Eagles and Gulls on the Illinois River [with video!]
January 17, 2009
Article in: Birding
Today we participated in a Rockford Bird Club (NCIOS) sanctioned field trip to Starved Rock State Park (near LaSalle/Peru, Illinois) to search for odd gulls and Bald Eagles. Of course the wind was blowing hard, making for a fun battle against the cold to filter through the hordes of gulls.
But before the search could fully begin, we discovered that our Canon was missing a crucial piece of equipment necessary for digiscoping. No CF card. Yes, our camera was without our 8 GB memory card and no backup was in the camera bag.
Thus, our digiscoping was cut short, with our backup (Nikon point-and-shoot) quickly running out of battery power. The trip was still fun with plenty of gulls to view and an extraordinary amount of Bald Eagles. A Thayer’s Gull was the best find of the bunch, the majority of the gulls being Herrings.
This video clip shows a mini Eagle battle with a juv. taking control of a fishy snack and not willing to turn it over to the rest of the gang. [Near the end of the video, watch for the "Bald Eagle butt-waggle"]
The lock was iced over but still in full operation. One barge went through which provided a lot of excitement for the large crowd, including the gulls that were looking for fish fragments.
Phriday Photo (and Video) – Pine Siskin & American Goldfinch
January 2, 2009
Article in: Photography
Side-by-side comparison of an American Goldfinch (left) and Pine Siskin who were hanging out on our thistle feeder. This was digiscoped with the Birdfreak Swarovski Digiscoping Setup through a window. Camera was our Nikon Coolpix 5100 (point-and-shoot).
Video clip also through the scope and Nikon camera.
View all our videos which include not only birds but the world famous, Arizona Doberman (and some other stuff as well).
Video Wednesday – Cleanup on Aisle Downy Hole
June 11, 2008
Article in: Videos
Our backyard Downy Woodpeckers have been busy the last few weeks feeding and taking care of their young. Here the male does a little cleanup. Includes slow motion!
Downy Woodpecker Cleaning Up from birdfreak on Vimeo.
Video Wednesday – Jeff Corwin and the American Alligator
May 21, 2008
Article in: Videos
This video was shot on our Nikon Coolpix 5100 so the quality isn’t that great but it is of Jeff Corwin discussing crocidilians and a group of kids holding an American Alligator!
Jeff Corwin Shows us the American Alligator from birdfreak on Vimeo.
Video Wednesday – American Robin at Home
April 30, 2008
Article in: Videos
When it rains it pours and when it pours, American Robins are happy. This was a couple weeks ago when the rain turned our yard into a lake.
American Robin – CNP from birdfreak on Vimeo.
Video Wednesday – Common Loon
April 23, 2008
Article in: Videos
Common Loon at Rock Cut State Park (with camera shutters and a lot of wind & rain in the background)
Common Loon from birdfreak on Vimeo.
Video Wednesday – Song Sparrow Variations
April 16, 2008
Article in: Videos
This Song Sparrow was belting out his wonderful song when he flew to a new perch to try out a different variation.
Song Sparrow – Variable Songs from birdfreak on Vimeo.
Video Wednesday – Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
April 9, 2008
Article in: Videos
Video starring a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
This video was shot in our backyard nature preserve. It is over 2 minutes long but shows a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker drilling holes and drinking out of them in our birch tree. Enjoy and please share with others!
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker from birdfreak on Vimeo.
Background noise includes: Dark-eyed Junco, House Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Brown-headed Cowbird, American Goldfinch, and our old 13-yr old Golden-retriever (clomping around the house)
