American Black-Billed Magpie Bird -Passerines – 6/23/2014

The American Black-Billed Magpie was photographed in Glacier National Park in Montana United States.

Select this link to see photos of the American Black-Billed Magpie

The American Black-Billed Magpie is a large, slender, black-and white bird with a long wedge-tipped tail and stout black bill. Large white patches flash in the wings. It has a range of Eurasia and west northern America. It has a habitat of rangeland, brushy country, conifers, forest edges, farms, and streamsides. It has a diet of rodents, insects (grasshoppers, caterpillars, flies, beetles), eggs, berries, seeds, nuts, and other vegetable matter.

 

Eastern Phoebe Bird – Passerines – 4/27/2012 to 6/5/2017

This Eastern Phoebe was photographed on Greer Creek Road, Marshfield, Missouri.

These immature Eastern Phoebes were photographed on a bush outside our ding room window as they were being trained for flight and feeding.

Select this link to see photos of the Eastern Phoebe

The Easter Phoebe is a gray-brown sparrow sized flycatcher without an eye-ring or strong wing bars with a white chest and a flattened black bill. It has a range of East of the Rockies in the United States and from Central Canada to southern United States. It has a habitat of streamsides, bridges, farms, woodland edges, and roadsides. They feed on mostly insects, by watching from a perch and flying out to catch them, and some berries. It can be noted as it is perching with a bobbing tail, and it has a sharp chip sound. It is one of the earliest migrants that spring is at hand.

Select this link to see the map area where the Eastern Phoebe was photographed

 

 

 

Red Crossbill Bird – Passerines – 11/10/2017

The male Red Crossbill was photographed at Emma Carlin Trail in Jefferson County in Palmyra, Wisconsin.

The female Red Crossbill was foune near the Emma Carlin Trail parking lot located at the top of a tall 160 foot tall Red Pine feeding on pine cones.

Select this link to see photos of the Red Crossbill

The male Red Crossbill is a dull red (younger more orange) with blackish rump, wings, and tail, and with crossed mandibles. The female Red Crossbill is a dull olive-gray, a dull yellowish rump and breast, and with crossed mandibles. The immature Red Crossbill is striped above and below (above some darker), and with crossed mandibles. It has a range of southern Canada to northeastern edge of United States. It has a habitat of conifers such as firs, spruces, hemlocks and Red Pines. It has a diet of mostly fir and pine seed cones.

 

 

Brewer’s Blackbird Bird – Passerines – 11/8/2015

The Brewer’s Blackbird was photographed at Wind Lake Sod Farms in Union Grove, Wisconsin.

The Brew’s Blackbird has been difficult for me to photograph, because of its normal range and the few that migrate through the area.

Select this link to see photos of the Brewer’s Blackbird

The male Brewer’s Blackbird is a common blackbird of the West that may have purplish or greenish reflections (usually during breeding) on the body, and has a white eye with a black center. The female Brewer’s Blackbird is a gray-brown color with a dark eye. It has a range of Southwest Canada, and West and North Central United States. It has a habitat of fields, prairies, farms, and parks. It has a diet of mostly insects, seeds, and some berries.

 

Ovenbird Bird -Passerines – 5/4/2013

The Ovenbird was photographed in a Lake Park gully in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Select this link to see photos of the Ovenbird

The Ovenbird Warbler is olive-brown above with stripes below, a white-eye ring, an orange patch on crown, and pinkish legs. It is usually difficult to see and is heard more often than seen. It has a range of South Canada, and the United States east of the Rockies. It has a habitat near ground in leafy deciduous woods and during migration in thickets. It has a diet of mostly insects, and some seeds. The name comes from reference to the bird’s nest, a domed structure with entrance on the side, like an old-fashioned oven.

 

 

Grasshopper Sparrow Bird – Passerines – 5/3/2017

The Grasshopper Sparrow was photographed at Lake Park north of Bradford Beach in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Select this link to see a photo album of the Grasshopper Sparrow, next select slideshow

A little sparrow of open fields with a short sharp tail, flat head, yellow shoulder, and with a crown that is median striped with chestnut and black. It differs from other sparrows of the prairie in having a relatively unstriped buffy breast. The bird’s song is similar to the sound of a grasshopper. It can be found from Southern Canada to the Southern United States in prairie type habitats. Its habitat is grasslands, hayfields, and prairies. Its diet is mostly insects and seeds. It almost always forages for food alone.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

Lark Sparrow Bird – Passerines – 8/22/2016

This Lark Sparrow was photographed at Samuel Myers Park in Racine, Wisconsin.

Select this link to see photos or a slideshow of the Lark Sparrow

One of the larger Sparrows, the Lark Sparrow has a bold chestnut-white-black striped head pattern, striped crown, dark tail, pink legs, and a mostly clear breast except for a central spot. It has a range from south Canada to northern Mexico. It has a habitat of open country with bushes, trees, and pastures, farms, and roadsides. Its diet is mostly seeds and insects.

Select this link to see where the Lake Sparrow photo was taken