Idaho Bird Photos

Here are just some more random photos that I wanted to share:

House Wren at Merrill Park, Eagle, ID - two or three young ones were chasing each other around the trunk.  I love the lichen color on the tree.

Great Blue Heron - auditioning for reindeer duties?  - Star, Idaho (Pinewood Lakes community)

Northern Rough-winged Swallow on vinyl post  (Joplin Rd in Star, Idaho)

Bank Swallow soaring above nesting site at Avimor - the white-shirt and tie make this swallow easy to tell from other swallows.

Baby Killdeer at Avimor - it was kind of sad-funny watching it try to jump over the curb to join its mother and siblings, but it eventually made it.

Common Nighthawk - a bump on a log

"Jessica!  Come check out this really cool bird."  I called to my wife.  She slowly approached where I stood partially concealed by the trunk of another tree.

"It would sure help if you would tell me where it is." she whispered.

"It's right there in front of us!" I exclaimed. "See...on the horizontal branch right there."

"Oh my goodness! It's just like a bump on a log!" she announced, accurately describing it's camouflage and parallel-to-the-branch perching habit.

I think all goatsuckers (nightjars) are cool birds.  I've only seen Lesser Nighthawks and Common Nighthawks in my birding life so far.  I most often see them in flight, and the long wings with the white-wing patch makes them easy to identify.  Even their calls are pretty recognizable once you have heard them a time or two.  In my experience, Lesser Nighthawks seem to be a bit more solitary or paired while Common Nighthawks are often found in larger densities.  I've been fortunate enough to find a couple Nighthawk roosting areas and it seems you can find them on almost every branch of every tree!

These photos were taken of a couple of Common Nighthawks at Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park, not too far from Mountain Home, Idaho.  Its a great place to take kids to play on the dunes and it is a bit of an oasis in the desert for birds.

They have relatively large eyes and very small bill.  The bill has little whiskers all around it.  These are terrific bug-eatin' machines.

During mating season they will often fly up high then dive down at break-neck speeds, then suddenly pull out of the dive creating a booming whurr sound as the air rushes through their feathers.  I've had them do this right over my head before.  It is an awesome experience.

Just catching some zzz's.

Idaho Birder: Leon Powers

Leon Powers

Nampa, ID

What can you tell us about your forthcoming book?

            The Forgotten Expedition is the true story of the most fascinating Idaho pioneer scientific expedition you’ve never heard of. That is, a previously unreported 1907 biological expedition in a horse-drawn wagon from Robie Creek through the back country of Idaho City, Centerville, Placerville, Horseshoe Bend, and north to Payette Lake – collecting birds all along the way. Many of the 153 birds, 35 mammals and 22 sets of bird eggs collected were from the area of present-day Ponderosa State Park. If you’d enjoy a peek at Idaho’s wildlife 103 years ago, The Forgotten Expedition provides that and much more. For me, playing history detective to sleuth out the phantom-like lost records of this old, forgotten trek was an adventure in itself!

(Please visit leonpowers.com for more info on his books.  I've read and reviewed Dead Owls Flying, and I can't wait to read his others.)

How did you become “Doc Hawk” with the Boy Scout’s Boy’s Life magazine?

Newly retired and growing increasingly disturbed by the huge disconnect between today’s youth and nature (the “nature deficit syndrome”), I was seeking a means by which I might communicate to young people my own passion about nature and wildlife adventures. Recalling how my love of nature was partly inspired by my boyhood involvement in Boy Scouts, and, also noting a comment by Edward O. Wilson that we need more youth organizations like Boy & Girl Scouts to foster care for our ailing environment, I wrote the editor of Boys’ Life and inquired about their possible interest in some of my wildlife/nature stories. The editor was receptive, and when I sent in sample stories, he liked them well enough to invite me to become a regular contributor with some sort of appropriate moniker. We soon agreed on “Doc Hawk”. Naturally, I feel very fortunate for the opportunity to occasionally address nearly 6 million readers with my stories.

