Posts in Category: birds
Bearded Mountaineer (revisited)
The Bearded Mountaineer deserves another shot. This was from the same roadside stop on the highway from Cusco to Paucartambo that produced the Chestnut-breasted Mountain Finch, the Band-tailed Seedeater, and the Creamy-crested Spinetail. Good stop! I could not catch the gorget of the Bearded Mountaineer in all its colored glory, but you get a hint of the possible richness here. (I do have a fuzzy flight shot that shows the green.) This is a big hummingbird, by any standard (6-6.5 inches)…but it looked small compared to the Giant Hummingbird that was flitting in and out of sight from higher up on the mountain above us. Sony RX10iv at 1200mm equivalent (600 optical plus 2x Clear Image Zoom). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr.
Creamy-crested Spinetail
The Creamy-crested Spinetail is a Peruvian endemic. We found this pair foraging in the brush at the same roadside stop as the pervious two birds, along the highway from Cusco to Paucartambo, high on the western dry slopes of the southern Andes in Peru. They were active and flighty, and hard to pin down for a photo, but interesting birds to watch. According to the Birds of Peru, they are locally fairly common in their range. These two are the only ones we saw on the trip, though they also inhabit Cloud Forest where we spent a lot more time than at this road side stop 🙂 Sony RX10iv at 1200mm equivalent (600mm optical plus 2x Clear Image Zoom). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr. With Amazon Journeys on the Birding the Manu Road Adventure.
Band-tailed Seedeater
Not the most exciting bird in the world, and widespread even in Peru, this is the Band-tailed Seedeater from the same roadside stop where we saw the Mountain Finch from yesterday’s post, on the highway from Cusco to Paucartambo, Peru. A little digital trickery here to show you two views of the same bird. Sony RX10iv at 1200mm equivalent (600mm optical plus 2x Clear Image Zoom). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and a assembled in Pixomatic.
Chestnut-breasted Mountain Finch
I am working back through my photos from my Birding the Manu Road adventure with Amazon Journeys more or less in order. This is from the first day, still on the highway to Purcartambo (where the Manu Road really begins). We pulled off in a “likely spot” on one of the hairpin turns to walk a ways and see what we could see. This is the Chestnut-breasted Mountain Finch, a lovely little bird the Birds of Peru guide lists as rare and local throughout its limited range on the mid-range dry slopes of the Andes. Sony RX10iv at 1200mm equivalent (600mm optical plus 2x Clear Image Zoom). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr.
What you missed from Peru
On my Birding the Manu Road adventure with Amazon Journeys and Pepe Rojas, we had very limited wifi, and I only posted a few images to Facebook. So here is a recap of what you missed.
Bare-faced Ground-Dove
Along the west side of Haucarpay Lake east of Cusco, Peru, in the scrubby landscape between the town and lake, we discovered this Bare-faced Ground-Dove, a common bird of the area. It almost got away from me over a little rise in the ground. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr. I was on the Birding the Manu Road adventure with Amazon Journeys.
Hooded Siskin
Sorry about the gap here, but I find it difficult to post while traveling with limited wifi. I have been in Peru for 10 days, on the Birding the Manu Road adventure with Amazon Journeys and then in Machu Picchu on an overnight from Cusco. I will post a catch up post featuring the images I managed to post from the road soon. For now, on our way out of Cusco on the first day, we stopped at Huacarpay Lake, a typical high altitude lake on the east slope of the Andes, in hopes of some water birds. Along the shore as we were leaving, we encountered a large and busy flock of Hooded Siskins feeding in brush in an empty lot. The Hooded Siskin is a lot like our American Goldfinch, in both looks and behavior. This shot shows both males and females. Sony RX10iv at 1200mm equivalent (600mm optical plus 2x Clear Image Zoom). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr.
Gold Finch
We put up a new feeder pole on the other corner of the deck this week, along with a branch I saved from pruning the cherry tree last fall. The birds started using it immediately. I also added one of those metal screen thistle feeders to replace the thistle sock, which never, in the past three years, attracted a single Finch. That too was a success. The Goldfinches, which came to the Black-oil Sunflower Seed feeders even if they did not come to the thistle sock, started using the screen thistle feeder on the second day. They also like the cherry tree branch, which is straight in line with the deck door and easily visible from the breakfast table…if I am careful I can get the door open a crack before the birds fly, hence this shot of a Gold Finch at close range. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr.
Red-winged Acrobatics
More shots of the acrobatic Red-winged Blackbird from a few days ago at the drainage pond at Southern Maine Medical Center in Kennebunk. Endlessly entertaining…unless they are at your feeder :). (And maybe even then, depending on your tolerance.) Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr. Assembled in Framemagic.
Tom Turkey in the tall grass
The other day, while out on a photoprowl on my ebike, I happened on two large flocks of Wild Turkeys…or maybe it was one huge flock and I just saw both ends of it while it was spread out over 600 yards or so…along the road into our local beach. There were two big handsome Toms at the very far end of the two groups, feeding in tall grass. When I stopped my bike one of them decided to disappear so it sat down in the grass with only its head sticking up. As though that bright red head would be inconspicuous in the green grass. 🙂 600mm and 1200mm equivalents (1200 with 2x Clear Image Zoom). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and assembled in FrameMagic.