Ross’s Goose Bird – Swimmers – 2/3/2017

The Ross’s Goose was photographed at the South Shore Yacht Club in Bayview, Wisconsin.

Select this link to see photos or videos of the Ross’s Goose

The Ross’s Goose is small in size, primarily white with black wing tips, red-orange feet, and stubby red-orange beak. There is a dark morph, but it is rare. It has a range of Artic Canada and winters in western United States. It is found in the tundra (summer), salt and freshwater marshes, ponds, and grain fields in their winter. It eats mostly grasses and grains. This was a loner goose that stayed for some time with several Canadian Geese, and seemed to travel with them. I never saw it fly, but saw it at several times at different locations.

 

Kumlien’s Gull Bird – Aerialists – 12/31/2016

The Kumlien’s Gull, a form of the Iceland or Thayer’s Gull, was photographed at South Shore Yacht Club in Bayview, Wisconsin.

Select this link to see photos of the Kumlien’s Gull

The Kumlien’s Gull, a form of the Iceland or Thayer’s Gull, is white with a gray mantle and slightly gray or dark primaries, a yellow bill with orange dot, and pink legs with webbed feet. It has a range of eastern Arctic Canada to northeaster United States. It has a habitat of coastal areas and less frequent inland. Their diet consists of marine life, plant and animal food, refuse, and carrion.

 

 

Merlin Bird – Birds of Prey – 9/26/2014

The female Merlin was photographed at Humboldt Park in Bayview, Wisconsin

Select this link to see photos or a slideshow of the Merlin

The female Merlin is a small compact falcon, slightly larger than a Jay, with dusky brown above, a bold streaked breast, and a broad black-banded tail. It has a range of the Northern parts of the Northern Hemisphere and summers mainly in Canada and Alaska. It has a habitat of open conifer woodlands, prairie groves, and in migration foothills, marshes, and open country. It feeds on mostly small birds, large insects, rodents, bats and reptiles. It is a fast flying bird swooping down on birds in the air and the ground.

 

Redhead Duck Bird – Swimmers – 3/3/2013

The Redhead Duck was photographed on Lake Michigan at the Bayview Park in Bayview, Wisconsin

The female Redhead Duck photographed with other ducks while feeding in a small patch of water not frozen

Select this link to see photos or a slideshow of the Redhead Duck

The male Redhead Duck is gray with a black chest, a round rufous head, and a bluish bill with black tip. The female Redhead Duck is brownish with a bluish bill with a black tip, and a suffused light patch near the bill. It has a range from west Canada, and west and north central of the United States, and the Great Lakes. It has a habitat around fresh marshes, lakes, and saltwater bays. The diet is mainly leaves, stems, seeds, and roots of aquatic plants.

 

 

Snowy Owl Bird – Birds of Prey – 1/6/2012

This male Snowy Owl was photographed on 1/6/2012 at the South Shore Yacht Club breakwater in Bayview, Wisconsin

This female Snowy Owl was photographed on 12/12/2012 at the South Shore Yacht Club pier

This female Snowy owl was photographed at the Coast Guard Impoundment on Lake Michigan in Bayview, Wisconsin

This female Snowy Owl was photographed on 12/14/2012 at the South Shore Yacht Club pier

Select this link to see photos or a slideshow of the Snowy Owl

The male Snowy Owl is a large white owl with a large round head yellow eyes, and a flecked or barred appearance. The female Snowy Owl has a darker appearance than the male. It is one of the few owls that can be seen during the daytime, however its distance is usually from afar. The range is the Arctic; circumpolar. In the winter it comes southward to Canada and the northern United States. It has a habitat of prairies, fields, marshes, beaches, dunes, breakwaters, and shorelines. It feeds on a variety of mammal prey such as lemmings, voles, squirrels, and birds.

 

American Crow Bird – Passerines – 12/10/2011

This American Crow was seen and photographed near South Shore Marina in Bayview, Wisconsin

Select this link to see photos or a slideshow of the American Crow

The American Crow is a large black bird with a black beak and feet. It is glossed with purplish in strong sunlight. Crows have square tails. Its range is Canada to the Southern United States. Their distinctive caw is familiar sound almost anywhere you go. Crows are sociable and may flock and roost together. The crow seems to feed on almost anything it can find on the ground or in trees. Its habitat is woodlands, farmland, river groves, shores, and cities.