Any upcoming speaking engagements where Idaho birders may come to learn more?

In the final push to complete the writing and publication of my new book, I’ve not yet set up any speaking/Book signing engagements for the coming months. But rest assured that early this summer, with my new book in hand, I’ll be enlisting opportunities to acquaint the public with the Idaho’s forgotten expedition of 1907! (Visit leonpowers.com for updates)

How did you get into birding?  Did you or do you have a birding mentor and can you tell us about that person?  Did you have a “spark bird”?

Since childhood I’ve been fascinated by wildlife.  Growing up on the creek banks along Canyon Creek at the edge of Glenns Ferry, Idaho (lived there form age 3 to college years) no doubt fostered that interest.  Regrettably, I had no mentor in my youth to nurture that interest. Instead, my childhood friend and I would sit and draw pictures of birds out of his huge old bird book.  I do recall the magical spell baby owls seemed to cast on my young mind as I viewed N. Saw-whet, Long-eared and Great Horned Owl “branchers” among the creek bank willows.

           

How long have you been birding in Idaho?

I’ve been noticing birds in Idaho since childhood, but as an “informed” birder (with some training – after taking an Ornithology class), since 1963.

How often do you go birding? And where do you regularly go birding?

As in my youth I’m still “noticing” birds all the time (around my yard & neighborhood; driving about (examples: saw a Cooper’s Hawk flying overhead at my Niece’s outdoor Wedding [no one else noticed], saw a Merlin flying overhead at my mother-in-law’s graveside service [no one else noticed]). “Birding”? I don’t much care for the term. However, I am an incurable watcher of wildlife (not just birds). I prefer the term “look-about” (noticing all wildlife).

Where is your favorite place to "notice birds" in Idaho? In the U.S.? in the world?

(Idaho) My favorite “look-about” trek is a mid-June travel from Montour Wildlife Management Area to Sweet, Ola, up the Ola grade, through High Valley and down to Smiths Ferry (including the pond on the east side of the Smiths Ferry bridge over the Payette River).

(U.S.) I haven’t birded widely in the U.S. but I have many fond memories birding Malheur NWR in Oregon.

(World) Australia still captures my fancy for birds and wildlife.

Do you have any local birding hotspots that may be yet unknown to Idaho birders that you would be willing to share with us?

As many avid birders as there are these days, I can’t think of any places that have not already been discovered and visited by birders (but note the response below on the next question).

Where in Idaho would you say is the most under-birded place that may have great untapped potential?

The Sublett Mountains of southcentral Idaho (SE of Burley, 30 miles or so), where I did 7 summers of Flammulated Owl research (my book #4, which I’ve already begun). In all those years of field work there, I don’t recall ever seeing anyone else in the area looking at birds (outside of my own group). I think it is one of Idaho’s best kept secrets.

How would you describe yourself as a birder? A “watcher”, a “lister”, a “chaser”, all of the above, or something else?

As discussed above, I am a “watcher” who occasionally keeps lists of birds if it serves some useful purpose.

What kind of birding equipment do you use?

Not being wealthy nor concerned about the latest and greatest gadgetry, my equipment is minimal but adequate (10X50 Nikon binoculars, camera w/ telephoto, couple bird guides, and a borrowed spotting scope (Bausch & Lomb Discoverer Zoom). Oh…and a knapsack on my back!

How do you keep track of your bird observations? And why?

For many years I collected data in various technical ways for research projects. But basically, I simply pen lists and notes (behavioral, ecological) that interest me. Those notes lie around in files and in old, beat-up field journals. I keep these incidental notes to satisfy my curiosity – remember…I am a curious watcher. 

What is your favorite bird sighting and what is the story behind it?

