#Birding the #Riverwalk Yields Another Lifer – Pie-billed Grebe

Friday was another spring-like day, so when I finished up my part-time job for the week, my wife and I took the opportunity get our cameras down to the Riverwalk in Chattanooga to see what birds we’d see.  It was a good day; great company and a lifer for us two beginner birders – a Pie-billed Grebe that we spotted on the pond at Amnicola Marsh.

Pie-billed Grebe – Podilymbus podiceps – peering through the waterfront underbrush

As always, click on the pictures for a larger version.

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Riverwalk #Birding this week – Gadwall, Hooded Merganser, and More…

From time to time my wife claims that I can be obsessive, but I don’t know what she’s talking about.  On a completely unrelated subject, I’ve been to the Chattanooga Riverwalk at least 5 times in the past couple of weeks.  On Mondays I have the privilege of spending the afternoon with two of my home-school grandsons, Chase and Jeff, so this week we walked a couple of miles of the Chattanooga Riverwalk, and then on Tuesday Cindy and I visited the pond next to the Curtain Pole Road parking area of the Riverwalk.  They were a good two days for our birding – we were able to photograph three lifers we’ve seen during these couple of weeks of walking the Riverwalk.  Here are some photos; the Gadwalls and Mergansers are from the pond next to Curtain Pole Road, and the Green-winged Teal was on the pond at Amnicola Marsh.

The Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) is pretty shy. This is typical of how it positioned itself.

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Another Visit to Amnicola Marsh #Birding #Wetlands

A doctor’s appointment took me out to the foot of Missionary Ridge on Thursday morning, and since I was out in the vicinity I decided to make another visit to the Amnicola Marsh along the Chattanooga Riverwalk.  I was hoping to get a closer look at the Hooded Mergansers we’d spotted a week earlier.  And while those ducks were there, I once again proved that not only am I a rookie as a birder, I’m still a rookie as a bird photographer.  I can get frame-filling photos of birds that act like wildflowers – allowing me to approach closely and spend some time taking several photos, as did the Canada Goose and the Mockingbird shown below.

Canada Goose – Branta canadensis

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#Birding Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge and Harrison Bay State Park

Cindy and I decided to take advantage of the first sunshine in 9 days by driving up to the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in Meigs County, TN on Friday (Jan 18.)  Over the past decade this area has become a main overwintering stop for Sandhill Crane.  We had gone up there in mid-November to check them out (and the excellent nearby Cherokee Removal Memorial Park,) and we did get to see a number of the cranes, but none closer than probably 1/4 mile.  We were really hoping to get a closer look, and we did, but not quite what we wanted.  We saw a couple dozen of these large birds, but none closer that probably 150 yards.  After we watched these birds for a while with the couple of dozen other birders there, we went down to Harrison Bay State Park, and photographed some ducks and coots.  Here are some photos.

Sandhill Crane at Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge – slight crop & straighten; watercolor filter applied

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A Winter Walk on the Riverwalk – Hawks, Herons, and the American Lotus

Chattanooga has done a great job of developing its riverfront and greenways over the past 20 years.  The Riverwalk that runs for 10 miles along or near the Tennessee River from the Tennessee Aquarium on the riverfront in downtown Chattanooga all the way up to Chickamauga Dam is a jewel of that development.  It’s one that I’ve so far neglected to explore except for a couple of small pieces.  My wife, Cindy, and I will start trying to correct that neglect.  On Friday and Saturday we walked and photographed a section of the Riverwalk near the Amnicola Marsh, visited the bridge over Chickamauga Creek, and also enjoyed a Great Blue Heron rookery on the Chattanooga State Community College campus. Here are a few photographs from this past week.

