Monday in Nature 4 July 2022

Basic Guidelines: In the strictest sense, nature photography should not include "hand of man elements". Please refrain from images with buildings or human made structures like roads, fences, walls. Pets are not permitted. Captive subjects in zoos, arboretums, or aquariums are permitted, but must be declared, and must focus on the subject, not the captivity. Images with obvious human made elements will likely be deleted from the thread, with an explanation to the photographer. Guidelines are based on PSA rules governing Nature photography which also cover the Nature Forum. Keep your image at/under 1000 pixels on the long axis for in-line viewing. Note that this includes photos hosted off-site at Flicker, Photobucket, your own site, etc

Each member please post no more than just one image to this weekly thread per week. If the information is available, many members appreciate information on your approach to making the image and the names, both common and scientific, of the subject(s). However, while encouraged, these are not required as a component of your contributions.

 

Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta [rupestris]) perched on a snowbank along Park Road in Denali National Park, Alaska.

Can someone with better ornithological knowledge than I please confirm or correct my identification? Captured from the same frustrating tour bus as last week's caribou.

I'm no ptarmigan expert. This is a male in breeding plumage. Sibley tells me that Willow Ptarmigan has a rich rufous neck, rock more dark grey and brown, and willow speckled black on white. Your bird looks more rufous than anything. Not sure if that helps sorry. Thanks for posting the interesting image, and for keeping this column going. Incidentally if you post to iNaturalist.org real experts will chime in.

"Can someone with better ornithological knowledge than I please confirm or correct my identification? Captured from the same frustrating tour bus as last week's caribou."

Correction: Further research suggests this is more likely a Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus), though the differences between this and the Rock Ptarmigan look to be fairly nuanced. By the bye, Willow Ptarmigan is the Alaska State Bird.

Willow Ptarmigan

Looks like that's what it is. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Willow_Ptarmigan/id

Denali? Lucky you I was there so many years ago. Yes, even at that time, the bus rides were restrictive.

Courthouse Towers, Arches National Park, Utah

Oops! I wonder if the lit shrubs disqualify the above image from this forum? I didn't think about it when posting. It was pitch dark and the headlights of a passing car illuminated the foreground. By the way, is light-painting allowed? Asking because I do that sometimes for nature shots.

Turkey Vulture

Lesser Goldfinch Enjoys Thistle Umbrella by David Stephens, on Flickr

before there were skyscrapers

Columba livia schimperi on the Nile

wild, feral, or domestic ?- only their ornithologist knows for sure, and they're not too sure either

Edited July 5, 2022 by JDMvW