Venerablemonk27 - Clayton Fitzgerald

So it's this fan-created film preservation of the original Star Wars trilogy films. An English teacher named Petr Harmáček led a project with eight other fans to undo the various alterations made by Lucas in the 1997, 2004, and 2011 home video releases, calling the edits "an act of cultural vandalism". They used photoshop and rotoscoping techniques to

[ID: A pair of Tundra Swans are swimming on a pond close to one another. They are facing the camera and the Swan on the right is leaning close the one on the left and appears to be yelling right into their companion's ear. The Swan on the left appears to be staring into the middle distance, not necessarily listening. End ID]

Our summer vacation for 2022 was a road trip through the Dakotas, with brief dips into Montana and Wyoming. I was impossibly excited for the trip, as it was the first time since I started birding that we'd be seeing birds of the Western United States. Even better, it was right at the start of nesting season in June. Every stop held the possibility of a lifer, including this beauty.

[ID: A female Mountain Bluebird clings to a bare branch on a small shrub, standing in profile. Her body and head are subtle variations of whites and greys. She has a bright white eye ring, black bill and feet, and thin black lines bordering hints of brilliant blue in her wingtips and tail. The background is the out-of-focus greens and browns of a prairie dog town. End ID]

This is a female Mountain Bluebird. We found her while exploring one of the prairie dog towns in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Every variety of North American bluebird is lovely, but I remember being struck by the subtle variation of whites and greys and barest hints of brilliant blue in her wingtips and tail. I hadn't seen anything like her in my explorations to that point, so I knew I was seeing the species for the first time. It's always special when you encounter a new species and they seem to be checking you out just as closely as you're scrutinizing them.

Not really a question, but I just wanted to say that your photos are awesome! You have a lot of talent, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of it in the future :)

That's really kind of you to say! You can be sure that I won't be quitting photography anytime soon.

So here's a fun one. I was up in Eagle River, WI at a friend's lake house this past September. We were out on the pontoon boat tooling around and enjoying the day. I had my 4-year-old kid on my lap when the driver says, "Bald Eagle, right ahead!"

The bird flew right over the top of the boat, maybe 50 feet up. I just barely managed to get it in frame directly above us, with my kid acting as a counterweight to keep me from tipping over backward.

[ID: An adult Bald Eagle flying with the overcast sky as a background. The bird is photographed from below. It's looking down and to its right, with wings partially extended mid-flap. It has an entirely brown body and wings, white head and tail, and yellow bill and feet. Its head is turned such that only the left eye is visible, resulting in a very serious or concentrated expression. End ID]

Time for a more recent post! I've seen American Tree Sparrows before, but a pair showed up in my yard for the first time over the weekend. They spent most of their time picking around by the bottom of the feeders, but I managed to catch just a few frames of this one resting in the Tatarian Maple out front.

[ID: An American Tree Sparrow sits on the branch of a young Tatarian Maple. The Sparrow is mostly grey with hints brown wings showing at either shoulder. It has a dark grey eye line extending from the charscteristic two-tone bill, grey upper and yellow lower. It also has a reddish-brown cap that extends from the top of the bill to the back of the head. The branches of the Maple are bare, save for a few seed still clinging to the twigs. End ID]

I picked up a lifer, folks! We were canoeing along the Mississippi River a couple weeks ago, on a camping trip at Merrick State Park. I was keeping a bird list from the back of the canoe, likely doing less than my fair share of paddling, when I saw a shockingly yellow bird on the shore.

