Bird on Stilts

My wife spotted and photographed these black-necked stilts while on a field trip to the Texas coast. While these birds may be a common salt- and fresh- water resident in Texas, they were a treat for us to see. One interesting fact about these birds is their leg length to body length ratio, which is only surpassed by the flamingo.

Albino Grackle

I spotted this albino common grackle in Texas at a gas station. He was in with a flock of other common grackles, so you can imagine how he stood out in the crowd.

Tis the Season

While on a field trip with my biogeography class this pair of tufted titmice came crashing down to the ground close to where my students were standing. It didn't take long to convince my students that the pair were not injured (as they first suspected), but merely doing what birds do this time of year.

woodpeckers attack!

A downy and red-bellied woodpecker came for a visit today. Both seemed especially hungery, making several return visits to the feeder and the downy was stashing his find in the same tree as the feeder. I wonder how long it will take other visitors to find his goodies?

Exotics

Blue-crowned Pigeon

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Sarus Crane

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Spoonbills

Fulvous Whistling duck

Here are a few more pic from the Little Rock Zoo. Some of the birds I recognized and some I did not. There were not many signs up identifying the animals; that was one of the things I emailed the zoo about in their comment section online, along with a compliment on their many improvements to the park.

A Non-native Resident

A good preening and cool feet soaking

Nice crown

While waiting for migratory birds to make their way into Arkansas, here is an exotic bird who is with us all year. This Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) from the Savannah of Africa is a permanent resident of the Little Rock Zoo.

Finally, the Green Heron

I have been trying to get pictures of a green heron (Butorides virescens) for quite some time. These guys are on the lakes all around me, but the combination of having a camera and spotting this bird never seemed to click for me. But of all places, I was at the zoo with my two grandsons when I spotted this green heron on the gibbon monkey island. The heron was getting an easy meal of goldfish and koi from the man-made stream that went around the island. And obviously, this time I had my camera. Speaking of fishing, these birds will use bait to catch their prey such as a worm, seeds, crumbs of bread, or anything else that will attract a fish to within striking distance.