Great Horned Owl Preening

The day after Christmas was a work holiday so I spent most of the sunny but cold morning cruising for raptors in some of my favorite winter raptor locations. I enjoyed observations of eagles, hawks, falcons, and owls. A pair of sleepy Great Horned Owls offered a few minutes to study and photograph them. One of the owls, which I believe to be the male since it was noticeably smaller than its mate, slowly fluffed its feathers and proceeded to preen as I was capturing a few images from within my truck on the side of the road.

Not Just a "Brown" Pelican

The name "Brown" Pelican seems fair when it comes to a descriptor for juveniles and the Atlantic variety, but it doesn't aptly describe the appearance of Pacific adults when they are sporting their breeding plumage. A striking combination of red, yellow, olive, and orange in the pouch and facial areas brighten the otherwise white, silver, and brown colors of these birds. I saw these striking colors this past weekend as I watched groups of Brown Pelicans plunge dive for fish at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Orange County, California.

Pelicans are large, with wings spans reaching 6.5 feet, and fly rather gracefully. They can often be seen gently cruising just inches above the surface of the water. I enjoyed watching their smooth flight as they came and went before me. The following series shows one approaching my position. You can see water dripping from the tip of its bill. Eventually there is a single drop just below the bird's bill. The last image of the series also shows the webbing between the toes. This webbing makes them strong swimmers. My understanding is that Pelicans are the only birds to have webbing between all four toes.

I tried to capture some video as the pelicans did their plunge diving, but it was hard to track their flight and keep them in the frame while the lens was zoomed. I'll know better how to capture video if I get the chance again, but I did capture a few images of birds in various stages of the plunge dive. The first image shows the bird beginning to break it's glide with a sudden bank to its left.

One came up empty just as another submerged its head. The pouch is probably fully expanded while the upper and lower mandibles begin to close the net, so to speak.

Pelicans essentially dive to just below the surface of the water. Their body's are not fully immersed. Their pouch expands to take in water and hopefully fish. After emerging the pelican hangs the bill down to allow water to drain and then tilts the head back to swallow the food. Not all of the catch from a dive is retained as the pelican allows water to drain from its pouch. An empty shell and small fish fell from this bird's pouch as it was in the process of tilting the head back for a swallow.

The small bulges in the pouch below are formed by the fish and debris that are gathered during a dive.  Part of one small fish can be seen near the tip of the bill.

And it is too late at this point for anything in that pouch to return to the water before it is fully digested. I like this view of the pouch and its structure. You can see the folds that allow the pouch to expand and fold down as needed.  That hook on the tip of the bill helps the bird to hang onto slippery fish.

I watched one bird as it preened between dives. I was surprised by how it could twist and turn itself into a "pelican pretzel". Can you imagine getting your mouth to your back?

I captured a number of images I'd like to share, but I'll finish with a portrait, a landing, and a wing stretch.

White-tailed Kite Preening and Kiting

I spent Thanksgiving weekend in Orange County, California with some of my wife's family. My wife and her sister wanted to do some Christmas and clothes shopping on Black Friday and Saturday, but my sister in law felt bad about leaving me at the house while they went shopping. My wife told her sister there was no need to worry about Jeff. "He has his camera and will spend as much time as we give him exploring the sites and birds of Orange County."  It was a win-win situation from my perspective. And my wife agreed. She would enjoy shopping with someone who can genuinely ooh and ah over clothing and I'd be free to discover and capture images of the birds of Orange County.

I had amazing experiences over the weekend and wasn't sure which one to share first on the blog. I had extremely close observations of Pelicans repeatedly plunge diving into shallow water to scoop up fish in their large pouches, discovered two life birds (Nuttal's Woodpecker and Ridgway's Rail), watched a gull prepare and swallow an octopus whole, photographed Red-shouldered Hawks, and spent about an hour watching a White-tailed Kite preen, call, and kite over a small wetland area. I'll start by sharing the White-tailed Kite encounter.

Prior to Saturday I'd seen two White-tailed Kites. One was a vagrant juvenile that showed up temporarily near St George, Utah. The other was a brief encounter with an adult bird near Santa Cruz, California. These birds range along the California coast where coastal prairies exist, parts of Mexico, and the southern parts of Texas and Florida. They prefer open grassy areas with scattered bushes and shrubs. When they are not conspicuously perched on a snag or bush, they kite (hover) over the open spaces and then drop from the sky to catch prey, which generally includes small rodents. These kites are striking and appropriately named raptors as you'll see in the images and video clips I'll share. Adults are mostly white on the underside, white-tailed, and pale gray on the upper side with black shoulder patches. Their eyes are blood red. The skin on the legs and cere are yellow.

