This forum is for posting your best bird photos and videos. Although the site is focused on BC Birding, topics here and photo postings can include birds from around the globe. As well, provide a link to your photo galleries.
#86794
Ok everybody, lets do this thing :lol:

Those that have played in the past know that we want you to find what you consider your "best 3 shots" of the year, taken anywhere BUT British Columbia, world birds welcome.
Best can be whatever you want it to be, ideally you will write why the shots are your favourites but i don't want to make a bunch of rules so if the pic speaks for itself, that's good enough.
I would love to see everyone's shots, no matter if you have never posted here before, used to post here or still stubbornly stick around even though you can see tumbleweeds rolling around the sections sometimes.
Whether you consider yourself a birder, bird photographer or somewhere in between ALL ARE WELCOME.

Spread the word if you can, would be great to get a large turnout this year, the more the better!
Thanks, lets see some birds :)

PS, i don't know if the Admin would consider pinning this and the other thread up until the new year? we still have an Admin here right? :wink:
#86799
Ok, lets do this!

it will be super hard to pick only three but here it goes!

ImageHeermann's Gull (Larus heermanni) by Adam Dhalla, on Flickr

First, we have my favorite gull and one of my most favorite birds in the world, the Heermann's Gull! Their colors are astounding and watching them in Port Townsend for many hours was so amazing. It was crazy to see hundreds of them on the sandy beaches, far outnumbering the usually common Glaucous-Winged and California Gulls. Caught this guy right when it was opening it's mouth! It is almost more like an action-shot than a profile but it was one I couldn't resist putting out there!

ImageRosy-Faced Lovebird ( Agapornis roseicollis) by Adam Dhalla, on Flickr

It may not be as high-quality shot as others but I really like the background! I took an awesome four day trip to Arizona and saw 45 life birds :D and got a whole bunch of photos! This Rosy-Faced Lovebird was seen at Encanto Park, Phoenix, where they were introduced (and now ABA countable since they have established a very successful breeding population in the bark of palm trees!) We saw around 20 of these awesome birds.

ImageRusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) by Adam Dhalla, on Flickr

We saw this Rusty Blackbird in Bellingham, WA when it was reported in a parking lot. The shot is pretty ok but the story behind it was very memorable. We were walking the parking lots of a Costco looking for a RUBL (which we saw very briefly before on the roof of a Fred Meyers) and looked for it. We searched through the parking lot looking like total weirdos searching through Brewers Blackbirds walking under and between cars. Eventually, after a whole hour of searching we found it under a truck, and then eventually moved to a nice grassy 'island' in the middle of the parking lot where it stayed for two hours, where it even fed on a banana.

Again, it was hard to pick just three but these were some of the tops!

here's to a great year of birds in 2018!
#86801
This past September I visited Costa Rica for the first time. It is hard to choose, but here are three of my favourite bird photos from the trip.

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Acorn Woodpecker in San Gerardo de Dota

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Crested Guan in La Fortuna

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Talamanca Hummingbird in San Gerardo de Dota
#86820
A week in Los Cabos and early morning birding every day in the desert. A great variety of birds here are my 3 favourites

Beautifully coloured Verdin
ImageDSC_8706-1 by R R, on Flickr

Northern Cardinal - there were a lot of Pyrrhuloxias around as well
ImageDSC_8674-1 by R R, on Flickr

I wish I got a better picture - but the Crested CaraCara is a great looking bird
Imagecaracara by R R, on Flickr
#86829
Since I didn't go anywhere exotic this year, I'll have to settle for my favs from my annual driving trip east to see family.
First one is from Grasslands National Park in SW Saskatchewan that I highly recommend everyone visit at least once not just for the birds but the Bison, Coyotes, Pronghorns etc., as well as the beautiful landscapes! The self-guided drive through the park always turns up something different!
ImageMarbled Godwit flight by featherweight2009, on Flickr
This year I spent more time in SW Manitoba trying for some specialties there that I pretty much dipped on, but I did spend a fair bit of time with some kingbirds both eastern & western in one particular field that were busy flycatching & totally disregarded me! It helps to use your car as a blind!
ImageWestern KIngbird by featherweight2009, on Flickr
Like Paul I had been having trouble getting a shot of a Snipe here at home. My first good shot was 2 years ago ... in the Falkland Islands! I still haven't gotten a shot here in BC, but I finally managed the iconic shot of a Snipe on a post in SW Manitoba! Even though I finally managed decent shots of a MacGillivray's Warbler & a few other good species, for some reason I just love Snipes, so this is definitely one of my top 3!
ImageWilson's Snipe by featherweight2009, on Flickr
#86830
My out of province location wasn't a very exotic spot, but a trip to the prairies this summer
netted quite a few birds. This Red Eyed Vireo was take on a farm in Hnausa, Manitoba.

