Eastern Kingbird - Bird Photography Weekly

 For this weeks edition of Bird Photography Weekly I would like to present a summertime visitor to my backyard - the Eastern Kingbird.

I've been trying to capture a photo of this witty bird for a while now, and finally a couple weeks ago one hung out long enough for me to snap off a few shots. They never seem to stay very long when they visit - just long enough to gobble up a few insects and move on.

The Eastern Kingbird is a flycatcher that likes to hang out in open landscape, feeding on flying insects. Below is a neat photo of one in action.

As you can see, there were plenty of insects out on this particular hot, humid afternoon!

Don't let the word 'Eastern' in it's name throw you off, this bird has a wide summer range that stretches across most of the US. In winter  they migrate to the tropical forest of South America.

One thing I've noticed about these birds are their aggressive behavior toward other birds. When it enters into my backyard, the bluebirds and purple martins become a little unsettled. I've watched a kingbird attack a purple martin in mid-air for no particular reason. Neither were hurt but the kingbird doesn't play when it comes to other birds getting in it's way.

Click here to learn more about the Eastern Kingbird.

 

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Summer Blues

  One of the first things I look forward to in my yard come spring is the courting and nesting of the Eastern Bluebirds – and now that the summer is dwindling they are still hard at it. Eastern Bluebirds are early season nesters but will keep right on nesting into the late summer months – possibly raising up to four broods, but typically two broods a year are more common in most areas.

Here’s the second brood of the summer in my Gilbertson PVC nest box. They’ll be leaving this nest soon...

Studies show that bluebirds in their southern range have more broods per season mostly due to the longer, warmer days. Here’s a very interesting article that talks about the subject: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1244

Not far away is another bluebird nest box with chicks just a couple days old.

I was surprised to have a bluebird nest in this particular box being that it’s between two other nest boxes within 50 yards of each other. Most research suggests that Eastern Bluebirds nest boxes be placed at least 100 yards or more apart. Bluebirds are territorial, especially during nesting season; however, I have noticed that as the season progresses they seem to mellow a bit, and this particular box wasn’t occupied until recently. This was an additional box I added after spotting a tree swallow checking out some of my other occupied bluebird boxes. In the case that you have both bluebirds and tree swallows in the area, nest boxes can be placed closer together.

Although it’s now August, here's another bluebird nest just getting started.

As you can see, there's still a lot of nesting activity going on!!

This time of year bluebirds will build their nest very quickly. They know that the days are getting shorter and time is running out.

If interested in knowing the difference between nest of some common cavity nesting birds, check out the website below: http://www.sialis.org/nests.htm

 

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Dog Days of Summer - Wordless Wednesday

Gray Squirrel relaxing on a hot summer day.

Get Wordless over at Wordless Wednesday.

 

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Birding Adventure TV

Hello everyone! Yes, I’m still here alive and well, trying to survive through the busy summer months. I want to apologize for the sporadic post lately; I hope to be back on regular “blog schedule” soon…

I wanted to take a moment and pass along the word about an email I recently received from James Currie. James is the host of a very cool TV program called Birding Adventures. It’s a program that focuses on destination and adventure birdwatching. It takes you to some of the best exotic birding destinations in the world looking for rare and highly sought after bird species. James informed and asked me to pass along the news that Birding Adventures has branched out and is now being offered to a wider audience across the US.

See press release: http://www.pr.com/press-release/165379

If it’s still not available in your network you can go to the web site to watch previews and purchase complete episodes. Season 1 is already out with 13 episodes and can be purchased for $14.95. http://www.birdingadventures.com/shop.php

Check it all out when you get a chance!

Sunset at Sugar Creek - Skywatch Friday

One of our favorite places to eat on the Outer Banks of North Carolina is a restaurant called Sugar Creek. Arguably, it offers one of the best viewing for dinner on all of the Outer Banks. Sugar Creek sits at the point where the Albemarle and the Roanoke Sound come together.

Soundfront walkways, gazebo and pier offer for great views for waterfowl & wildlife.

Happy skywatching and have a great weekend everyone!

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Hungry Mouths - Wordless Wednesday

Now that's a lot of mouths to feed!

Get Wordless over at Wordless Wednesday.

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Another Brown for Bird Photography Weekly

  Last week for bird photography weekly I showed off some photos of the brown pelican. This week I would like to share with you the brown thrasher. The only thing in common between these two birds is the word "brown" in their name.

I took this photo on a nature trail last week on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The quality of the photo isn't all that great but I thought it was worthy of sharing. Especially since these guys are tough to get close to. Brown thrashers are shy birds that hang out along the edges of hedgerows or other thick shrubbery. They are year around residents in my area of the country here in Virginia.

Brown thrashers can be found nesting in residential areas in thickets, over-grown fields, and along the edge of forests. Like mockingbirds, they can be very aggressive to anything or anyone that approach their nest.

The brown thrasher is the official state bird of Georgia.

Have a great week everyone and don't forget to stop by and visit this weeks edition of Bird Photography Weekly!

 

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