I expect that bird-watching doesn't rate very high on many of your to-do lists.... Actually it didn't on mine either, but the amount and variety of birds down here has captured my attention for the past two months or so. So. If you don't particularly like photos of little birdies, now is probably a good time to tune out!
All of these photos were taken within one block of our apartment in downtown Santa Cruz. To date I have identified 36 species of birds, and I think I have photos of about 30. Some of the little boogers are fiendishly difficult to get pics of, and we're working with a hand-held point-and-shoot camera which is not the best platform for this kind of thing. But you go with what you got, right?
Turns out bird-watching is a lot like hunting, but not as much to carry home at the end of the day. First you find them, then you shoot them. The shooting part can be very frustrating, as many of these species are like small children with ADHD, they never sit still. Further, they get very nervous when you stare at them with binoculars or a camera. But that's all in a day's work for us big-time bird photographers!
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Golden-cheeked woodpecker.
A little guy, about the size of a robin. |
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I guess nobody specifically TOLD him
that woodpeckers don't eat fruit... |
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| Lineated woodpecker. Yes, that's Woody! |
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| Bad hair day. |
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Yellow-winged Cacique,
About the size of a pigeon.
Note the pony-tail. |
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| Must have been a very sour berry! |
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Orange-fronted Parakeet.
Noisy little squabblers. |
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| Must be tasty! |
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White-throated Magpie Jay.
Crow-sized, they fly like
Elliot, from Pete's Dragon. |
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Groove-billed Ani.
They look like little dinosaurs. |
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| Inca Dove. Good camouflage! |
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Orange breasted Bunting.
Looks like he fell into a paint can. |
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Bush Euphonia. This guy is tiny.
Not in the bird books, had to send
his photo away to get him identified! |
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Vermilion Flycatcher. This photo
doesn't do him justice. He has a
brilliant red breast. Stunning. |
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| Tropical Kingbird. |
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| Great Kiskadee. |
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| Streak-backed Oriole. |
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| Lots of color variation in these guys. |
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Orchard Oriole. Hard ones to
get a photo of... |
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The females are green! Thought
I was seeing things. Very pretty. |
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| Citreoline Trogon from the front. |
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| And from the back. |
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West Mexican Chachalaca.
Turkey-size, very loud! |
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Busted!
Eating flowers from an ornamental. |
