White-face Ibis With Dinner - Click image to view larger!

Thanks for viewing/comments! I wish for a lower angle shot but it's a no no to get down

in the mud and risk getting a ticket in the wildlife refuge.

Beautiful catch Tue! Did you take the shot near dawn or dusk = during "golden light" hours?

Minor quibble - on my screen the yellows look a little bit over saturated in the irdidescent parts of the plumage, maybe try tweaking color balance a little towards more blue/cyano, to bring out those color gradients more evenly?

Thanks Paul! It's at sunset time and probable account for some of the orange cast.

 

I read your bio and have to smile when I read about your handed down Canon A1 which is my last film camera. I had a couple F1 before that but in the end I used the A1 mostly.

What a beauty! So well done again.

Very nice image , you have frozen the fish in midair, I like this bird with the iridescent plumage, the good light enhance this feature, ciao Giangiorgio

Very colorful Ibis.  Well done with your usual perfect timing... Mike

Thanks Greg & Verena!

 

Grazie Mille Giangiorgio!

 

Thanks Mr. Mancil! I wish for a lower angle but that's all I can get  :-) ... a lucky shot seen these guy are fast eater and snap the beak extremely fast.

Nice capture of the colors as well as the doomed minnow.

Thanks Jim! Glad to hear from you. 

Tm

You are probably aware of this, but in case not, it might be something you'd be interested in.

the  great backyard bird count       birdcount.org

 

 

THE 18TH annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) takes place Feb. 13-16 so you can celebrate your love of birds on Valentine’s Day. A joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society, and Bird Studies Canada, the GBBC is an opportunity for all to discover the wonders of nature we call birds.

Begun in 1998, the GBBC enlists birders of all skill levels in an effort to keep common birds common. It provides a snapshot of midwinter bird abundance and distribution.

Last year GBBC “citizen scientists” from 135 countries turned in 144,109 checklists reporting a total of 17,748,756 individual birds and 4,296 species — that’s about 43% of all the bird species in the world! In addition to the U.S. and Canada, India, Australia, and Mexico led the way with the greatest number of checklists submitted.

In the U.S., California birders submitted the most checklists (9,452), followed by New York (8,450), and Pennsylvania (7,617). Ohio ranked 7th with 5,798 checklists, Michigan ranked 10th (4,334), and West Virginia ranked 37th (898) The species reported on the most checklists were northern cardinals (61,045), dark-eyed juncos (58,077), mourning doves (50,596), blue jays (45,027), and downy woodpeckers (42,215). The most numerous bird reported in the U.S. was the red-winged blackbird with 1,609,037 counted.

In 2014 North American birdwatchers fell in love with snowy owls when they were reported in unprecedented numbers across southeastern Canada, the Great Lakes states, the Northeast, and down the Atlantic Coast. Expect snowy owls to show up in higher numbers during this year’s GBBC, too.

“It’s called an ‘echo flight,’” explains Marshall Iliff, eBird Project Leader at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “After a huge irruption like we had last winter, the following year often yields higher-than-usual numbers as well. The abundance of lemmings that produced last year’s snowy owl irruption likely continued or emerged in new areas of eastern Canada, more owls may have stayed east after last year’s irruption, and some of last year’s birds that came south are returning.”

“This may also be a big year for finches,” notes Audubon Chief Scientist Gary Langham. “GBBC participants in North America should be on the lookout for larger numbers of pine siskins and redpolls. These birds also push farther south when pine cone seed crops fail in the far north of Canada.”

“We especially want to encourage people to share their love of birds and bird watching with someone new this year,” says Dick Cannings at Bird Studies Canada. “Share your passion, and you may fledge a brand new bird watcher!”

Anyone can participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from novice bird watchers to experts. Participants count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the event and report their sightings online. Counts can be done anywhere from the backyard to a local park, nature center or wildlife refuge. It’s easy, free, and fun.

During the count, results are updated hourly on animated maps and colorful graphs for all to view. This feedback allows participants to see almost immediately how their observations fit into the continental perspective. Results from previous GBBCs are also available online.

Pat Leonard, a spokesperson for the lab, says they also receive thousands of digital photos each year from all over the country. To see some of the best recent photos and the winners of the GBBC photo contests, visit www.birdsource.org/gbbc/gallery. The GBBC website also includes a variety of other useful birding information — vocabulary, birdwatching and bird feeding tips, and vocalizations. It’s a valuable resource for all birders, especially students. The GBBC is a terrific way to contribute to a better understanding of birds. For more information about the GBBC or the Lab of Ornithology, contact the lab at 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY 14850, www.birdcount. org, or call 800-843-2473.

Beautifull "animal life" moment (except for the dinner...)!! Very sharp and clear bird portrait, well done (as usual)! Best regards TmJ!

Thanks Greg & Verena!

 

Muito Obrigado Joao!