Here are some old familiar bird sightings and some rare sightings for this #featheredfriday by @melinda010100
First we start out with an old familiar red-winged blackbird. I got just a few feet away from this guy, these guys are super tame and you can really get detailed shots of them easily.
Another usual customer, but this one has made a nest on a little floating island in the middle of the lake. The park setup these islands in hopes of getting rare birds nesting there but the Canadian Geese are wasting no time using them lol.
Now for a rare blurry sighting. This is a horned grebe on its way to Canada. A rare visitor to catch sight of around here.
The mallard drake was wondering if he found a new girlfriend? Too bad this grebe decided to stay right in the middle of the lake pushing the limits of my zoom lens.
Now for another familiar sight. A tree swallow.
I can do a whole post about these guys. They are another good poser if you find where they are nesting and they are relatively tame so you can get closer shots than most birds.
Now for a blurry motherload of Northern Shovelers. From a distance they kind of resemble mallards.
Then when you see their huge beaks you realize why they are called shovelers. I was blocked by a river so I couldn't get any closer to these guys.
Here's a standard lens and settings test robin.
And a little spy. The garter snakes are starting to come out to warm up in the sun.
I spotted a belted kingfisher but as usual he was just in the air flying by with his chattering noise. One day I plan to sit next to the river and hope to get one that has landed on a branch for a clear shot. That's all for this #featheredfriday :-)