Spring Time Birds (Warning: LOTS of pics!!)

[IluvABbeef]

Here's those snow buntings we've been seeing lately:

The pics were dark since it was snowing quite a bit. I was sitting really quiet and those buntings were getting pretty close to the camera, as shown in the last pic.

Mallard ducks:

Flying off since I scared them.

Robin that was hanging around near the pond

Canada geese coming in for a landing

Stretching his wings

Reflections on the water

Only one of the few tiffs I seen between these birds.

What I thought was a Gyrfalcon turned out to be a Northern Harrier.

 

[IluvABbeef]

Some slightly better snow bunting pictures:

Landing on the snow

The flock's so thick they're worse than flies!

Ducks flying in

Mallard in mid-flight

Swans flying over

Northern pintail ducks in a spring-flood pond

Lesser Yellowlegs (species of sandpiper)

Pintails coming in for a landing

Cloud (literally!) of snow buntings and ducks

Harrier going after buntings

Resting on a fence post (sorry for the ugly "finger" in the middle there, didn't want to move from where I was positioned otherwise I'd scare both the harrier AND the ducks)

In mid-flight (better pics, IMO, than the one on the first post)

Anyway, enjoy!

 

[hillsdown]

WOW !!! I have never ever seen so many snow buntings ,amazing . :shock:

Beautiful pics AB ,thanks so much for posting and sharing them with all of us !

 

[alisonb]

Thanks AB, lovely pics. The sounds of all the birds must be deafening, something to experience

 

[bigbull338]

WOW is right those are some great bird pics.im in awww at seeing some meny birds.

 

[IluvABbeef]

Thanks! Those snow buntings sounded more like a windy day than anything. Or wind and water, however you want to interpret it.

I think my favorite picture of all I've posted is the one where those pintails are coming in for a landing (the first one of the three posted). I was very surprised to get a good a shot of that as I did.

We seen a snowy owl too this weekend (they are rare around here), so I'll have to post a pic or two of him. ;-)

 

[Dylan Biggs]

That is quite the picture of the snow buntings and ducks, good job, thank you for posting.

 

[IluvABbeef]

Thanks Dylan.

 

[Jogeephus]

Good grief that looks cold. And so many birds. Amazing.

 

[slick4591]

And to think that I had no idea of what a snow bunting was until this thread. Great pics!

 

[lynnmcmahan]

Great pics, what do all those birds eat? Looks like there is a lot of snow to scratch through.

 

[IluvABbeef]

The snow's all gone now, which means they've moved on too, but from what I've been researching about these birds (the snow buntings) is that they eat seeds and grain that's gone to waste in the fields. I've seen them in the canola fields and the neighbor's hayfield, so there must be some tiny seeds that they're finding that's enough to feed thousands of birds at one time.

Thanks for the compliments everyone!