Every bird watcher and nature observer has his or her "lists." Here are mine for Birds, Insects, Mammals, Plants, Reptiles, and Crustaceans, complete with pull down menus.
BIRDS
Categorized by genus/species, placed chronologically by common name
American Coot
American Crow
American Goldfinch
American Kestrel
American Robin
American Tree Sparrow
American White Pelican
Bald Eagle
Baltimore Oriole
Barn Swallow
Belted Kingfisher
Black-Capped Chickadee
Black Vulture*
Blue Jay
Blue-Winged Teal
Bobwhite
Brown-Headed Cowbird
Brown Thrasher
Bufflehead
Canada Goose
Canvasback
Cedar Waxwing
Chipping Sparrow
Common Grackle
Common Goldeneye
Common Redpoll
Cooper's Hawk
Dark-Eyed Junco
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Goldfinch - See American Goldfinch
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Towhee
Eurasian Coot*
European Starling
Fox Sparrow
Gray Catbird
Graylag Goose
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Hairy Woodpecker
Harlequin Duck
Hermit Thrush
Herring Gull
Horned Lark
House Finch
House Sparrow
House Wren
Indigo Bunting
Killdeer
Lesser Scaup
Lincoln's Sparrow
Mallard (Domestic)
Mallard (Wild)
Mourning Dove
Northern Cardinal
Northern Flicker
Northern Rough-Winged Swallow
Northern Shoveler
Orange-Crowned Warbler
Palm Warbler
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Red-Headed Woodpecker
Red-Tailed Hawk
Red-Winged Blackbird
Ring-Billed Gull
Ring-Necked Duck
Rock Pigeon
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Scarlet Tanager
Solitary Sandpiper
Song Sparrow
Spotted Sandpiper
Swamp Sparrow
Tufted Titmouse
Turkey Vulture
White-Breasted Nuthatch
White-Crowned Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
Wild Turkey
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
INSECTS, ARACHNIDS, MYRIAPODS & GASTROPODS
Categorized by family, placed chronologically by common name
Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus - also known as Le pygargue à tête blanche (French), aigle à tête blanche (French), Amerikaanse zeearend (Dutch), Weißkopf-Seeadler (German), and Pigargo Americano (Spanish).
Juvenile bald eagles have white underwings and brown heads, so they are easy to distinguish from the all brown, white-headed adults. You can tell 1st-year juveniles from 2nd-year juveniles by the white belly on the 2nd-year juveniles (pictures 1 and 3). 1st-year juveniles, while having the white underwings, still have a brown belly.
If you see a juvenile from the top while flying, the 2nd-year juvenile has the white “triangle” patch on his upper back/shoulder blade area (picture 2).
In the winter time, when the Mississippi River isn’t completely frozen, the eagles like to sit on the edge of the ice and watch for fish (picture 3). I’ve never seen an eagle actually snag a fish from such a spot, but you’ll find nearly the same number of eagles standing on the ice as you will perched in the nearby Bur Oak trees that line the Mississippi.
Photos taken with the Canon Digital Rebel XT / 350D and a Sigma 70-300mm Lens on February 2, 2008 at Lock and Dam 14.
Ahhh… well then, those were definitely Golden Eagles that we saw in the field one day. I thought they were, but someone said that they might be juvenile Balds. Thanks for the description!
February 12th, 2008 at 6:22 am
2
Kathleen Says:
Hi Mike-
This is your cousin. I wandered over here from facebook thanks to Emily. Your photographs are beautiful. I didn’t realize how accomplished a wildlife photographer you are. Have you thought about selling prints? Or at least gifting them, I am sure anyone in the family would be proud to have one of these to hang in their home.
Sally - I would love to see a Golden Eagle sometime. I’m not sure if I would be any good at identifying one, though.
Kat - Thanks! I’ve never thought about selling any of the prints, but I have thought about trying to print out good copies somewhere in hopes of framing them. Haven’t found a good place, though. I heard CostCo and Sam’s Club will print out large good quality photos for a good price, but I have not ever checked myself.
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Ahhh… well then, those were definitely Golden Eagles that we saw in the field one day. I thought they were, but someone said that they might be juvenile Balds. Thanks for the description!
February 12th, 2008 at 6:22 amHi Mike-
This is your cousin. I wandered over here from facebook thanks to Emily. Your photographs are beautiful. I didn’t realize how accomplished a wildlife photographer you are. Have you thought about selling prints? Or at least gifting them, I am sure anyone in the family would be proud to have one of these to hang in their home.
thats all
February 12th, 2008 at 6:17 pmKathleen
Sally - I would love to see a Golden Eagle sometime. I’m not sure if I would be any good at identifying one, though.
Kat - Thanks! I’ve never thought about selling any of the prints, but I have thought about trying to print out good copies somewhere in hopes of framing them. Haven’t found a good place, though. I heard CostCo and Sam’s Club will print out large good quality photos for a good price, but I have not ever checked myself.
February 12th, 2008 at 10:24 pmThose were some great pics..
sandy
February 19th, 2008 at 5:03 pm