One June day while strolling the creek banks of Canyon Creek north of Glenns Ferry, I noticed an unusual bird that I didn’t immediately recognize.  I soon figured out that it was a beautiful male Blue Grosbeak singing and courting a nearby female. Being several hundred miles north of its known breeding range, that bird sparked a quest that sent me muddling into a professional arena I knew nothing about. Curious, I did my first ever exhaustive literature search (in those days the hard way – without the crutch of the internet). My findings prompted my return to the same spot a year later, where I again found the birds, way out of their range. That led to a contact with Richard C. Banks of the U.S, National Museum, Wash, D.C., who put me in touch with Alexander Wetmore of the Smithsonian Institute, who verified my sightings for Thomas D. Burleigh (who wanted the info for his upcoming Birds of Idaho). Eventually, that led to my first scientific publication, which in turn led me to Dr. Chuck Trost at Idaho State University, resulting in my becoming a Ph.D. graduate student under his tutelage. So…you can see how that vagabond Blue Grosbeak coincidentally kick-started the launching of my career.

Which birding publications and websites do you read and recommend?

I poke into Birding and  Audubon some; don’t visit websites much (I’m not addicted to the internet), except to read newsletters from local birding groups (SWIBA & Golden Eagle Chapter). Now that I’m aware of this Birder’s Profile website, I’ll be a regular visitor – I do enjoy reading about other bird enthusiasts (some whom I already know).

Which is your favorite field guide and why?

National Geographic’s Field Guide to North America & National Audubon’s the Sibley Guide to birds seems to serve my “non-rabid” observational needs – both have good illustrations and useful maps.

Beside the books you have authored, which five must-read books from your personal birding library would you recommend?

I don’t often seek out “birding” books per se, although I own and have read from Pete Dunne (good writer), Kenn Kaufman, etc. – rather, I like to read and re-read writings of several favorite authors (for their writing style and rich and timeless content): Aldo Leopold’s Sand County Almanac, about anything E.O. Wilson writes, Hal Borland’s Sundial of the Seasons, Scott Weidensaul’s Of a Feather, and Robert Michael Pyle’s Wintergreen and Sky Time in Gray’s River.  I still like Dayton O. Hyde’s Don Coyote. These writers help to place one’s finger on the pulse of the landscape.

What future plans birding or otherwise do you have?

No big plans…if I go somewhere, I’ll be watching. I’ll probably do a number of local Idaho trips with my grandson Wesley, who is my “little naturalist” side-kick. 

Are you involved with any local or national birding organizations?

I used to belong to the big professional ornithological organizations (Cooper’s, A.O.U., Raptor Research, etc.) but now stick mainly with the SWIBA and Golden Eagle Audubon Chapter.

What is your nemesis bird?

Long ago, the Great Gray Owl fit that category, but anymore I don’t really think much about such a bird, I’m content to take what new birds come my way.  Now, there more of a anticipation of the next “serendipity” bird – the unexpected surprise. Plus, I find too much intrigue and pleasure in simply enjoying the “regulars”, to chase after new or exotic birds. 

Anything about your family you’d like to share with us?

I have young grand children who I enjoy immensely – we do lots of outdoor activities together. I don’t rub their noses in it…but we have lots of fun NOTICING the birds, butterflies, dragonflies, wildflowers, snakes, frogs, lizards, etc. etc.

Any funny birding experiences you could tell us?

Hmmm…you’ll have to read my books to learn those! :o)

Anything else that you would like share with us?

I just taught (with my colleagues, Tim & Erica Craig) our 28^th summer Birds of Prey class at Northwest Nazarene University (6-day, all day-long part lecture, part field trip combo). This class predates the World Center for Birds of Prey and the BSU Raptor Biology Program. (Where were you in 1983, when we first taught this class?)

Total life list?

I don’t know, but I keep thinking that since I am now retired (more or less), I will dig out my records and total-up the list.

Most exotic place you’ve gone birding?

I’ve enjoyed three visits to various parts of Australia…and would love to go back one day soon. 

Your mission in life as a birder?

