Favoritos de srdsmkes

Seen to be in a bonded pair with a black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) in a breeding colony. Seen sharing nest-sitting duties. This nest is being monitored by the reserve management team to see if this breeding attempt is successful.

Viceroys and Red-spotted Purples are closely related and will on a rare occasion mate and produce a hybrid. This hybrid was termed the "Rubidus" variant of Red-spotted Purple, but is now recognized as the hybrid with a Viceroy.

White Rock lake, Sunset Bay
Photo 1:
Odd Wood Duck
Wood ducks look strange when they change from their pretty breeding colors into their drab summer (eclipse) colors. But this duck is stranger still. It has both male & female characteristics. Not a juvenile, they have dull olive color bills. Male traits here are that colorful bill that remains even in summer and the colorful head crest feathers. Female traits are the brown eye instead of red, the shape of the white outlining the eye and the lack of a white chin strap going up the neck. Males keep the red eyes and white chin strap even in the summer.
Photo 2:
Another View Of The Odd Wood Duck
From every angle and when I lightened up colors all the way on the desktop briefly, that eye stayed brown. Pretty cool.

Photo 3:
Comparison shot of mine that shows 1 male & 2 female wood ducks in eclipse colors. Male eyes red, female eyes brown. male no white around eye and white chin strip and colorful bill. females white around eye, no chin strap and non colorful bill.
So, is this a gynandromorph or am I missing something?

The perfect timing.

I had just begun my walk. It was a cold day, having snowed recently. Bundled in my coat, hat, and gloves, I headed down the sidewalk. It was a mundane trek, but turned into a scene of excitement and action when a Marlin made itself known. The large bird circled into a pine tree and disappeared out of sight. I wanted more, so I ran ahead to get a closer look!

With the snow crunching beneath my boots, I searched the tree for the Merlin. My eyes darted from branch to branch before finally, I spotted it. The bird of prey was perched on a limb with something pinned under its talons, a cardinal!

I watched as the hungry predator ripped into its meal, pieces of the unfortunate cardinal raining down from above all while its beautiful red feathers were carried away by the wind. I quickly learned I was standing too close to the action as a bit of cardinal fell on my face!

For the next 15 minutes, the Merlin ate. It left nothing left of its prey. At one point, the Merlin got a feather stuck in its beak and had to shake its head to get it off. The feather drifted down and was caught in a bush.

Finally, when it was all said and done, the satisfied Merlin rubbed its face against the bark. It hopped along the branches and flew away.

They work fast; a catch to nothing but feathers in less than 30 minutes!

Melanistic Song Sparrow. Singing male, ID'ed as Song Sparrow by song, and similar face pattern (visible in photo though muted due to melanism). The bird was also associating with a standard-issue SOSP, possibly a mate.