ImageVireo - Red Eyed by Gary Magnusson, on Flickr

Juvenile Yellow Headed Blackbird taken in Moose Jaw, Saskachewan

ImageBlackbird - Yellow Headed - Juvenile by Gary Magnusson, on Flickr


Great Egret taken at Oak Hammock Marsh in Manitoba


ImageEgret - Great (2) by Gary Magnusson, on Flickr
#86833
Excellent shots everyone :D

Since i spent most of my time on the north shore this year i can only look to my Ecuador trip for out of BC birds this year.

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This Toucan Barbet was one of my most-wanted birds. After getting a glimpse at the antpitta location i was happy to finally get some shots on the second last day of the birding trip.
It made us wait though, and to be honest i was really thinking i would dip on it.
It never came down to the banana feeder but i did get a few looks as it checked things out.

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Rainbow-bearded Thornbill seen on the last day of birding, high up in some pass in the mountains. It was cold and rainy and we were tired but wow, for this beauty to be the last bird i photographed there was kind of special. Even my guide was super impressed that we got it.

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Andean Cock-of-the-Rock was one of the species everybody wanted to get, i did too but i was scared of what i thought was going to be a muddy slippery dark trail down to see them, my fears were for naught though as it wasn't that bad going down and climbing back up was a piece of cake.

That's my 3, if you haven't posted yet because of whatever, do so.
#86846
Awesome photos everyone.

I didn't get out of province much this year but I did go to Phoenix in February (family visit and limited birding). I also went to Nome with my brother for 4 days in the first week of June, which was unbelievable! Definitely a must-go destination for any birder! All 3 of mine are from Nome and it was so hard to choose 3!

One of the target birds for everyone is bluethroat. We saw a handful of these and they are stunning!

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Red-throated loons were common on the roadside ponds. Amazing to see them so close and in breeding plumage. This particular one was one in a group of 4 doing courtship displays on the edge of town:

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I was amazed to see so many long-tailed jaegers. We even found a few just sitting in the middle of the road we were driving on!

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#86881
Great shots everyone. Sorry for being late at posting. I was lucky to travel a bit this past year so was hard to choose which birds to pick for my favourite 3 from outside B.C.

The first one I picked was of these two Rainbow Lorikeets that were perched in a tree beside our balcony at the hotel in Port Macquarrie, New South Wales, Australia:

ImageRainbow Lorikeet by Neal, on Flickr

Second one is a closeup of a Masked Lapwing in Sydney, Australia:

ImageSydney Birds - Masked Lapwing by Neal, on Flickr

And the third is of a Red-wiskered Bulbul taken in Kowloon, China (across the bay from Hong Kong):

ImageRed-wiskered Bulbul by Neal, on Flickr
#86886
Here is one from each of my 4 main trips in 2017...Sorry about the extra!

The rest of my favourites from 2017 are here - http://www.glennbartley.com/naturephoto ... 02017.html

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Antillean Crested Hummingbird, Martinique

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Velvet Purple Coronet, Colombia

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Hyacynth Macaw, Brazil

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Magellanic Woodpecker, Chile
#86891
Bearded reedling Bird ( Beijing China )
The bearded reedling (Panurus biarmicus) is a small, sexually dimorphic reed-bed passerine bird. It is frequently known as the bearded tit, due to some similarities to the long-tailed tit, or the bearded parrotbill. It is the only species in the family Panuridae. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearded_reedling

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#86934
So many great photos posted! I was lucky to be able to do some travelling this year and had a lot of different birds to choose from.

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Baltimore Oriole, South Padre Island, Texas

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Smew, England

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Black-throated Trogon, Costa Rica

Vince Knight
#86936
Vince wrote:So many great photos posted! I was lucky to be able to do some travelling this year and had a lot of different birds to choose from.

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Baltimore Oriole, South Padre Island, Texas

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Smew, England

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Black-throated Trogon, Costa Rica

Vince Knight
3 excellent locations Vince, i too visited South Padre Island a few years ago, got chased by a gull hungry for french fries for a few miles i recall, very strange to be driving and have a gull keeping pace right by passenger window looking in and calling, kind of embarrassing as well actually :lol:
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