Bird photos – Page 3

Paddle feet / lobbed toes of an American coot

Macro Monday: the feet of the American coot

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Today I’m taking part in the Macro Monday photo challenge. If you like what you see, I encourage you to subscribe so you can enjoy the new photos I post a few times a week.

At first sight, the American coot looks like a duck. It’s shaped like a duck, including its head and bill. It spends a lot of time on the water, and it hangs around other ducks. But the American coot is actually a hen, and the dead giveaway is the absence of webbed feet.

Now, if you ask me, this bird looks nothing like a hen, even with non-webbed feet. I’ll let you take a closer look at the feet of the American coot. Technically, they have “lobbed toes”, which allow them to not only swim but also walk well on uneven ground.

To me, the American coot looks like it has paddle feet so it can be good at swimming and walking. Can you imagine if your toes were shaped like this?

Close-up of the lobbed toes of an American coot

February 23, 2014February 6, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: Animal Photos, Bird photosTags: American coot duck, American coot hen, American coot is a hen, black duck with flat toes, black duck with white head, lobbed toes of the American coot, Macro Monday, Macro Monday photo challenge, nature photography, paddle feet of the American coot 6 Comments

My first photos of an osprey bird

San Diego County and its various habitats hosts thousands of bird species, including a large number of birds who migrate here for the winter. I’ve heard we have ospreys here, also known as sea hawks or fish hawks. I’ve even seen some a few times, but never close enough to photograph.

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to spot one on top of a dead tree trunk. It was standing over a pond, turning its head left and right, possibly looking for fish to go catch. It was on a small island in the middle of the pond, so I couldn’t get very close. My camera has a 20x optical zoom, and it was challenging to get sharp pictures without a tripod, but I managed to get a few good ones. I have a Canon Powershot SX280 HS and I have to say Canon makes the best point and shoot cameras, with the option to access manual mode.

You can click on each photo for a larger view. If you like what you see, I encourage you to subscribe so you can enjoy the new photos I post a few times a week.

Osprey - fish hawk - sea hawk — Osprey – fish hawk – sea hawk

February 12, 2014February 6, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: Animal Photos, Bird photosTags: fish eating bird, fish hawk, nature photography, osprey bird, osprey hawk, osprey on tree branch, osprey sitting in tree, photos of birds, photos of hawks, sea hawk 6 Comments

The real green heron

Remember my 2014 nature photography calendars (choose between five different themes) are still available for sale. Look in the left sidebar on my website for the most up-to-date discount coupon code. All calendars are made to order in the USA so you support the US economy with your purchase, and a starving artist (me!). I also appreciate any referral through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and of course your blog or website.

Last week I put a photo post together on a green heron. The problem is, it wasn’t a green heron but a black-crowned night heron. I don’t even know why I thought it was a green heron since I’ve shared photos of a green heron before and it looked nothing like this one. Anyway, I apologize for the mistake but maybe it was a premonition for what happened this past weekend. Green herons in San Diego happen to be in decline, so they’re not that easy to spot. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised to spot one at the San Diego Zoo, hanging around one of the exhibit ponds. Local birds are excellent freeloaders at the zoo: they know where to find free food in all the right places.

So here it is, the REAL green heron. It’s smaller than the black-crowned night heron, probably the size of a raven. Remember you can click on each photo for a larger view. If you like what you see, feel free to subscribe and receive nature photography updates a few times a week.

Green heron looking for fish in the water

January 15, 2014February 6, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: Animal Photos, Bird photosTags: California pictures, close up of green heron, green heron fishing, green heron in San Diego, green heron in water, nature photography, photography, photos, photos of birds, San Diego heron bird 2 Comments

Macro Monday: Black-crowned night heron

Today I’m taking part in the Macro Monday photo challenge. If you like what you see, I encourage you to subscribe so you can enjoy the new photos I post a few times a week.

I got the opportunity to photograph a couple of black-crowned night heron herons up close during the holidays. These photos are not technically macro but I didn’t have to zoom in to be able to get these close shots. The lighting was less than perfect so this is the best I got that day. The funny thing is, both herons look like they only have one leg. They must do like flamingos and lift up a leg when they stand up somewhere for a while.

Black-crowned night heron on wooden post

January 5, 2014February 6, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: Animal Photos, Bird photosTags: Black-crowned night heron, California pictures, close up of green heron, Macro Monday, nature photography, night heron bird, night heron san diego, photography, photos 18 Comments

WordPress weekly photo challenge: One

My 2014 nature photography calendars (choose between five different themes) are still available for sale. Look in the left sidebar on my website for the most up-to-date discount coupon code. All calendars are made to order in the USA so you support the US economy with your purchase, and a starving artist (me!). I also appreciate any referral through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and of course your blog or website.

Today I’m participating in the WordPress weekly photo challenge and this week’s theme is “one”. Remember you can click on each photo for a larger view. If you like what you see, feel free to subscribe and receive nature photography updates a few times a week.

For this theme, I thought I’d highlight some of the photos I featured recently on this photo blog.

There was one Nutall’s woodpecker, the first woodpecker I’ve ever photographed.