Love, Joy and Peas: wild bird

Showing posts with label wild bird. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Cooper's Hawk for Wild Wednesday

Happy wild Wednesday! I'm excited to share what I think are our first Cooper's hawk photos.

Downward stare: Copyright © Ben Wheeler, 2016
Used with permission

My husband spotted this beauty, called me over and we got to enjoy its majestic presence for a few minutes before it flew off.

Wild bird gaze: Copyright © Ben Wheeler, 2016
Used with permission

This is one beautiful wild bird! I love seeing local wildlife up close. It's a true blessing.

Hunting hawk: Copyright © Ben Wheeler, 2016
Used with permission

Hearty thanks to my husband for spotting the bird and sharing his photos with us here! And thank you for visiting! May God bless and keep you!

Related posts:
Wet wild birds: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/07/wet-wild-birds.html
Catbird and Robin: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/06/catbird-and-robin.html
Eagle festival: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/03/eagle-festival-photos.html

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Splashing Robin, Blazing Azaleas

Happy Wild Wednesday! This wild robin had a great time splashing around in our bird bath.

I thought she looked especially pretty with the fiery red azaleas in the background.

She definitely noticed me taking photos.

But just kept an eye on me as she went about her wildlife business.

Then she gave me one more glance before flying away.

Whenever I have something new and fun I aim to post a Wild Wednesday feature for you. But when a post isn't possible I do still usually share something on my blog's Facebook page so be sure to check there if you miss seeing something here.

Thank you so much for visiting! If you liked this post, I'd appreciate a Google +1 and if you like the blog in general, a separate +1 for the main blog would be fabulous too. May God bless you!

Love Joy and Peace on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovejoypeas/timeline

Related posts:
Catbird and robin: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/06/catbird-and-robin.html
Wet & wild birds: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/07/wet-wild-birds.html
Azaleas galore: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/05/azalea-walk-landscape-photos.html

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Adult Bald Eagle Feeds Two Baby Eagles

Happy wild Wednesday! My husband took leave today and we went to see the bald eagle nest at the US National Arboretum. The area closest to the nest is closed to protect the eagles but they have some telescopes set up along the open part of the trail (near the azalea collections).

It was a blessing to see the nest in person but the best photos (first four in this post) were taken via the television in the Arboretum's Visitor Center, which was broadcasting the live eagle cam.

When we first arrived it was just the two eaglets then the adult bald eagle flew in with fresh fish for the babies. It looks like there were still some leftovers in the nest too.

Even if on a television screen (or this blog post), I think these wild birds are amazing.

And just for reference, this was the best photo I got of the nest from the ground. You can make out an adult eagle head towards the upper right but the television/cam photos are much better.

Thank you for visiting! May God bless you, America and our bald eagles!

Related posts:
2015 Eagle Nest: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/04/wild-eagles-nest-at-us-national.html
Eagle Festival: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/03/eagle-festival-photos.html
Blackwater Eagles: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/03/blackwater-national-wildlife-refuge.html

Copyright note: I don't know the actual legality of copyrighting photos taken of a television/cam and the main reason I use the copyright is because I don't like seeing my photos used without permission. However, if you want to use them for government, educational or nonprofit purposes, you have my permission (though a link and photo credit would be appreciated). If you want to use them for other reason, please contact me at lovejoypeas@gmail.com first. Thank you.

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Northern Mockingbird Photos

Happy wild Wednesday! I was excited to get these northern mockingbird photos to share with you. I see them every now and then but they are usually in tree tops too far away to capture.

This northern mockingbird looked like it might fly away when it saw me with my camera.

But I'm glad it hung around for a while, even through some gusts of wind that ruffled its feathers.

I think you can see the ruffled feathers of this pretty wild bird better in this photo.

I wonder if the northern mockingbird was waiting on its mate? I hope they find each other!

Thank you for visiting! May God bless you and our feathered friends!

Related posts:
Catbird and Robin: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/06/catbird-and-robin.html
Wet & Wild Birds: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/07/wet-wild-birds.html
Wildlife at Glendening: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/07/wildlife-at-glendening-preserves.html

Monday, April 30, 2012

Fish Grabbing Bird Photos

Photograph by Ben Wheeler

Celebrating my first Unplugged Sunday, my husband and I went to the National Zoo and were treated to the sight of these medium sized birds (they looked about 12-18" tall) sneakily grabbing the fish that the Zoo's keepers had strewn across the front lawn of an empty exhibit.

Photograph by Ben Wheeler

The birds would try to wait until no humans were around to grab their fish but this one was eager for its fish. It stood peering at us from on one side of the tree and then stealthily walked around the back and peered at us from the other side. It would start to approach the fish and then scurry back behind the tree when other zoo visitors approached. This continued for a while.

Photograph by Ben Wheeler

Then suddenly it ran up, grabbed a fish and flew away. Do you happen to know what kind of bird this is? There weren't any keepers around to ask (they must have tossed the fish in just before we arrived) and the exhibit was unmarked. I guess the birds are allowed to be wild as they were flying in and out of the exhibit at will. Whatever kind of bird it is, it was fun to watch. May God bless you!