Wayne Wendel's Photography : North American Birds- powered by SmugMug

Wayne Wendel's Photography

North American Birds Galleries

Wood Warblers and Vireos : The Warblers and Vireos are some of the most colorful of all the perching birds.

Wood Warblers and Vireos

Foraging Birds :

Courtship, Mating and Nesting Behavior :

Courtship, Mating and Nesting Behavior

Loggerhead Shrikes & Their Trophies : One of my top five birds is the Loggerhead Shrike. This guy rates a gallery all to himself. Watching this fierce predator catch small birds and insects is somthing you will not forget. I watched one in my backyard dive on and kill a female house sparrow and then carry it to the top of a wood fence, rip it open and eat the breast and internal organs. What he doesn't eat, he displays the "trophy" on a barbed wire fence or thorny tree. I call him the "lone ranger" bird because of the mask around this eyes. His nickname is "butcher bird". You can see why. Look for the Loggerhead Shrike the next time you're in the country or at a park. If you're up north, the Northern Shrike, a similar species hunts the same way.

Loggerhead Shrikes & Their Trophies

Grosbeaks & Buntings :

Grosbeaks & Buntings

Swallows :

Kingfishers :

Doves & Pigeons : The Rock Dove (Pigeon) are found just about everywhere. The Pigeons and Doves have relatively small heads and bills and short legs. They are ground feeders foraging for seeds, fruits and whatever people feed them. They all emit a low cooing calls many people mistake for a hoot owl.

Doves & Pigeons

Stilts and Avocets : These birds have long slender bills and spindly legs. They are sleek and graceful waders.

Stilts and Avocets

Hummingbirds :

Crows & Ravens : Crows and ravens look very similar except ravens are larger and have and larger bill.

Grebes : Grebes are found worldwide with six species found in North America. Their lobed toes make them strong swimmers. They are usually seen in the water.

Nuthatches,Creepers & Wrens : Creepers are small tree climbers with curved bills. Wrens are chunky little birds with slender, curved bills. They vigorously defend their territory with loud song belieing their small size.

Nuthatches,Creepers & Wrens

Roadrunners & Nighthawks :

Roadrunners & Nighthawks

Kinglets, Chickadees, Titmice & Gnatcatchers : The birds in these groups are small passerines that feed on insects in trees. They are also frequent visitors to the bird feeders.

Kinglets, Chickadees, Titmice & Gnatcatchers

Cuckoos and Roadrunners :

Cuckoos and Roadrunners

Rails, Gallinules & Coots :

Rails, Gallinules & Coots

Woodpeckers : Woodpeckers can be very shy camera subjects and patience is necessary to get close enough for a decent photograph. They are also very curious. Several of these woodpeckers were called into camera range using a small cassette tape recorder. They are very territoral and come looking for the new guy. One species of woodpeckers, Red-cockaded, is listed as an "endangered species". A good photograph of these birds is a prize of any nature photographer.

Gulls, Terns and Pelicans :

Gulls, Terns and Pelicans

Jays & Magpies :

Ducks & Geese : Ducks and Geese, commonly called waterfowl, are migratory birds which are water (wetlands) dependent. Hunters keep populations of geese and ducks in balance. They also and provide conservation funds through organizations like Ducks Unlimited.

Anhingas & Cormorants : Characterized by long, slender necks and long tails mark their differences with the Cormorants. These birds swim and catch fish with their long pointed bills.

Anhingas & Cormorants

Finches, Cardinals, Towhees & Tanagers : Finches and cardinals are seed eaters.

Finches, Cardinals, Towhees & Tanagers

Herons and Egrets : These wading birds have long legs and necks used to eat insects and fish.

Herons and Egrets

Blackbirds , Orioles, & Grackles : These birds have strong, direct flight and pointed bills. Its members vary in plumage from iridescent black to yellow to brilliant orange. They frequent a wide variety of habitats.The Orchard and Baltimore Orioles migrate through southeast Texas from South America before heading north.

Blackbirds , Orioles, & Grackles

Thrushes, Thrashers, Waxwings and Mockingbirds : Thrushes are eloquent songbirds of many habitats. They often feed on the ground on insects.

Thrushes, Thrashers, Waxwings and Mockingbirds

Flycatchers : Flycatchers leap from perched positions to catch insects.

Sparrows : Those "little brown birds" we often see near the ground in the open prairie are more than likely sparrows. Sparrows are like sandpipers and gulls, difficult to id for a novice like me. They are basic ground feeders preferring seeds and plants. This group of birds is widespread across North America and found in almost all habitats. They are most commonly found in open prairie grassland habitats. Like the first one in the group, Henslow's Sparrow, had everyone fooled until a couple of experts looked at the photo and declared it a Henslow's.

Hawks, Eagles, Vultures and Other Birds of Prey : These birds of prey have some common equipment; a hooked beak which allows them to rip flesh from bones and talons used to kill and grip its prey. Hawks and other buteos ride thermals up and soar (glide) to the next location. If you notice that you usually don't see hawks or vultures until mid-morning. The air has to have time to heat up and the hawks/vultures use the rising air to soar with the updrafts. They are able to migrate thousands of miles this way. The bald eagles appear in the winter with the arrival of the snow geese. The eagles dine on the injured and wounded geese which makes an easy kill.

Hawks, Eagles, Vultures and Other Birds of Prey

Owls : Owls are silent, predatory animals. Owls are difficult to photograph since most of the time they only move about during the night. I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time to photograph these owls.

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