Seeing a White-tailed Kite was on my wish list for the Orange County weekend so I got a little excited when I drove past what looked to me like great kite habitat. I decided to check out the area briefly, but I came up empty handed. I returned to the area later in the day and was delighted to find an adult perched on a snag just above a small wetland area.

Adult White-tailed Kite Near Huntington Beach, CA

The kite was perched on private property so I remained on the right side of the fence to capture some images as the bird preened and occasionally took flight to do some kiting. It stretched its wings several times before taking flight.

Adult White-tailed Kite Near Huntington Beach, CA

Adult White-tailed Kite Near Huntington Beach, CA

I captured short video clips as the bird demonstrated exactly why it is called a White-tailed Kite. The video clip below shows some kiting behavior and short flights where the black shoulder patches are seen briefly. I wasn't expecting to do video so I did not have a tripod. I had to handhold the camera with the lens fully zoomed to 400mm so there is some camera shake, but it was fun and the video turned out okay. I like how the bird dangles its legs at times while it kites and how it lifts its head to check its surroundings when it isn't searching the wetland below for prey. A bird in flight always impresses me.

The video should be viewed in 1080p HD for the best resolution. Otherwise the resolution may be low.

I've put a few segments together in the next video to include the bird calling, show various stages of preening (stretching, plucking, scratching, and fluffing), and allow some calls and whinnying of Soras to be heard in the reeds below the kite. Those sounds help illustrate the habitat for these kites. A Great Egret was foraging in a small marsh below the kite and can be heard croaking at one point. What other birds do you recognize calling in the video?

People often ask me what is my favorite bird. My typical response is, "The one I just observed or photographed." A White-tailed Kite is definitely at the top of my list for awesome birds.

Taiga Merlin: Series of Preening (Yoga?) Images

I've happened upon some choice birding experiences recently as a result of deciding to veer slightly from my typical driving routes. Friday, for example, I was almost home when I decided to take a short half-mile detour that took me between our local high school and one of my favorite little quick-fix birding parks. I was delighted and disappointed at the same time when I spotted a Taiga Merlin perched in a lone tree right beside the road--delighted to be so close to a Merlin, disappointed that I left my camera at home earlier that day after wondering if I should take it.

Merlin's are in the falcon family of raptors and come down to Utah from the far reaches of Canada during our winter months.  It may not sound very nice, but Merlin's are essentially bird-eating birds with amazing speed and agility in flight. I observed Friday's bird for a few minutes without the aid of my usual optical tools and then took a picture using my phone camera. The resulting image did not do justice to what I was watching so I made the decision to drive home, grab my camera, and return to the scene with fingers crossed that it would still be present.  About seven minutes later I had my camera in tow and was heading back toward the school.  I began to cast my bird photography spell on the subject.  "Be there! Be there! Be there!" And...it was there!

I spent about 20 minutes photographing the Merlin while it stretched, shrugged, rotated, contorted, reached, plucked, and fanned various parts of its compact yet powerful little body. The Merlin looked down at me in a curious manner several times throughout it preening session. What a fascinating experience!

The talons that are capable of taking birds nearly twice its size in a mid-air attack and the bill that is capable of shredding its prey, are used in a more delicate manner as they gently separate and condition very supple feathers.  I watched as it balanced on one leg while using the other to complete a tail fan and a wing stretch. Some movements and poses reminded me of more human moments. I'll forgo including the funny human thoughts that crossed my mind and let you approach these images with your own perspective. Feel free to share some of your human impressions of the bird's actions in the comments at the bottom of this post.

Ready? Begin! 

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

One leg for standing and one leg to aid in the stretching process.

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Sorry, but I have to interject something here. That bill can shred meat. Look how gently it preens that tail feather. Click here if you want to read how various birds preen and why.

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Sorry to interject again, but there is something really fascinating in how that fierce bill and deadly talon come together in a very gentle and calculated way.

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Taiga Merlin at Highland Glen Park in Highland, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)