Clay-Colored Sparrow Bird – Passerines – 10/10/2010 to 5/14/2017

The Clay-Colored Sparrow was photographed at Bender Park in Oak Creek, Wisconsin

Select this link to see photos of the Clay-Colored Sparrow

The Clay-Colored Sparrow is a small pale brown sparrow with a plain breast, a light crown stripe, an outlined ear patch, brownish rump, and a clean gray nape. It has a range from west and central Canada to north central United States. It has a habitat of scrub, brushy prairies, and Jack Pines. It is found perched in thickets. It has a diet of mostly seeds and insects. It is very close in looks to a Chipping Sparrow and is hard to distinguish.

 

 

Bank Swallow Bird – Passerines – 6/7/2014 to 5/29/2017

The Bank Swallow is elusive and fluttery as it stops for moments to gather food

Select this link to see photos of the Bank Swallow

The Bank Swallow is a brown backed swallow with white below and a shaded brown waistband. The Bank Swallow is the smallest of the swallows. It has a widespread range of the Northern Hemisphere. Its habitat is near water, over fields, marshes, streams, and lakes. It nests in colonies in sand banks. The nest is one of the few places that the Bank Sparrow rests for a short time, and it is usually difficult to photograph them. They were photographed at McKinley Beach in Milwaukee, and Bender Park in Oak Creek  Wisconsin.

 

 

Common Snipe Bird – Small Waders – 6/23/2014, 4/21/2017

The Common Snipe was photographed at Freezout Lake Wildlife Management Area in Montana.

This Common Snipe was photograph by surprise while trying to find the American Bittern on Pennsylvania Ave. between Oakwood and Ryan Roads in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

Select this link to see photos or a slideshow of the Common Snipe

The Common Snipe is brown with buff and bold zigzag stripes on the back, a striped head, an extremely long bill, greenish legs, and a short orange tail. The range is most of North America. It has a habitat of marshes, bogs and wet meadows. It is a solitary creature of wet fields and bogs. It can often be heard sitting from atop a fence post or dead tree. It has a diet of mostly insects and earthworms found from probing in soft mud.

 

 

American Bittern Bird – Long-legged Waders – 4/21/17

The American Bittern was photographed on Pennsylvania Ave. between Oakwood and Ryan Roads in Oakcreek, Wisconsin.

Select this link to see an album of photos of the American Bittern, next select slideshow

The American Bittern is a stocky brown heron with a black stripe on the neck, a head usually pointed up, and green legs. It has a range of Canada to the Gulf States, and winters in Panama. It has a habitat of marshes, reedy lakes or water, and seldom sits in trees. Its head is usually pointed upward with the black neck streak seen. It has a diet of mostly fish and other aquatic life. They move slowly through marsh grass, and are difficult to see with so little movement.

 

 

American Pipit Bird – Passerines – 10/16/2016

The American Pipit was photographed north of Bender Park in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

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

The American Pipit is a slender brown bird with buffy streaked underparts, a slender bill, and white outer tail feathers. It has a range of the colder parts of the Northern Hemisphere. It has a habitat of tundra, alpine slopes, plains, bare fields, and shores, and can be found throughout the United States during migration. It feeds on mostly insects and some seeds by walking on the ground. It can often be seen wagging its tail while walking and feeding.

 

 

Eastern Meadowlark Bird – Passerines – 6/18/2013

The Eastern Meadowlark was photographed at Milwaukee County Bebder Park in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

Select this link to see photos or a slideshow of the Eastern Meadowlark

The Eastern Meadowlark is a chunky brown speckled brown bird with a bright yellow throat and breast with a black V on the breast. It has a short tail with a patch of white on each side. The cheek is white. It has a range from southeast Canada and the eastern half of the United States. It has a habitat of open fields, pastures, meadows, and prairies. It is usually not first seen, but heard by a guttural chatter that is a distinctive sound. Its diet consists of mostly insects and seeds by foraging while walking on the ground.

Select this link to see photos or a slideshow of the Western Meadowlark