ABC of Birds - W -

[gayle]

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

[gayle]

Yellow Warbler

Yellow warbler from the Galapagos.

Gayle

[gayle]

Willet

The willet breeds inland in short grasses.  It is a favorite shorebird and was found in Elkhorn Slough near Monterey.

Gayle

[gayle]

White-winged Scoter

I have this labeled white-wing Scoter from the Pribilofs, but am not sure after reading Cornell’s description.  Any ideas?

Gayle

[gayle]

Whooping Crane

We have discussed Whooping Cranes in several other threads.  Here are two chicks from the class of 2010 in the pen at Necedah prior to departure.

Gayle

[Annette]

Woodcock

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

[Patti from Kentucky]

W is for White-winged Snowfinch, a bird who nests high up in the mountains of Europe and Asia.  We took this photo in the Italian Dolomites, near the Austrian border.

[Patti from Kentucky]

W is for White-crowned Sparrow, who we always run into in the Rocky Mountains.  I took this photo in New Mexico.

[Patti from Kentucky]

W is for Worm-eating Warbler!  I think these guys are really pretty in a more subtle way than many warblers.  I volunteered to help out at a bird banding station in Mammoth Cave National Park, and we managed to catch this young Worm-eating Warbler in the mist net.  In the first photo he appears to be protesting his capture...

[Patti from Kentucky]

W is for White-throated Sparrow.  In Kentucky we only see these birds when they come south for the winter; they're especially reliable feeder birds when there is snow on the ground and they have trouble finding food.  I always throw some bird seed directly on the ground for birds who prefer to eat there!

[dale]

That's a really splendid crop of cool birds, ladies!  A bunch of winners!!!
Excellent job and some terrific photos.

I'm kind of impoverished here, but Cedar WAXWING of course, is a good W:

Before I understood about some birds fledging onto the ground and living there for days, and that one just needs to move the baby a bit out of the way to a safer spot where the parents can still feed it, I found a baby cedar waxwing on the ground while on a walk with my dad and his dogs -- this baby was not only right at the water's edge on a rainy day but right in the middle of a walking path where dogs and raccoons come. He was perfect, spunky and strong and vocal. And really great with his tail dipped in bright yellow and his fuzzy crest and his mask. I moved him over a little and he perched on my hand, all wobbly. He was happy about that too, or at least OK with it. If I had a really fancy thing like that I wouldn't leave it on the ground, but that just goes to show that I don't get it.  I made the common mistake of bringing it in and calling a rescue place. They told me to just put it back near where I found it, off the path, of course, and that ithe adults would definitely find it.

Then, a courting adult cedar WAXWING photo by minette lain (wiki)

Dale

[dale]

WHIP-POOR-WILL

A "goat-sucker," caprimulgus, just like the nighthawks/nightjars, and just as incredibly exotic-looking.

There are a couple of very nice photos here, but this site, terrifyingly, offers both more and less than you ever want to know about anything:
http://www.uniprot.org/taxonomy/57400

It describes birds - not as birds, not as vertebrates…but as PROTEINS
…in fact it describes all of us that way. You too:

 http://www.uniprot.org/taxonomy/9606 check out the photos!!!!!!

dale

[Annette]

Whimbrel

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

[Annette]

Wryneck

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

[Annette]

White Wagtail

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