Royal Tern Bird – Aerialists – 11/28/2013

The Royal Tern was photographed on Myrtle Beach in South Carolina

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The Royal Tern is a medium sized seabird with a large orange bill, a deeply forked tail, a gray back, white under primaries, and a black or white forehead with black feathers forming a crest. The Royal Tern is one of the larger terns. It has a range strictly on the United States east, southeast, and Gulf, and northwest Mexico coasts. The habitats are coasts, sandy beaches, and salt bays. It is almost never seen inland. It feeds on small fish and crustaceans.

 

Lesser Black Backed Gull Bird – Aerialists – 11/30/2013

This younger Lesser Black-Backed Gull was photographed on Myrtle Beach in South Carolina

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The Lesser Black-Backed Gull has black back and snow-white underparts with pink (younger) and yellow (older) legs. The range is Northern Europe, but may be found migrating in North America. It has a habitat at beaches, bays, coasts, and garbage dumps. The diet includes fish, insects, mollusks, crustaceans, marine worms, and refuge in dumps. It has not been proven to nest in the United States. North American records are of the Britain/Iceland population that is indicated by a lighter black back. When seen they are few in number, and usually only for a short time.

 

Glaucous Gull Bird – Aerialists – 1/12/2013

This lone Glaucous Gull was photographed north of Bradford Beach in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Lake Michigan.

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The Glaucous Gull is a chalky white gull with a gray mantle, frosty white wing tips, flesh colored legs, and large yellow bill. Adults have a pale gray mantle. It has a range of the Arctic; circumpolar, and comes to the Great Lakes and the northeast US coast. Also Alaska, western Canada coast, and northwestern US coast. It is the only large Gull common to the High Artic. It has a coastal habitat and seldom comes inland. The diet is highly variable, includes fish, mollusks, crustaceans, worms, sea urchins, insects, birds, eggs, berries, seaweed, and carrion (dead animals).

 

Bonaparte’s Gull Bird – Aerialists – 4/12/2012

The Bonaparte’s Gull is the smallest Gull usually seen in North America.

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The Bonaparte’s Gull is a small gray and white Gull with red legs, and a black head in the summer. The winter adult has a white head with a black earspot. This is the smallest gull usually seen over North America. It nests in trees and not on the ground, as other gulls do. Its normal range is from Alaska to central Canada. It winters on the Great Lakes and the coasts of the United States. Its habitat is Ocean Bays, rivers, and lakes. The diet is insects, crustaceans, and fish.

 

Purple Sandpiper Bird – Smaller Waders – 12/31/2011

The Purple Sandpiper, being a rarity to the Great Lakes, brought out the bird watchers to see them at north of Bradford Beach, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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The Purple Sandpiper is a dumpy slate-gray colored bird with a white belly and eye ring, and short yellow legs. It is a rarity to the Great Lakes, so many bird watchers were out to get a first hand life view. Its normal range is the arctic, and winters along the coasts of the North Atlantic-further north than any other shorebird. Its habitat is wave washed rocks, jetties and eats mostly insects and mollusks. I was walking up the Bradford Beach when I came to a log to step over. The shells on the beached seemed to move. Looking closely, this small dumpy bird was seen darting around while the Gulls and Mallards were sitting.

 

Black Vulture Bird – Birds of Prey – 5/12/2011

The Black Vulture is mostly found in flat low lands and nests in forests in the southeast of the United States.

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This big black scavenger is identified by a shot stubby tail and white patch toward the wing tip. It has a gray head. Mostly seen in the southeast of the United States. Avoids higher mountains, scarce in open plains. Usually seen soaring in the sky or perched on dead trees, posts, power poles, or on the ground. The Black Vulture has a wingspan less than 5 feet.

 

American Oystercatcher Bird – small waders 1/2/2011

 

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The American Oystercatcher ranges on the coasts of the world. In the US it is on the Atlantic, Florida and Gulf coasts. It will be found on coastal beaches and tidal flats. The outstanding features are the red flattened bill, pink flesh legs, and black head with dark back. The Oystercatcher uses it’s bill to catch oysters and other shellfish by surprise.

 

American Anhinga Bird – swimmers – 6/18/2010

The American Anhinga photo was taken in Orlando, FL

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The American Anhinga can be found in Florida and the East and Gulf coasts.  It’s habitat is cypress swamps, rice fields, rivers and wooded ponds. It often swims with only it’s head and neck sticking out of the water.