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 Flamingo*
American Goldfinch
American Kestrel
American Robin
American Tree Sparrow
American White Pelican
Bald Eagle
Baltimore Oriole
Barn Swallow
Belted Kingfisher
Black-Capped Chickadee
Black-Headed Gull*
Black Vulture*
Blue Jay
Blue-Winged Teal
Bobwhite
Broad-Winged Hawk
Brown Creeper
Brown-Headed Cowbird
Brown Thrasher
Bufflehead
Canada Goose
Canvasback
Cedar Waxwing
Chipping Sparrow
Common Grackle
Common Goldeneye
Common Pochard*
Common Redpoll
Cooper's Hawk
Dark-Eyed Junco
Double-Crested Cormorant
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Goldfinch - See American Goldfinch
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Towhee
Eurasian Coot*
European Starling
Fox Sparrow
Golden-Crowned Kinglet
Gray Catbird
Graylag Goose
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Greater Flamingo*
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 Duck*
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
Red-Tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis - also known as Buse à queue rousse (French), Roodstaartbuizerd (Dutch), Rotschwanzbussard (German), Poiana della Giamaica (Italian), Busardo Colirrojo (Spanish), and Rödstjärtad vrak (Swedish).
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata - also known as Geai blue (French), Blauhäher (German), Ghiandaia azzurra americana (Italian), Urraca Azul (Spanish).
This Red-Tailed Hawk was just minding his own business, but was obviously sitting too closely to something this blue jay held dear - probably a nest. The blue jay kept “dive-bombing” the hawk, pecking him on his sides and back. In between bombings, the blue jay squawked loudly (which is what initially alerted me to their presence). In this photo, the blue jay comes in for another shot with the hawk watching intently.
The hawk eventually moved on.
Photo taken with a Canon Digital Rebel XT / 350D and a Sigma 70-300mm Lens on May 4, 2008 in Davenport, Iowa.
Interesting photo blog!
Congratulations and good work!
Modesto
June 3rd, 2008 at 1:44 pm
3
Elizabeth Hay Says:
I have seen blue jays (always more than one) harrying a red tailed hawk on several occasions in Central Park here in NYC and wondered if this was unusual behavior. Guess it’s not!
This morning I heard all kinds of squawking in my back yard and when I finally looked out the window I saw TWO blue jays dive bombing a red tailed hawk sitting in the dead branches of a tree. The hawk would randomly jump up or down a branch but the blue jays were relentless in their noise making and attempts to chase it off. Finally, another hawk flew to the same tree and they decided to vacate the premises. I don’t think there is a blue jay nest in the tree but a friend once told me that blue jays are kind of like the bird “police” - they alert other birds of danger in their area?!
Love the photo - that’s an awesome shot!
Hello, that was without a doubt an awesome read. I had actually been looking for a photo printing related article for a while now. Appreciate it! Do you offer a subscription service? because I can’t seem to find the details anywhere.
March 19th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
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This blog is about: Iowa, Illinois, Midwest, United States, nature, wildlife, animals, birds, ornithology, insects, bugs, entomology, Davenport, Bettendorf, Rock Island, Moline, Quad, City, Cities
Nice post.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:43 amInteresting photo blog!
June 3rd, 2008 at 1:44 pmCongratulations and good work!
Modesto
I have seen blue jays (always more than one) harrying a red tailed hawk on several occasions in Central Park here in NYC and wondered if this was unusual behavior. Guess it’s not!
February 7th, 2009 at 7:13 pmThanks, Elizabeth. This is the only time I think I’ve seen the behavior. It would be cool to see a group of blue jays working together!
February 10th, 2009 at 12:25 pmThis morning I heard all kinds of squawking in my back yard and when I finally looked out the window I saw TWO blue jays dive bombing a red tailed hawk sitting in the dead branches of a tree. The hawk would randomly jump up or down a branch but the blue jays were relentless in their noise making and attempts to chase it off. Finally, another hawk flew to the same tree and they decided to vacate the premises. I don’t think there is a blue jay nest in the tree but a friend once told me that blue jays are kind of like the bird “police” - they alert other birds of danger in their area?!
August 8th, 2009 at 8:17 amLove the photo - that’s an awesome shot!
That is very cool, Rebecca. I have also heard that Blue Jays are the “noise makers” alerting everyone else in the area that a predator is near.
August 8th, 2009 at 2:20 pmHello, that was without a doubt an awesome read. I had actually been looking for a photo printing related article for a while now. Appreciate it! Do you offer a subscription service? because I can’t seem to find the details anywhere.
March 19th, 2010 at 2:51 pm