"Those birds that forage and nest around human habitations become accustomed to people and show little fear in their presence. Cactus Wrens are extremely curious and closely inspect everything within their domain, often entering sheds and parked cars when the doors or windows are left open. They often sing from an exposed perch and on the ground they may run swiftly but usually fly if going any distance. Flights are usually short, direct, and close to the ground.
Cactus Wrens forage in shrubs and trees for insects or on the ground where they diligently search for food. Small debris is often lifted with the bill while the wren peers beneath for hidden prey. Food items include beetles, ants,
wasps, weevils, grasshoppers, bugs and spiders, as well as the fruits of various cacti, elderberry, hackberry and cascara buckthorn. In southern Texas the facial feathers of those wrens eating the tunas of prickly pear are often stained reddish by the juice. " txtbba.tamu.edu
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It was exciting to watch the Vermilion Flycatcher puff up his hair and chest and display his outrageous beauty.
Another birder gave us precise directions.
"Many birders keep lists of species they've seen during exceptional days or during their lives. Such a list might look like so many grocery items, but each checkmark is actually shorthand for some encounter or experience. For every bird scribbled in a journal or scrawled on a napkin, there is a story." deseretnews.com
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"The dapper Snowy Plover scurries across sandy habitats as inconspicuously as a puff of sea foam blown by the wind. These pale brown shorebirds are highlighted with a black or brown partial collar and a short black bill. They are hardy survivors that forage for invertebrates on ocean beaches and in desolate salt flats and alkaline lakes. Snowy Plovers make nearly invisible nests on beaches, where they are easily disturbed by humans, dogs, and beach vehicles."
allaboutboids
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“Hooded” is something of an understatement for this extravagantly crested little duck. Adult males are a sight to behold, with sharp black-and-white patterns set off by chestnut flanks. Females get their own distinctive elegance from their cinnamon crest. Hooded Mergansers are fairly common on small ponds and rivers, where they dive for fish, crayfish, and other food, seizing it in their thin, serrated bills. They nest in tree cavities; the ducklings depart with a bold leap to the forest floor when only one day old."
allaboutboids
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I roll down the window and try not to breathe too hard. Or laugh too hard.
Oh those little faces are checking us out. We are in our portable bird blind (Wendy's car.)
"Burrowing owls like to settle in open areas with minimal grass cover, empty burrows built by other animals more adept at digging, and perch sites. The elaborate underground networks of tunnels and chambers fashioned by prairie dogs and other burrowing mammals fit the bill nicely. Once owls move in, they often start decorating. Some might call their taste eclectic.
The tiny raptors have been known to outfit their burrows with foam, rubber window insulation, cigarette butts, tin foil, spaceman toys and Barbie doll parts.
Other birds festoon their nests with found objects, to attract mates and deter predators. A handful of species also use manure to line their nests. But burrowing owls have a unique penchant for scattering manure everywhere: outside their burrow, in the tunnel leading to the nest chamber and inside the chamber itself. This curious habit was first reported in 1892, and biologists still can’t say for certain why they do it..."
Liza Gross
pbs.org
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