brdnrdr's Favourites

Adelie penguin chick at Shingle Cove, South Orkneys.

Here is a video I made showing an Adelie colony at this locations:

https://www.dslinehan.com/princess/princess-episode-3/videos.php/#e3-adelie-colony

Red-winged Blackbird
near Stewardson, Illinois
1 June 1989

I'm posting this record just for the general interest of a Red-winged Blackbird with one white wing. Whether a partial albino, or a partial leucistic bird, I'm not sure. A local farmer told my wife and me that this bird had been on his farm for three summers. The bird left in the fall with the other Red-wingeds and came back in the spring. I watched it for about 30 minutes. It vocalized like any other Red-winged BB and interacted with other Red-wingeds normally. It was pretty flashy to see in flight, however. Three shots posted. These images scanned from old color slides.

Just some of the Long-eared Owls roosting in conifer trees in the centre of the town of Kikinda in Serbia. Over 80 birds counted, but the peak count is in the region of 750! Such good views and a great selection of male and female birds so that it is possible to observe the differences in plumage betw|n the species. In this particular roost, the majority of birds were female.

©www.williamwisephoto.com Donnelley Wildlife Management Area; Colleton, South Carolina, USA.

• Sun and clouds with afternoon thunderstorms. High of 86 F.
• Sunrise 6:15 AM, Sunset 8:27 PM
• Day length: 14 hours, 12 minutes (+40s)
• Moon 19% Waning Crescent
• Journal: http://williamwisephoto.com/photographyblog/scarlet-snake-at-donnelley-wma

March, 2017 nature journal entry; Walton County, Georgia. A flurry of back and forth flights directed my eye to a tree stump leaning over the water’s edge. Brown-headed Nuthatches (Sitta pusilla) were making runs to a small opening in the stump and disappearing in the shadowy hole. Zooming in, I saw the incoming flights carried small pieces of... http://williamwisephoto.com/photographyblog/nuthatch-nest

~William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message

On a morning walk behind the animal control shelter, I spotted a writhing black ball and a wing in a tree. Holding up my binoculars, I couldn’t believe my eyes. About 30 feet up in the air, a Ratsnake was dangling from a limb and struggling to swallow a Northern Mockingbird. I ran back to my office for my camera. Returning in about 5 minutes, it was still going at it. I watched for about 20 minutes until they fell into the undergrowth and I couldn’t see it anymore. I was able to capture some video as well and posted it on my nature photo blog. http://williamwisephoto.com/photographyblog/ratsnake-devours-mockingbird

Thursday, January 21, 2021 - paddling the upper half of The Sill; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. ©williamwisephoto.com

~ Journal: http://williamwisephoto.com/photographyblog/okefenokee-warblers

While enjoying some backyard birding, my neighbor's cat ran out from behind my shed and reminded me why I wish all cat owners would keep their domesticated animals indoors. http://williamwisephoto.com/photographyblog/flickers-warblers-and-cats

Rhagodima cf. nigrocincta

Cincta (cinctus, cinctum) in latin means "surrounded by". So the portmanteau "nigrocincta" can mean "surrounding by black color". This might refer to colors and patterns on the abdomen of this species. Or it may not refer to black patches on some legs which does not form full circle/ring as in R. Annulata.

But these informations are not clear to me as per the description by Henry Meyners Bernard who described the species as Rhax nigrocincta along with Rhax Howesii (currently assigned as Rhagodes melanopygus). Another information I can find is that as per Simon's 1885 description R. annulata has body length of 18mm and as per Bernard's description of R. nigrocincta is around 1.25 to 2 inches. T̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶p̶e̶c̶i̶m̶e̶n̶ ̶w̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶w̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶a̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶ ̶1̶.̶2̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶1̶.̶5̶ ̶i̶n̶c̶h̶e̶s̶ ̶l̶o̶n̶g̶.̶ (The specimen was just 2 cms long after I re-checked the video where it climbed to my friend's hand. Videograb is attached as last photo.)

Henry Meyners Bernard's 1894 article on the species called "On two new species of Rhax. Journal of Linnean Soicety London" can be read here: https://ww.rcin.org.pl/dlibra/publication/88759/edition/67942/content?ref=struct

The illustrations on the book has been digitized and uploaded to Wiki Commons over here:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rhagodima_nigrocincta.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rhagodima_nigrocincta_cutted.jpg

Comparing the images above I can see similar black patches on the legs. Also the white moustache pattern has good resemblance on the individual. But I don't see the spurs specified in illustrations.

Note: I am not conforming on the species level identification here. I have just added my notes here for future reference for anybody who wants to take this subject for research.

Featured links:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_IRP2ZA02t/

https://twitter.com/inaturalist/status/1251551116027805698

https://www.facebook.com/inaturalist/posts/pfbid02Fja8b97GMMmc4V5FAbNAoccbEETKiDDF59KX7BzdsWV3rqReRq1x4HJa4T9m41cFl

Seen by dozens of people throughout the afternoon, and photographed by many. An incredible find by Susan Z. yesterday, and an incredible refind this afternoon by Nolan K.

Arrived at 7:30 a.m. and searched until about 11 fruitlessly. Went home for 5 minutes before learning the bird was refound and we went back to find it. One of the greatest days of birding I’ve ever had.

Bird left the dark and dense cluster of yews east of the WTP just 2 times in about 3.5 hours to forage in the Scots Pines across the sidewalk both to the north and the south. Typically stuck to a couple of perches deep inside the dark corners of the yews, sometimes seen eating the yew berries or even catching an insect flying by its perches.

FIELD MARKS FAVORING SMALL-BILLED: Rounded head, grayish overall coloration, messy string of white wing bars, lesser covert wing bar extremely faint and at most times invisible, white bases of secondaries, very few white crown feathers visible when fluffed up and preening, white reaching from the primary fringes to the lower wing bar. Alvaro Jaramillo's video differentiating Small-billed v.s. Chilean was incredibly helpful both in the field and at home while writing up description. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5SAAu5iNi0)

I heard 3 vocalizations personally throughout the hours I was there, and I’m in complete agreement with Tom L. that it sounds like a pitched up, whistled RECR.