ABC of birds - L

[dale]

SO...a lilac-breasted roller and a rainbow lorikeet go into a bar...

[Dumpsterkitty]

SO...a lilac-breasted roller and a rainbow lorikeet go into a bar...

And just for the record...the Lilac breast is evident in this photo by Callie de Wet

http://www.pbase.com/calliedewet/lilacbreasted_rollers

[Kris G.]

Lorikeet, Rainbow

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Lorikeet

Gorgeous!!!

[MAK]

Lorikeet, Rainbow

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Lorikeet

Where's my sunglasses!  Beautiful color on these birds!

[dale]

SO...a lilac-breasted roller and a rainbow lorikeet go into a bar...

[gayle]

I am impressed with your Photoshopping, Dale!

[Annette]

Lesser Scaup

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Scaup

[Paul Hamilton]

L is for Common Loon (Gavia immer)  These are the bird of the north.  When we are at the cabin in New Hampshire, they swim past our cabin.  Their calls wake us in the morning.  If the soul of Lake Winnipesaukee had a voice, this would be it.  One misty morning, the two parents called to one another far across the water before joining up and swimming away.

In the summer of 2004, I photographed this family from the porch of our cabin.  They are wary birds that usually stay far out in the lake, so a long lens and good luck are needed.  One picture shows a territorial display.

Paul

[Aafke]

L is for the Long-tailed Tit

The Long-tailed Tit is such a cute little bird.
Last spring I had a couple in one of the nestboxes. In March I saw one bird with a little fluffy feather.
After they left the nest, the family spend a lot of time in the trees behind my garden house.
I made this movie from the family. At first it is hard to see but there is one bird visable and under it there is a row of babies, when one of the parents come with some foot , you can see them move. There are a lot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iyVGXJkjyI

In this time of year they fly around in groups from 20 or 30 birds. It nice to first hear them and than see the little birds with the long tails.

greetings Aafke

[anneintoronto]

L is for Little Blue Heron

The Little Blue Heron, Egretta caerulea, is a small heron. It breeds from the Gulf states of the USA through Central America and the Caribbean south to Peru and Uruguay. It is a resident breeder in most of its range, but some northern breeders migrate to the southeastern USA or beyond in winter. There is post-breeding dispersal to well north of the nesting range, as far as the border between the US and Canada.

The Little Blue Heron's breeding habitat is sub-tropical swamps. It nests in colonies, often with other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. 3-7 light blue eggs are laid.
(Above information from Wikipedia)

It is the only heron species in which first-year birds and adults show dramatically different coloration: first-year birds are pure white, with pale, black-tipped bill and greenish legs.  It enters adult plumage in the first spring after hatching and may be pied white and blue.
(Above information from The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology)

I have seen these small, attractive herons down at Long Point and Point Pelee, two Ontario promontories that project into Lake Erie.  As small as they are, they are easy to spot, with their beautiful blue colouring.  However, they are very timid, so binoculars are a must!!

Anne in Toronto


Photo by William L. Newton (Cornell University)

[Patti from Kentucky]

L is for Lava Gull -- this is a bird which is endemic to the Galapagos; this one landed on our boat to hitch a ride (and perhaps try to steal some food).

[Patti from Kentucky]

And one more "Lava" colored bird from the Galapagos: the Lava Heron.  I thought this bird was really pretty, for a mostly gray bird.

[Patti from Kentucky]

And my final entry in the "L" category is the Lark Sparrow.  This photo is not in very good focus; the bird was in deep shade and was too far away, but it's a lovely sparrow.  I took the photo in Southeastern Arizona.

[Patti from Kentucky]

OK, perhaps I'm not quite done.  I couldn't resist one more photo of the Lorikeets.  The Louisville Zoo has an exhibit where you pay $1 for a cup of nectar (we always buy two, since we have two hands), and walk in and feed the Lorikeets.  Once they've emptied the nectar, or gotten full, or bored, they proceed to explore shiny metal objects like jewelry, buttons, zippers, etc..  The red lorikeet is trying to remove my earring, and the one on top of my head is playing with the silver hairs on my head!

[Aafke]

L is for Long-eared Owl

From wikipedia:The Long-eared Owl is a medium sized owl. It hunts over open country by night. It is very long winged and glides slowly on stiff wings when hunting. Its food is mainly rodents, small mammals, and birds.


A few years ago we saw this owl in France during a vacation. When it was really dark, they appear. Two parents and 3 owlets and starts to fly. Because of the dark, it was hard to see them and even harder to take a picture of them, you only see a silhouette, don't laugh! When I look at these pictures,  I feel again the excitement from seeing them.

Some pictures from the internet:

http://www.google.com/images?q=long-eared+owl&hl=nl&lr=&safe=off&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=rBDtTKvuF4WSOrGk8aoB&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CDIQsAQwAA

greetings Aafke