Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[eaglesrock29]

 

[attachment deleted by admin]

[eaglesrock29]

So beautiful 

[attachment deleted by admin]

[LORIDAVIS]

2019-08-10 (6) by Lori Davis, on Flickr
Beautiful Sandhill Cranes on the Mississippi River Flyway cam. 10 August 2019
https://youtu.be/3G_sMyw6eU8 via arlene beech

[STLbf]

What a way to learn to identify water birds!
Anybody know what these rusty-feathered, blue-billed ducks are?
They were feeding earlier this morning.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[BrokenLug]

I won't swear to it STLbf, but I believe those dabbling ducks are either female or juvenile Northern Pintails.

[STLbf]

Hey Lug, I agree, definitely dabbling ducks in my photos. Northern Pintails, hmmm, maybe juveniles, and there are lots of juvies around the Flyway now. The NP photos that showed up in my first Google search don't have the reddish side feathers. Definitely not adult NPs.  I'll keep looking for a match.  So much to learn.

[BrokenLug]

On taking a second look I began thinking it was a female American Wigeon, but looking more closely now I'm thinking it might be a female Eurasian Wigeon ? 

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Wigeon/id

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eurasian_Wigeon/id

Zoom way in on La Crosse, WI using eBird's 'sightings map' ..
Eurasian Wigeon
You can then click on the "blue map pins" for more detailed sighting information. (2nd image).

ie:
Goose Island Overlook
Vernon, US-WI
Date                   #   Observer
2017-11-24   1   Molly Tuma

If it is a Eurasian Wigeon it's another pretty unusual sighting just like KRD's American Avocet sightings on July 7 and July 19 at Lake Onalaka.

-EDIT- ok, Pip & I are waffling on whether it's an American or Eurasian Wigeon. 
They're apparently very hard to tell apart in the field ..



[attachment deleted by admin]

[FinnBMD]

Spring and Fall migration seasons in Wisconsin are my favorite times of the year.  Here is an interesting article from Birdwatcher's Magazine on the topic of the fall migration season:
https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/explore/regions/midwest/wisconsin/wisconsin-birding-season-fall.php

[STLbf]

Back for more about duck identification. Great stuff in the links from Lug and Finn.

Rewinding to this morning, several "mystery reddish ducks with a blue bill" were hanging with a small flock of blue-winged teal. The reddish feathers make them stand out. In fact, I captured one on land (standing out, LOL) and I'm leaning toward the Eurasian Wigeon, juvenile.

Also looked at the page of Teals on the site, Birds of the World, with no clear Teal species matching.  What do you think?

[attachment deleted by admin]

[eaglesrock29]

 



[attachment deleted by admin]

[Nora in IA]

I saw this a few minutes ago and fell in love with it..........

[Nora in IA]

Well Eaglesrock at least they are a hair different 

[eaglesrock29]

Well Eaglesrock at least they are a hair different 

You win the prize, Nora!  I love the pink color captured in your photo.  What amazing views we have been gifted on this Flyway Cam!

[T40cfr403]

From RRP's FB post:

 Flyway Cam Videos

8/12/19: Falcon - https://youtu.be/fdJQG11j_3U. This unbanded adult falcon looks too dark for Newman and (since it's unbanded) isn't Michelle. In many species of birds, non-territorial birds wander more than their counterparts with territories and families. This may be a non-territorial bird staging for migration along the Mississippi, or a 'floater' - a single adult - out wandering and exploring on a large summer territory. Either way, what a treat to see!

8/10/19: Beautiful Sandhill Cranes on the Mississippi River Flyway cam - https://youtu.be/3G_sMyw6eU8. Absolutely stunning footage of sandhill cranes preening, standing, stalking, and foraging. We don't hear the cranes, but listen for other birds in the background!

8/10/19: Mississippi River Flyway 8-10-19, Sunset screensaver - https://youtu.be/LU11WxLwNyI. Relax. Breathe deeply. Sink into the river as the setting sun paints everything in blue, rose, purple, and gold.

8/10/19: Adult BE catches dinner, brings it to the perch - https://youtu.be/B__JsHbnEig. The bald eagle is cool, but I really couldn't get over all of the birds we see in this video! A huge flock of seagulls to takes off more than once, while another huge flock of American white pelicans sits on and near the sandbar. The presence of all of these birds is a great example of the importance of maintaining habitat. Literally millions of birds depend on the Mississippi river for feeding, breeding, staging, and migratory support. Without habitat and clean water, we wouldn't be watching any of them. Remember when seeing a bald eagle was an amazing event? We nearly lost them once. Let's not do it again.

8/9/19: Serious preening going on here - https://youtu.be/b2ZkoThFJiM. Having a bad day? Take a nice-time break with this video of a female Mallard preening - followed by a whole preening party at 3:20!

8/9/19: Great egret swallows fish - https://youtu.be/6USVnN6ySiQ. It's a good-sized fish and the egret has to work to get it into the correct position before swallowing it whole! Did you know: Snowy egrets were an important driver of conservation in the United States. You can read more about that here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-two-women-ended-the-deadly-feather-trade-23187277/?fbclid=IwAR0qjeGxc3lVtvKuafh71vgGbWK8XyjGKjViB_aM3aSB4Rz6pnj6F_UZH3M.


A view from the Flyway. The upper Mississippi is like nowhere else on earth! #DriftlessDreams

[Ginger52]

American Avocet today on the cam this morning.



[attachment deleted by admin]