[ID: A pair of Prothonotary Warblers are perched on the same thin branch of a tree. The branch is running vertically across the frame with an adult male clinging to the upper part and a juvenile sitting just below him and looking upward. The male has an incredibly bright yellow head and body. His upper wings and back are green, and his wings change to grey-blue as they extend backward to the primary flight feathers. He has a sharp black beak and a shiny black eye. The juvenile is looking up at the male, mouth open and begging for something to eat. Their body is mostly pale grey, with a few patches of yellow on their throat and sides. They look a bit shaggier compared to the sleek feathers of the adult male. End ID]

I remember exclaiming to my partner, "It's a Warbler! Could that be a Prothonotary?", right before it disappeared into the trees. When she turned around to look, another Warbler appeared in the same spot, but this one was duller yellow. I quietly cursed my lack of a camera (the protection plan explicitly does not cover dropping it into a river), and pulled out my phone to try to pick up any songs. Sure enough, Merlin confirmed the quiet trilling as a Prothonotary! We steered the canoe back around to try for a better look, but they were gone.

[ID: A female Prothonotary Warbler clings to the end of a tiny branch with wispy silk strands on it. She's distinguished from the male by a somewhat duller yellow on her head and back, but otherwise looks very much like her mate. She's collecting what appears to be insect larvae with her bill, which look like tiny grains of white rice. End ID]

Needless to say, I was excited at seeing a new species and lamenting the addition of that same species to my "no pics" list. Later on we were relaxing at the campsite and reading our books when my partner says, "Clay, come here! Is this your bird?! They're chasing each other!" This time I could snatch up my camera before joining her at the edge of the site. And she was right! We had several little Prothonotaries flitting around and peeping at each other. After watching for a few minutes, I realized it was multiple juveniles being fed by their their parents. The kids must have just recently fledged, as they were sitting in very conspicuous places and yelling for food while mom and dad were shuttling tasty bits back and forth.

[ID: An adult male Prothonotary Warbler feeds a juvenile. The same male from the first image is perched on a branch in the sunlight, placing something directly into the mouth of his child. From this angle, the color differences between parent and child are very apparent, with the child looking almost entirely grey on their upper parts, aside from a few streaks of dull green along the back. End ID]

I was feeling incredibly fortunate to get a better look at these energetic birds, but it was tough to keep them in the frame. I found that the kids would generally pick a spot out in the open where they could make lots of noise and be sure their parents could find them. If I stayed on a child, I could be sure that a parent would be returning very soon. I also realized that it wasn't just the fledglings peeping frantically for food. Dad was staying mostly silent while foraging down in the understory, but he would give a few quick peeps after finding something to eat. It felt a lot like he was saying, "I found a bug! Where are you? Come and get it!"

[ID: A juvenile Prothonotary Warbler sits on a branch, waiting for their next bit of food. Their bill is open and wings are slightly extended, fluttering in what must be the universal dance for telling your parent that you're hungry. If you are a small bird, that is. End ID]

I must have spent an hour just following these babies down the little access road for driving up to the campsites, taking tons of photos and watching for brief glimpses of a parent. I moved slowly and calmly so as not to disturb them, but they seemed to go about their business as though I wasn't even there. The kids stuck mostly to the edges of the woods, at eye level or higher, but dad was up in the trees, down in the open grass, and just about anywhere you might find a spider or a gnat. He was often flying within a foot or two of me as he crossed the road in tireless pursuit of his goal.

[ID: A juvenile Prothonotary Warbler poses on a branch, patiently waiting for food this time. The bird is well-lit and sitting in front of a very dark patch of forest, which makes the background look almost black. This juvenile has more dull green on their face and flanks where the others were more grey and yellow, but they have the same shaggy appearance of being just recently fledged. End ID]

Thinking back, the experience was almost surreal. I knew I was walking down a paved road in a sold-out campsite, but I was in this little pocket of existence, watching these devoted parents do everything they could to make sure their children would grow up strong and healthy. For this little family, in the few weeks where this river bank has everything they need, the rest of the world might as well not be there.

We have family that live out in the woods in Walworth County, WI. It's always a treat to visit them, both for the company and the abundance of wild forest birds that visit their feeders. Their house is my one reliable place to see Tufted Titmice around here, so I had to bring my camera.

