Eastern Kingbird

Below are more shots of the Eastern kingbird that we saw in Baker, LA on May 5, 2014. To see more, you can click the label on the right sidebar.

If he looks a little aggravated, it's because I was playing his call on my phone. He was high up in the tree and this was the only way I could get him to come out. There has been much debate about "playback" with many in the birding community saying you shouldn't do it at all, but others think 30-second clips for no more than 5 minutes total is okay. I'm on the fence about it; however, I obviously employ this method from time to time when I'm desperate for a photo.

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Thank you, hosts!!

Regal

On May 5th we paddled at Greenwood Community Park, then birded afterwards. I was blessed with two neat birds that afternoon: the Eastern Kingbird (below) and the Black and White Warbler (future post and lifer). They were both occupying the same tree. What alerted me was their calls. I had not heard those sounds before, which made me stop and wait. That birding class really paid off. These shots will not be as crisp as my bird blind shots; however, I am happy with them. The light was a bit harsh in some instances, too, but I am no longer striving for perfection. Just a decent shot will do! My goal is to photograph every bird on my life list.

Have a great week everyone! Thank you for stopping by.

Thank you, Anni, for the wonderful meme!

Thawing

It's nice to see signs of spring here and there. These are shots I took hiking with Double D in between birding field trips.

Two boaters at Greenwood Park. I really want to learn to kayak or canoe the waterways. It looks like such a peaceful activity.

Fishing pier at Greenwood

Can any birders out there help identify this hawk?

Double D spotted him on the street light as we were returning home late one afternoon.
He quickly pulled into an adjacent parking lot like a well-trained birding assistant should. :)

Rickety bridge at Waddill Wildlife Refuge

Wildflower at Waddill

Trillium, also at Waddill

We had a not so nice surprise with our Honda when the engine light came on over the weekend. Apparently, the unseasonably cold weather caused squirrels to climb underneath the car and chew the wires--a $630 repair. I'm sure this is payback for all the Pam I sprayed on the bird feeding station. Grrrrr. Our pest control person came out and put sticky boards underneath both cars. I really hope they stay away because I don't want to deal with that mess.

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday. Thank you, Stewart!