Hey everyone, so after a few trips into the woods lately, it's plain to see that some of the birds that already came and went, are coming back and going again! Most of the spring time birds that are really fun to look for that have gone away since May have started making appearances again on their way south for the winter. These are some of the coolest looking birds and the most diverse ones as well for the area. I have gotten a few pictures of some, but nothing to awe inspiring as far as I'm concerned! These are some of the birds I have gotten so far.
This is a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, which is really small and hard to spot. What makes them easier to pick out is their bold white eye ring! Otherwise, unless you know what they sound like, they just kind of blend in with the others.
This is a juvenile Blue-headed Vireo. This vireo is one of the coolest looking vireos during the spring time because their colors really stick out! Unfortunately, this guy is young and doesn't have all of his colors yet. This phase of his life is called molting!
This is another juvenile bird that was very curious about me called a Wilson's Warbler. He is all yellow and when he gets older, there will be a dark black cap on the top of his head that contrasts boldly against his body. But like his friend above, he too is too young to have all of his colors yet. I had a great chance to get some awesome pictures of this guy, but getting a crisp, spot-on focused shot of a 3 to 4 inch bird that is constantly jumping around through the tree branches is not the easiest thing in the world. Actually, it extremely difficult and frustrating sometimes.
Then of course there is this guy! What would a nice stroll in the woods be without coming across a very large, snake. If you would have asked me last year if I took a picture of any snakes I had seen in the woods, I would have said, "NO WAY!" But, this year I have tried really hard to overcome my "fear" of snakes and to actually try to understand more about them. Before I knew it, I actually could see one on the ground and WITHOUT having a mild heart attack, I could manage to just look at it and appreciate it. Well, in this case I was on a very narrow path when I could sense something right next to my feet. When I looked down, I instantly knew what kind of snake it was from my studies and I was completely calm. It was about 3 to 4 feet long and very thick, but I knew it was a Black Rat Snake and that they were non-poisonous, which equals harmless to humans. So I got down in a squat and about 4 feet from it's face and took his picture. I'm actually very proud of myself! I couldn't get him to move for a better picture and when he did, he bolted away from me, cut across the path and vanished. LOL
More pictures to come.....
