paddling my boat or sitting around camp, I enjoy watching and listening for birds. Sometimes they are only heard and not seen and I don’t always know the songs or calls but I keep trying to remember them. Maybe that’s a good thing for an aging brain?

From the tiniest Yellow Warbler to the fearsome Bald Eagle, they are all interesting. I am especially happy with the image of the Ring-necked Ducks. You can actually see the ring, if you look close, on the male. And the spotted goose is probably a leucistic Canada Goose. The Song Sparrow and the Yellow Warblers sang from morning til evening, but not quite as persistently as the American Robins. I frequently heard the Spotted Sandpipers call as they flew along the lake’s edge. They are fun to watch as they bob their tail up and down when they are searching for food.

A Few Birds

The western larch trees, sometimes called tamarack, provide homes for Williamson’s Sapsuckers and other birds. The male and female appear quite different and there was a time when they were classified as two separate species. I found a nest just below our campsite and was able to photograph the two birds coming and going as they fed their young. It was a long ways up in the tree and I had to sit down and lean back to get these images and wait patiently while they foraged for insects in between feedings. If you scroll through the photos you will get a good idea of the two different plumages of the male and female. And at the end are a few other birds.

There were lots of loons and they will get a separate post.

female Williamson’s Sapsucker
The male waits while she feeds the young
And off he goes for more bugs
American Coot
Eastern Kingbird
Red-winged Blackbird

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