Piping Plover Bird – Small Waders – 5/2/2017

Two Piping Plovers were photographed at Bradford Beach in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Select this link to see photos of the Piping Plover

The Piping Plover is a small pale bird, the color of dry sand, with an incomplete dark ring around the neck, and throat, belly and undersides white, with yellow legs, yellow beak with a black tip. In winter the legs and bill are dark. It has a range of south Canada to northeast and central United States. It has a habitat of sand beaches and tidal flats. It has a diet of insects, marine worms, and crustaceans. It moves about in quick fashion and abrupt stops, and is hard to see when on the sand when foraging by pecking.

 

 

Least Sandpiper – Small Waders – 7/30/2012 to 8/5/2018

The Least Sandpipers were photographed at Vernon and Horicon Marshes in Wisconsin.

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Great Black-Backed Gull Bird – Aerialists – 11/29/2015

The adult Great Black-Backed Gull was photographed at McKinley Marina in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The 3rd winter juvenile Great Black-Backed Gull was photographed at Ocean Lakes in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Select this link to see photos of the Great Black-Backed Gull

The Greater Black-Backed Gull has black back and wings, and white underparts with pink legs and is the largest gull Young gulls have contrast brown, paler on the head, tail, and under parts.. This 3rd winter immature Gull still has a black tip on the beak. It is larger than a Herring Gull and the smaller Lesser Black-Backed Gull. It has a range of mainly northern North Atlantic United States. It has a habitat of mainly coastal waters, estuaries: a few on large lakes. The diet includes carrion, fish, mollusks, crustaceans, marine worms, insects, rodents, berries, and the adults young and eggs of other birds. It is primarily a bird of the Atlantic coast and seldom seen inland except on the Great Lakes.

 

 

Lesser Black-backed Gull Bird – Aerialists – 2/18/2017

The Lesser Black-backed Gull was photographed at Northridge Lakes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Select this link to see photos of the Lesser Black-backed Gull

The Lesser Black-backed Gull has slightly light dark gray-black back and snow-white belly, streaking on the head and darker around the eyes, with pink (younger) and yellow (older) legs, streaking on head and darker around the eyes, and is distinguished by yellow legs after the third winter. The juvenile has a black bill, pink legs, and streaking on the belly. 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.

 

 

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker Bird – Nonpasserine Land Bird – 9/26/2014 to 12/29/2017

The adult male Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker was photographed at Lake park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The adult female Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker was photographed at Fearrington Village in Pittsboro, North Carolina

The immature Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker was photographed at Lake Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Select this link to see photos of the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

The male Yellow-Breasted Sapsucker is patterned dark gray above and light gray below with a distinctive white wing patch, and with a red forehead and throat patches. The female is similar to the male except it has only the forehead red patch and the upper and under has a light brown tint. The immature has no or slight red patch and may have no or slight brown tint. It has a range of Canada to the Southern Appalachians. It has a habitat of woodlands, aspen groves, orchards, and other trees. It feeds on insects, tree sap, berries, and fruit. Sapsuckers drill orderly rows of small holes in trees for sap, and visit them periodically to obtain sap.

 

 

 

Thayer’s Gull Bird – Aerialists – 2/18/2017

The Thayers’s Gulls were photographed at the Northridge lake in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on a mostly frozen lake

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

The Thayer’s Gull is similar to a Herring Gull with gray back and white lowers, pink legs, bill with a red spot, slate gray primaries, round white or smudgy head, and a purplish-red orbital ring around pale yellow to dark brown eyes. It has a range of Arctic Canada and winters on the Pacific Coast. It has a habitat of coastal waters and bays. It feeds on animal and vegetable substances of small fish, mollusks, crustaceans, and berries. It’s closely related to the Iceland Gull and is difficult to tell from the Iceland and Herring Gulls.

 

 

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.

 

 

Greater White-Fronted Goose Bird – Swimmers – 3/10/2017

The Greater White-Fronted Goose was photographed at McKinley Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Select this link to see photos of the Great White-Fronted Goose

The Greater White-Fronted Goose is a gray goose with a white patch on the front of the face, a pink bill, speckled belly, white flank line, and orange feet. It has a range of the Arctic circumpolar. It has a habitat of marshes, prairies, fields, lakes, bays, and tundra, and mostly in open country. It feeds mostly on plant material.

 

 

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.

 

Sora Bird – Small Waders – 9/11/2017

The Sora was photographed at the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge in Wiscobsin off Hwy 49 on the 3 mile Auto Loop in a ditch with tall grasses.

Select this link to see an album of Sora photos

The Sora is a small plump gray-brown rail with a dark(black) patch on the face and throat(as an adult), and a short yellow bill. An immature Sora is shown. Its range is Canada and western, north central and northeast United States. It has a habitat of fresh water marshes, and wet meadows. It feeds mostly on seeds, insects, and snails. It usually hides in the grasses, but can be quite bold by walking and feeding in full view.