Saturday, December 22, 2012

A Sky Full of Birds (and why they flew)

1. Flying egrets-kab Cattle Egrets 11-23-12 near the Salton Sea

On the Friday after Thanksgiving when so many people are at the store shopping I am standing at the edge of an agricultural field in the Imperial Valley of California near the southeast corner of the Salton Sea. My husband has brought me here as a special treat to see birds and I am not disappointed! We found a field full of egrets, ibises and curlews, and as I stood watching they all suddenly took wing and filled the sky!

2. lift off-kab A sky full of birds

 

3. flight-kab 

4. cattle egret-kab Cattle Egret in flight

 

5. why the sky-kab So, why did they fly?

 

6. peregrine-kabBecause a juvenile Peregrine Falcon is swooping over the field of birds!

 

7. sky full of birds-kab 

8. egrets and ibis-kab Cattle Egrets and ibis.

 

9. peregrine-kab The young Peregrine made another pass but never caught a bird.

 

10. circling-kab The birds circled around, then settle down once again.

 

8 comments:

  1. Awesome shots, Kathie! I like your sky full of birds. Great sighting! Happy Birding and I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

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  2. A falcon or hawk is enough to get any birds' heart pumping but everybody has to eat.

    I'd rather be birding than stuck in a shopping mall any day.

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  3. How wonderful Kathie! I love seeing flocks of birds, it gives me a rush.

    Happy Holidays

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  4. wow! gorgeous shots! so many birds!! a sky-ful is nice!!

    BE merry!! have a joyful christmas & new year!

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  5. What a wonderful place to go and how nice your hubby is :-) Lovely photos! Merry Christmas!

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  6. What a lovely sight that must have been. Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year to you all Kathie.

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  7. Wonderful post, Kathie. Love the delicate colors and shapes! Happy New Year to you and your family!

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  8. Awesome flight photos Kathie! I love the shadows that are cast on the Cattle Egrets.

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Welcome to my nest! I hope you will enjoy spending time here with me and the birds. Thank you for your comments. I will try to get back to you as soon as I get back from counting more birds.