[H. Hound]

This little green Heron was guarding the entrance to a portable last summer.

[H. Hound]

There must be a rookery near the Issaquah School District admin building, as these little guys are there every year. It was really cool to be able to get within feet of the bird. He stayed around for 4 to 5 hours, and then disappeared.

[Newt]

A couple 2 NN

[hikermike]

Thank you very much for starting this thread as it is a new interest to me. I doubt I can contribute much to this as I am very poor at taking pix of wildlife so VERY much appreciate your contributions. I especialy like the real world pix instead of the idealized studio-zoo pix seen in books which are nice but sometimes don't help with identification in real world situations. Recently, I've become interested in learning bird calls. This has opened up an entirely new aspect to hiking and has broadened my hiking experience. Listening to them helps in finding animals (tracking) and even tells me if I'm making too much noise, they can tell you if humans are approaching on the trail, and sometimes conditions. I've been surprised to find that some birds even follow you on the trail. I've also been interested that some birds seem to look out for other species of birds and maybe even animals which flies in the face of conventional science. (Why would a song sparrow high in a tree-it's habitat-call out to a robin on the ground-which is not it's habitat?) This might be a winter topic that Karen might approach as an article. Please keep the photos coming and encourage others to do so. And those that think the subject of birds is trivial, realize that they can help you in tracking whatever else you're interested in.

[Ulrich]

Just recently we had a flock of these gregarious Cedar Waxwings with their distinctive color markings in our yard indulging on berries. What fun to watch. In regard to some birds watching out for other birds. Have you ever observed a bunch of crows mobbing a hawk, driving him out of their territory?

[Newt]

Lucky. I only get em in the spring. They can clean the big tree in just a couple of days. Not sure if they migrate or not, but if they do, I would think they would hit it in the fall also. Berries twice a year should be pretty good pickins. And Hawks drive the Eagles. And Starlings drive the Hawks. Why is it the little ones pick on the big ones? And they don't appear to fight back. NN

[Slugman]

Here is a bird shot from my trip to the Pasayten in October. I am ashamed to admit I don't know what kind of bird.

Pasayten bird

[Ulrich]

Probably a Ruffed Grouse, the most widely distributed grouse in the United States. Notice the fan-shaped tail, with a broad black band near the tip. Gray birds are northward or at higher altitudes.

[Alan Bauer]

http://www.alanbauer.com/images/Critters/Web%20Red-tailed%20hawk%20on%20cedar%20tree-closeup-Vert.jpg http://www.alanbauer.com/images/Critters/Mourning%20Dove-Horz.jpg http://www.alanbauer.com/images/Critters/Heron%20in%20Ruthurford%20Slough%20-%20horz.jpg http://www.alanbauer.com/images/Critters/Tundra%20swans%20flying%20solo-Horz.jpg OK OK...so it isn't a bird...but if you are a birder you are destined to become interested in butterflies too http://www.alanbauer.com/images/Critters/Butterfly%20on%20asters%20along%20Marcus%20trail.jpg

[Scrooge]

Roadside attraction.

[smmslt]

I shot this Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch on the summit of Mt. Whitney. They were as tame up there as Gray Jays are everywhere else.

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch looking for a free meal on my friend's hand.

[JimK]

Did someone mention Gray Jays?

Camp Robber Jay

[smmslt]

Indeed, a great thread with some terrific photos of one of my chief interests. And Ulrich, you reminded me of a Clark's Nutcracker photo I got in Manning Park at a parking area.

[Duncan]

I went for a walk in the park this morning and came across this little woodpecker on the side of the trail just going to town on this tree. Didn't seem to mind the fact that I was only 2-3 feet away. Can anyone tell me what type of woodpecker this is?

[Ulrich]

Probably a male Downy Woodpecker. Hairy and Downy Woodpecker are almost identical, with the Hairy having a larger bill.