Saturday, November 10, 2012

Birds of the Sun

Back in late summer, I found a really cool field of sunflowers not far from my house.  This field was located on one of the Missouri Conservation Department's (MCD) local conservation areas. I've noticed these beautiful sunflower fields before, but just never stopped to check them out. But this summer, I decided I'd grab a few lenses and make a trek through the field and see what I would find. First, let me show you a few images of the sunflower field:




As you can see, a wonderful display was there for the taking. But what about birds? What visited these beautiful flowers? One of the most common visitors was the American Goldfinch:




 Then there was a flycatcher (I was unable to identify the species or grab an acceptable image), and several Ruby-throated Hummingbirds:



I saw a gorgeous male Blue Grosbeak:


And even a Wild Turkey appeared to be happy strolling through the maze of sunflowers:


Also, a couple of interesting winged, nonbirds showed up, including a Hummingbird (Clearwing) Moth:




And a beautiful Monarch Butterfly:


So, if you see a field of sunflowers growing near you next summer, you might want to stop to check them out.  I'm already planning on a steady visit to my local sunflower patch!

Images and Post by Jim Braswell of Show-Me Nature Photography

9 comments:

  1. I love the photo of the one lone sunflower standing high above the others. I never thought about the wild life that inhabit these fields of flowers. I know many birds love the seeds and I will have to travel at least an hour to a sunflower field, but next year I will have to try and check it out. Thanks.

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  2. Lovely shots! The golden color is so exhilarating, so satisfying. Love the birds and the moth!

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  3. Wow...I really enjoyed them watching...lovely photos and presentation!!

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  4. I love finding a patch of sun flowers in late summer and fall as they often host a wide variety of birds and bugs. Even in winter the dried stalks still may have finches and siskins gleaning the left-over seeds while juncos and sparrows feed on the ground below them.

    Gorgeous photos Jim!

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  5. Beautiful photos Jim! The sunflowers are gorgeous, especially with all the great visitors!

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  6. A glorious sunflower field! Oh how I would love to visit this lovely place. Your photographs are especially beautiful bathed in golden beauty. I was pleasantly surprised to see the hummingbirds feeding on the sunflowers. Magnificent!

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  7. Rodam para o lado mais favorável e os pássaros acompanham esse movimento. A Natureza nasce perfeita, o homem é que a destrói.
    Uma série de fotas com um olhar fantástico.
    Abraço

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