[Whiskered Auklet]

Whiskered Auklet

I am jumping the gun on the Ws!

One of the highlights of my birding life occurred on a voyage from Kamchatka through the Aleutian Islands.  We were able to see tens of thousands of Whiskered Auklets.  Whiskered Auklets are small members of the alcid family.  They are about 7 inches tall (think robin-size.)  They are endemic to northern Pacific volcanic island from the Kuril Islands in Russia to the mid-Aleutians.  We found them near Adak.  They breed in colonies on these island and are thought to winter at sea nearby.    As are many other pelagic birds, they are nocturnal and feed the sole chick only at night.  It is thought that the whiskers help them navigate to the nest.  It is a rare bird, but not well studied.  The first image is poor proof of the sighting, but binoculars bore it out!  The second is a drawing from Sibley and the third from the US Conservation Service.

Gayle

[Vultures]

Vultures

On safari in the veldt, the first sight of vultures is in trees.  They await the departure of large carnivores such as lions to get a turn at the carcass.  They compete with hyenas and both species are often on a carcass at the same time.   As the hyenas also eat bones, the two species are efficient scavengers.  In the case of Cape buffalo, all that remains is the skull.  As a side note, giraffe are often seen licking the bones to extract calcium.  In the case in the attached images, the carcass was that of an elephant that had died of natural causes.  Screen captures from safari.tv.

Gayle

[Vultures]

Vultures

In Africa, there are many species of vultures.  In the area that WildEarth explores, the first vultures on the scene are the White-backed Vultures.  Others, such as the Cape vultures, may join.  Various species have slightly different shaped heads or length of neck.  They become specialized feeders.  Here are screen captures of White-backed vultures from safari.tv.

Gayle

[Turkey Vultures]

Turkey Vultures

Each winter, thousands of turkey vultures migrate through California's Central Valley.  Up to 30,000 of them have been counted.  Here is a kettle of them soaring over our motel in Willows.  While searching for the census data, I came across this unattributed photograph of a huge kettle from the Kern Co. Vulture Watch.

Gayle

About all I can add is Wow!  Thanks, Patti!

I finally had time to review the "T" postings.  Dale, the tui is wonderful!  What a delightful companion on your trek!  And the takahe in your photograph does look like it belongs atop a gas station!

Gayle

Patti, we were posting at the same time.  The canyon and California towhees were long thought to be the same species.  DNA has proven them to be separate ones.

Gayle

[California Towhee]

California Towhee

I found another towhee among my feeder birds.  The California Towhee's range is in the coastal areas from Oregon through Baja.  It prefers chaparral and, obviously, feeders

Gayle

[Trumpeter Swans]

Trumpeter Swans

Trumpeter Swans were pushed to the brink of extinction near the beginning of the 20th century.  Their feathers made what was considered to be the finest quill pens.  Conservation measures and breeding programs have been successful and now trumpeters are fairly common.  These photographs were made at Crex Meadows in northern Wisconsin,

Gayle

[Tundra Swans]

Tundra Swans

You have already seen tundra swans in my avatar, but here more images of them in flight.

Gayle

[Tundra Swans]

Tundra Swans


Vast numbers of tundra swans winter in the Klamath Basin near the Oregon border.  The birds migrate in family groups.  Of course, these birds also are prey for the eagles that congregate in the Basin.  Tundra swans were once known as whistling swans.

These are the California swans!

Gayle

[Tundra Swans]

Tundra Swans

Tundra swans are again plentiful after population plunges in the early 20th century.  They breed on tundra in Alaska and Canada.  The two migration routes are roughly down the mountain states and then west to northern California and down the Mississippi Flyway.  In the latter case, the birds congregate in the back waters of the Mississippi in the general area where Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa meet.  For years, I have timed my fall visits to Wisconsin to see them at Riekes Pond at Alma. WI.  There, they feed on arrowroot.  They linger until freeze up and depart en masse to the Chesapeake Bay area.  These photos are from there.

Gayle

[Tern, Arctic Tern]

Tern, Arctic Tern

The Arctic Tern makes the world's longest migration as it flies between summers in the Arctic and Antarctia, a distance of 45,000 miles.  This photograph was made in Tracy Arm, Alaska of a berg calved from the Sayer Glacier.

Gayle

[Starling]

Starling

Gayle, I'm sure you have a photo of a starling, but isn't this a grackle?

Absolutely!  Thanks for catching this Patti.  I plead tired eyes!

Gayle

[Southern White-faced Scops Owl]

Southern White-faced Scops Owl

This is a fully nocturnal small owl of South Africa.  A screen shot from safari.tv.

Gayle