Solitary Sandpiper

I haven't been seeing as many of these birds as in past years. I suspect it has something to do with the drought we experienced this summer. August 27, East Jordan.

Belted Kingfisher - Female

I guess it's time to get caught up on my picture posting if that's possible. I have a hard time deciding which photos deserve to get posted on the blog and then taking the time to process them properly until I'm more or less happy with the results. These were taken way back on August 9 during midday when I thought the light might be favourable given the shaded location. The bird was perched in a spot partly obscured by foliage which a breeze on occasion would allow for at least a glimpse of some part of the bird. The top photo was one of the last shots taken after she changed perches.

Common Nighthawk in Flight

For a few days in late August I was seeing several Common Nighthawks chasing insects near my home in the hours before sunset. They are a challenge to photograph since their flight behavior is very erratic - I suppose like the insects they are feeding on. These shots were taken on August 24 in East Jordan.

Black-throated Blue Warblers - Female and Male

These were part of that larger flock of mostly juvenile warblers and vireo that passed by my house on August 14. There haven't been many birds in the area in recent days.

Blue-headed Vireo - Juvenile

This bird was one of a larger flock of mixed birds that were foraging together near my home in East Jordan. Among the others in the group were Black-throated Blue Warblers, Parula, Palm and Magnolia Warblers. Most of the birds were juvenile except the Black-throated Blues which I assume were the same pair that nested nearby. August 14.

Osprey - Juvenile

This bird acted as if it had never seen a person before or maybe just a person with a camera. It must have circled me three times before it finally flew upriver to be closer to one of its parents or a sibling.  I couldn't tell which because of the distance.  August 18, Jordan Falls.

Belted Kingfisher - Juvenile Male

 One of a family of four kingfishers seen in Jordan Falls and fishing in the river and adjacent ponds. These were all shot at the same location on the morning of August 7.  The adult male has a breast belt that is entirely blue-grey whereas this bird had some rust colour showing in those feathers indicating a juvenile. This bird was in the shade of an oak tree, in some of the shots you can see where the sunlight was filtering through the leaves and casting some light on his back. Although the sun was at my back the bird appears back-lit from the light reflecting off the river.