[stumblingpiper]

Hi Everyone!
What a great finish last year! Kevin's video challenge went well, too.

Here's this year's challenge -- new year, new goal, new thought:
1) Goal is 260 Birds (I reduced the goal number, because ...)
2) Photo of BOTH male and female species. If you can capture them in the same photo, great!
If not, then a picture of both (if you can figure out which is which, even better. haha)

I'm looking forward to seeing all of the awesome pictures y'all take!
Now if I could just see all the birds that are posted in real life ...
Enjoy!
James

[jewill]

Happy New Year to all who are on this forum.
Challenge accepted James! Especially getting both the male and female in 1 shot (as you know that's my thing). Although I didn't get any today with both in the same shot, I did manage a few species with both sexes.
Allow me to start things off. I braved the cold and sat on the patio for awhile - with heater, blanket, heavy jacket and steaming cup of coffee. Even with that I only lasted about 30 minutes which makes me wonder how the little birds can survive in this. I have done the one thing that those who live in a condo know you are never supposed to do - in addition to the suet and hummingbird feeders, I've spread some bird seed on the patio for the birds that prefer to forage on the ground (don't tell anyone ).
Anyway, these are just a few of the snow birds that were out there today.

Black-capped Chickadee by Jewill on Flickr

White-crowned Sparrow (Immature) by Jewill on Flickr

Varied Thrush (Male) by Jewill on Flickr

Varied Thrush (Female) by Jewill on Flickr

Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon - Male) by Jewill on Flickr

Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon - Female) by Jewill on Flickr

Northern Flicker (Male) by Jewill on Flickr

Northern Flicker (Female) by Jewill on Flickr

Spotted Towhee (Male) by Jewill on Flickr

Song Sparrow by Jewill on Flickr

Fox Sparrow by Jewill on Flickr

Bewick's Wren by Jewill on Flickr

Sorry to be such a hog but, you know, first day it's wide open. Cheers and happy birding to all!

[stumblingpiper]

Lol. Those are awesome! Glad you beat me to it! Off to a flying start ... way to go, Judy!(That Fox Sparrow ... wow.)

[stumblingpiper]

I've got this Townsend's Solitaire hanging around the house again this winter ... such a pretty bird and cool vocals. I'll try to get a video for the 2022 challenge! He likes the juniper berries behind my house.

[Smithers]

Male and female mallards at the pond near Ambleside Beach, West Vancouver.

[Smithers]

Male and female Barrow's goldeneyes on Burrard Inlet at Ambleside (West Vancouver). They were doing their slow motion, semi-synchronized swimming/courtship thing.

[phainopepla6]

Here is a few more!!!

Pied-Billed Grebe:
Adam Ross, on Flickr[/img]

Common Merganser:
Adam Ross, on Flickr[/img]

Trumpeter Swan:
Adam Ross, on Flickr[/img]

and Song Sparrow:
Adam Ross, on Flickr[/img]

[zwest]

Aw man, we have to start all over again?

Our rare Northern Mockingbird is still here:




And a Wilson's Snipe exposed by the snow:




And, finally, a Rough-legged Hawk which appears to have fallen afoul of federal aviation regulations:



Happy New Year!

[phainopepla6]

few more:

Dunlin:
Adam Ross, on Flickr[/img]

Anna's Hummingbird:
Adam Ross, on Flickr[/img]

Black Turnstone:
Adam Ross, on Flickr[/img]

Happy Birding in the new year everyone!

ps: the hummer was scratching it's head with it's foot! if anyone has seen this behavior before please let me know.

[Steely]

It's going to be a great year ahead, I can feel it.
Got out on New Year's Day and got a Chukar in the snow. It was one of three we saw together. Two days later we found another two Chukar not far from the first! Four in ten years... the five in three days! We managed a Northern Shrike, Downey Woodpecker and a Short-eared Owl over the preceding days...
Look forward to contributing more this year. Great start guys with some nice first entries!


Chukar

[Smithers]

Male and Female Hooded Mergansers

[jewill]

Some really nice pics have been added lately but that Chukar and Anna's Hummingbird are simply outstanding - congratulations to Ian and Adam.
I've got a few more from the last couple of days -

Chestnut-backed Chickadee by Jewill on Flickr

Red-tailed Hawk by Jewill on Flickr - (Darn branches) - Don't know if it's a male or a female

Bald Eagle (Male & Female) by Jewill on Flickr - This is the "Eagle Tree" at the Turf Farm on 72nd Street in Delta and I think this must be the nesting pair that have claimed the tree as their own. There were at least 15 other eagles in the tree with them but I wanted to get a closer shot of just the 2 of them.

[stumblingpiper]

Wow! Great work everyone ... what a fast start! Now I have to put together the list already. haha.
Happy birding (Great to see you out early, Ian!)
James

[Smithers]

Great Blue Heron

[phainopepla6]

Snowy Owl

Adam Ross, on Flickr[/img]