Songbird the Impaler

Imagine you’re a songbird . . . but nature has mandated you dine like a raptor. What are you to do with those gentle little feet that should be talons?
You develop a workaround. That’s what this little bird has done.
I saw him in my periphery and noted the bright white breast and the sporadic [...]

Super Raven

I took this shot the day after Thanksgiving — just getting around to posting it. The 25-foot swells off Ocean Beach were camera worthy. But I found myself swiveling with lens toward the cliff’s edge, where ravens were striking these comical poses in the headwinds. I captured several such raven moments, but this was my [...]

Tussle on Mountain Lake

This was a first for me . . . witnessing a down and dirty fight between American Coots intent on keeping each other off coveted turf. Neither bird was hurt. Well, maybe emotionally. The loser scrambled across the water to escape the victor.
American Coots can drown in territorial battles, although it’s not common. They [...]

Return of the Waxwings

It starts with a whistle, but a whistle so faint it’s a whisper across the leaves. And then the sound of raindrops, but it’s not rain. It’s the patter of falling berries, pyracantha and holly, dropping into the blanket of debris below the trees. Finally, we see the face — peeking through the branches with [...]

Pigeon Masters of Culinary Adaptation

Refined carbs aren’t any better for pigeons than they are for us. But urban birds, used to groveling for handouts, will take what they can get. This mottled pigeon person stumbled upon a bounty in Mission Bay. We could hear a gang of gulls on the approach so the pigeon was in his own Amazing [...]