[ID: A Tufted Titmouse clings to a thin branch. It's mostly gray with white underparts, black bill, a black patch around the bill, and large black eyes. It has hints of orange under each wing and a small crest of top of its head. End ID]

The Titmice were very active at the feeder that day, but they're a tricky subject to catch. They will only perch for a second or two before seizing their moment to grab a seed at the feeder and fly off to eat it in private. So I had to keep my camera at the ready and pointed at one of their favorite landing spots to catch just a handful of frames.

[ID: An American Tree Sparrow sits on the branch of a small tree. It has streaky brown wings with two white wing bars, streaks of tan on the underparts, and a brown eye line and reddish brown cap. It has the characteristic two-tone bill for American Tree Sparrows: dark grey upper bill, yellow lower bill. End ID]

Of course, I had to grab a selection of shots for the other visitors while I was there. This American Tree Sparrow was also a first-of-year for me, seemingly the only one hanging out with the flock of Titmice, Juncos, and Chickadees.

[ID: A Black-capped Chickadee sits on a bare branch. It has grey wings and tail, with white underparts blending to cream under the wings. It has a dark black cap and throat encapsulating the tiny black beak and bright white cheek patches. End ID]

The Black-capped Chickadees were either a lot more numerous or bolder than the other birds visiting the feeders, with one or two grabbing seeds at any given moment and at least three or four others hanging out in the trees nearby looking for an opening.

[ID: A Dark-eyed Junco checks the grass near a brick walkway for food. It's likely a male from the dark grey body and head, with white underparts and tiny hints of brown in the back and wing feathers. The general dark plumage and black eye contrast with the pale pink beak. End ID]

And the Dark-eyed Juncos were happy to mostly forage on the ground in clusters near each feeder. This one in particular got quite a bit closer than the others, giving me a chance to capture a higher level of detail.

I've been spending a good deal of time outside, what with spring migration going on in Wisconsin. Some of this is simply sitting in my back yard and staring up at the trees, watching for bird shapes. But we also carved out a weekend to attend the Horicon Marsh Bird Festival. I really ought to do a longer post on the great things we saw there, but this one is about Barn Swallows.

[ID: A Barn Swallow sits on the edge of a steel roof. They have a dark blue head and wings, buffy yellow underparts, and orange on the face, throat, and a narrow fringe along the top of the breast. The Swallow is looking off to the right with one large dark eye showing. They have a little mud caked on their bill, with more flecks on their chin and head. End ID]

This individual is one of many that have recently arrived at Horicon Marsh and were building nests around the visitor's center. They build their nests by scooping up small bits of mud in their beaks and sticking it to a wall, the underside of a dock, and yes, even a barn. You can tell these two have been working on their nests because of the messes on their faces.

[ID: Two Barn Swallows rest on the edge of a steel roof. They are spaced just a few inches apart, both looking off to the right. End ID]

I wanted to share this series for a couple reasons. First, I was terribly charmed by the sight of a couple Swallows sitting just a few feet from the main entrance of the Visitor's Center, with no concern for the people walking in and out of the building right past them. They probably flew thousands of miles to get to this spot, and now they're spending all day flying literal teaspoons of mud back and forth to build a temporary home for their kids. Second, I knew I could get some really nice portraits with such a close encounter.

[ID: A portrait of a Barn Swallow, one of the same two pictured above. At this close distance, it's possible to pick out the individual feathers on the Swallow's face, specks of mud on their bill, and the reflection of the clouds and the horizon in their eye. End ID]

I'm sure they're tired from all the hard work. They seemed completely unbothered by us standing so close, but also not terribly interested in the traffic on the sidewalk.

[ID: A Barn Swallow looks over at the camera. Their bill turns down slightly at the corners, making for the appears of a small frown. End ID]

This one did glance in my direction long enough to capture an expression that reads to me like mild disinterest. But then they went right back to staring out at the parking lot, not really making any noise or even appearing to communicate with one another. I'd like to think they enjoy sharing a moment of quiet contemplation with a friend.

This one is mine! Can you make the ID?

What's the Bird?

Location: Pima County, Arizona

Date: April 2023

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