Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Beauty and the Beast

Vermilion Flycatcher- Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico
This is the only time of year when people in the north get excited about seeing Crows, Canada Geese, Blackbirds, and Grackles as they return for the spring season. I saw my first three Turkey Vultures this week, beautiful in the air yet so homely up close.

My dad has shared pictures of colourful birds he has seen on their property in western Mexico over the winter. This week he sent me another beautiful photo, this time a Vermilion Flycatcher. Our flycatchers here are feathered in brown, olive and pale yellow at their brightest.

My best bird picture of the week looks sinister in comparison, but I was strangely happy to see this noisy pair on the bare branches of the tree.

Common Grackles- Southern Ontario, Canada

8 comments:

  1. The Flycatcher photo is superb.Isn't it strange who we get excited about common birds in spring.It is just good to see the birds return.

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  2. I was going to say that seems like a new bird to me. From Mexico = no wonder.

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  3. The flycatcher is brilliant! Been seeing Masses of grackles here in S TX. In Yarnell, the vultures mark spring and I love to watch them soar, but I don't think of them as ugly.

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  4. I'd love to see a Vermillion Flycatcher some day-Such a colorful flycatcher! I'm glad to see I'm not the only one in the grackle admirer club this week.

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  5. Lots of "black" birds here too Ruth. It's nice to look closer though and discover some other interesting species mixed in with the grackles.

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  6. Oh, you are making me miss AZ with that photo of the vermillion flycatcher! Yes, the grackles and red-winged blackbirds are returning here also and soon we will both have more!

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  7. What a beautiful shade of red! Ha - Mexico, no wonder!!
    Thanks for posting. Nice to see such colourful birds. I too have only seen crows and geese.

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  8. Yes, the only time we get excited to see those poopy geese is in the spring! The crows are back here also, announcing their arrival most raucously.

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