Red-shouldered Hawk – Buteo lineatus – along the Riverwalk near Amnicola Marsh

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Cedar Waxwing #birds in Bradford Pear Tree

Around 20 years ago when I planted a row of Bradford pear trees in front of my house, I thought I liked them.  Now I’m thinking of replacing them, even though I still like them – occasionally.  Those occasions are the 2 days in the spring while they bloom (OK, maybe it’s 3 days,) the week or so in the fall while they turn a beautiful red/purple/orange before dropping their leaves, and finally whenever the Cedar Waxwings show up to eat the berries.  I still want to replace the trees, but it will have to be with something (native) that will continue to feed the Cedar Waxwings (wonder about Serviceberry.)   This fall the arrival of these lovely birds coincided with the fall color of the leaves – reducing my time of appreciation for my Bradford pear trees. (Click on the photos for a larger view.)

Cedar Waxwing takes a Bradford pear berry

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#Geese at the Moonshine Mud Run #Birds

The 2012 Moonshine Mud Run was held on Saturday, Nov 3.  The Chattanooga Christian School High School wrestling team participated (and won!), and since my grandson was one of those participants, I showed up camera in hand to photograph the festivities.  Below is a photo of the start of the race, but before that start a flock of geese rose from a nearby field.  Look below for photos of the geese.

The Start!

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We’re Not in Kansas Anymore – Part two

Cindy and I decided to head up to Ft. Desoto County Park for the afternoon of our anniversary.  The drive up was part of the fun.

We drove across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge

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We’re Not in Kansas Anymore – Part one

Well, we’ve never been to Kansas, but we’re not in north Georgia, where we live, either.  That’s pretty clear from this photo from yesterday morning.

Willet eating a coquina

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Turkey Vulture #WingsOnWednesday

My grandson Isaac and I were driving along the Snake River near Swan Falls Dam on June 15, 2011, and saw a flock in a parking area near the dam.  They all left as we drove up except for this one, who started walking away as I stopped to take this photo.

Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura

Interesting Robin – Leucistic?

I was heading out to work this morning and saw this very oddly colored bird in my neighbor’s yard.  I pulled my camera out of the backpack; unfortunately a 90mm macro lens without VR is not the right lens for a bird at 60 feet.  But I didn’t have time to dig out the longer lens and change it; I was on the way to work after all.  This is a significant crop of a photo of a very interesting American Robin – Turdus migratorius. Presumably this is a case of leucism.

Leucistic American Robin - Turdus migratorius

Click on the photo to go to Flickr where you can display a larger image.

Chukar #Birds #WingsOnWednesday

The Chukar (Alectoris chukar) is a bird that was imported from Pakistan many years ago as a game bird.  It has naturalized in dry mountainous parts of the United States.   My wife photographed this one along the long driveway to the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho on June 14.  This was our first time to see this bird.

Chukar – Alectoris chukar

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Green Heron #Birds #WingsOnWednesday

My wife and I spent a couple of days at The Ridges Resort in Hiawassee, Georgia this week. Tuesday morning a green heron (Butorides virescens) on the hunt for breakfast joined me as I was having devotions by the lake.  I took a break for a couple of photos when the heron showed up on the hunt.  Read on to see if he was successful.

Green Heron on the hunt

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Western Tanager #Birds #WingsOnWednesday

We’re heading back to Idaho in early June to meet a new grandson, who should arrive a couple of before weeks we get there (if he’s not, Lynn will probably have some harsh words for him.)  In anticipation of the upcoming trip, I thought of the many Western Tanagers we saw while out there last year about the same time.  Apparently the tanagers hanging around last year was due to the unusually late spring; too cold to move on to their normal summer territory.  I don’t expect the same good fortune this year, and am grateful for last year’s opportunity.  Here are a few photos.

Western Tanager - Piranga ludoviciana

Western Tanager - Piranga ludoviciana

Western Tanager - Piranga ludoviciana

Red-bellied Woodpecker #Birds #WingsOnWednesday

A Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) has set up household in a snag in our back yard.  We’ve left the snag there for that specific purpose; it’s riddled with nesting holes.  I hope to be able to get some photographs of the nestlings soon.

This photo is from last year – April 6, 2010.

Redbellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus