Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks [Dendrocygna autumnalis] are one of the oddest North American ducks. These “tree ducks” do nest in trees and will use nest boxes much like the more common Wood Ducks. However, these ducks share similarities with geese and swans with “their lack of sexual dimorphism, relatively long-term pair bonds, and lack of complex pair-forming behavior.” - Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds.

Regardless, they are handsome birds and a treat if you visit southern Texas.

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The White-crowned Sparrows with brown crowns (aka, 1st year birds), always seem to be a bit more bold than those with the sharp white and black crowns.

Digiscoped with our sweet Swarovski 80 HD spotting scope and “old reliable” the Canon Rebel XTi.

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The Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) is a marvelous majestic bird we always get excited about. Cranes are fun to watch, especially if you get a chance to watch them dance!

The “dance” of the Sandhill Crane is well known. Pairs engage in elaborate bowing displays with outstretched wings and leap high into the air. Often, a corncob or stick is picked up and thrown upward repeatedly. This behavior is believed to strengthen or establish new pair bonds. Although cranes generally “mate for life” (i.e. pairs remain faithful), they are hunted in several states and provinces, and if mates are lost, cranes will select another mate if necessary. Consequently, the Platte has been referred to as “the greatest singles bar for cranes” or “the melting pot of crane world”, since it provides the best opportunity to find a new mate as sub-populations from throughout the Northern Hemisphere commingle. - Nebraska Games and Parks Commission

Dancing Cranes by Dakota

Cranes mate for life and can live more than 20 years. There are six different subspecies of Sandhill Crane, three of which migrate:

1. Grus canadensis canadensis (Lesser Sandhill)
2. Grus canadensis tabida (Greater Sandhill)
3. Grus canadensis rowani (Canadian Sandhill)
4. Grus canadensis pratensis (Florida Sandhill)
5. Grus canadensis pulla (Mississippi Sandhill)
6. Grus canadensis nesiotes (Cuban Sandhill)

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This week’s Skywatch is a Red-tailed Hawk that was busy making his presence known. Gotta love their screeeeee!!

Check out more Skywatch photos!

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The Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis) is a spunky little brown species with a chattery call. This year, our luck finding these guys was touch and go. One explanation might be that they are very nomadic and never stay put for long. We also found out from our local bird experts that they will move south and have a second brood, eliminating our confusion on why we found Sedge Wrens at Deer Run Forest Preserve later in the season than expected.

The Sedge Wren used to be called the Short-billed Marsh Wren and has had other nicknames such as meadow wren and grass wren. The Sedge Wren was our 4000th photo on flickr and also one of our focus birds for a citizen science project involving our local bird club.

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Graceful in the sky, Turkey Vultures are far from ugly

The Turkey Vulture is often unappreciated even with their important role on the carrion clean-up crew. Although they will also sometimes eat crops and other vegetation, carrion comprises most of their diet. Turkey Vultures have a well-developed sense of smell (more than most other birds) to help them find their smelly food.

Cool Fact 1: Turkey vultures have been used to detect the location of natural gas leaks, because they will circle over the leak lured by the rotten-meat odor added to the gas. -Woodland Park Zoo

I am beautiful

Cool Fact 2: One of a vulture’s frequently used defense mechanisms is to throw up. This accomplishes two things: It lightens its personal load and makes it easier to fly away and, at the same time, momentarily stuns, confuses or disgusts its potential predator. - WindStar Wildlife Institute

Vultures are portrayed in many comedic stereotypical forms as desert-circling-last-moment-before-death birds, ugly and stupid. But in reality, they are graceful fascinating creatures that help keep our environment clean and healthy.

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