Birds from my Big Backyard – for Sunday Stills

For Sunday Stills where this week’s prompt is “backyard birding”

OK, so as an avid traveler, I’ve had lots and lots of backyards over the past decade and it’s really difficult to pick a few of my favorite feathered friends, but I’ll try.

A Pukeko bird in Queenstown, NZ These guys were swimming around Lake Wakatipu, so colorful and graceful. Imagine my delight when they came to shore and revealed themselves to be waders. I’ve been laughing at those chicken legs ever since. How DO they swim with those?

Osprey in flight over Willamette River, Oregon, USA. These guys are a delight to watch while they fish. The “hover” over the river and then dive so fast they are little more than a blur before swooping back up and away.

Macaw in Pahrump, NV – Nope, that’s not in a zoo, or an aviary, or any other type of enclosure. Heidi Fleiss (yes that Heidi Fleiss) operates a macaw sanctuary at her home there and one can often spot the town’s colorful (pun intended) residents. Beautiful to behold but oh my are they noisy.

and finally, Great Horned Owlets right outside our window near Rapid City, SD, USA — We had such fun watching these cuties grow from tiny puff balls to grand juveniles. I wish we had gotten some shots of them preparing for their first flight. They stood boldly out on the edges of the tree, spreading and flapping their wings for a couple of days before hand. Then, one morning, they were gone. Their haunting songs will forever remain in my memory.

Great Horned Owls

Til next time ~Peace ~JP