Help others learn about nature and to look around. The more we learn, the more we see (with understanding and appreciation).  Thus, I encourage learning and looking around. Hopefully, that lets us live in the moment and maximizes our daily experience.

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Black-billed Magpie

Black-billed Magpie chicks are leaving their nests and cackling up a storm in just about all the birding locations I have been visiting in the last couple of weeks.  Growing up here in Idaho, we all thought of them as disgusting carrion birds as they were often seen eating roadkill on the side of the highway.  I have since come to enjoy their beauty.  The photo above catches a little bit of blue reflecting of the black wings.  Check out that blue eye!  It must be that juveniles have the blue eyes as photos of mature magpies all seem to have dark eyes.  A recent post from the Birdchick about her visit to Utah and seeing magpies also reminded me that even Black-billed Magpies are special birds.

Magpie nests are also very important for owls.  I have Great Horned Owls and Long-eared Owls using old Magpie nests right here in my community.  Their large twiggy nests are pretty cool too.  Good ones will have a stick roof over the top of them for a little extra protection from the elements and predators.

Black-billed Magpies were once severely persecuted by game-bird hunters and ranchers in Idaho.  Apparently they were accused of destroying upland game bird nests and of keeping the wounds on cattle open as they nipped at the exposed flesh, which may have some truth to it.  While doing some history research at the Boise Public Library, I came across a 1927 article in the Idaho Daily Statesman.  It was announcing the winners of a Magpie killing contest in a nearby town along the Snake River. The object was to kill as many magpies in one day as possible and to prove it by bringing in the heads. Magpie eggs removed from the nest even counted as a kill. I was dismayed that the winner had “taken” over 3400 magpies with the runners-up taking 2500+ birds each.  The winners were awarded of course with nifty new rifles with which to kill more magpies. It amazes me that mankind didn't exterminate magpies 100 years ago. Must be hardy critters..and smart too.  I'm glad they are still around.

Sora

Can you see it?

Often this is about as good as glimpse as you'll get in the field.

This sneaky fella was seen and photographed by me recently at a little-explored birding hot-spot in the marshy area along Joplin Road in Star, Idaho.  

When I lived in Mesa, Arizona, it seemed like I'd see Sora all the time.  They'd just be walking along the edge of the Salt River at Granite Reef Recreation Area, out in the open.  I was very new into birding and I was too blissfully ignorant to realize that what I was seeing was special.  Then I moved to Idaho and it took me three years before I'd see one again.  I've now seen and heard a few in the last couple of months.  Turns out that Soras may be more common in Idaho that most folks realize.  You just have to know the right habitat and it helps to know its sound.  Generally, if its Virginia Rail country, than it should work for Sora too.

Western Tanager - Discovered in Idaho by Lewis & Clark

Here in Idaho we are enjoying a huge wave of Western Tanagers coming through.  Two years ago we had a similar fantastic irruption, but this year it seems even bigger!  Even all my non-birding friends and family are calling and e-mailing me asking "What are those beautiful yellow birds with orange faces and black wings?"  They really are being seen just about everywhere in the area.

It is also fun to note that the Western Tanager was discovered in Idaho by Meriwether Lewis of the historically famous Lewis & Clark expedition on June 6th, 1806.  Almost 204 years ago to the date!

Here is Lewis' journal entry on the matter:

"we meet with a beautifull little bird in this neighbourhood about the size and somewhat the shape of the large sparrow.    it is reather longer in proportion to it's bulk than the sparrow.    it measures 7 inches from the extremity of the beek to that of the tail, the latter occupying 2½ inches.    the beak is reather more than half an inch in length, and is formed much like the virginia nitingale;  it is thick and large for a bird of it's size; wide at the base, both chaps convex, and pointed, the uper exceeds the under chap a little is somewhat curved and of a brown colour; the lower chap of a greenish yellow.    the eye full reather large and of a black colour both puple and iris.    the plumage is remarkably delicate; that of the neck and head is of a fine orrange yellow and red, the latter predominates on the top of the head and arround the base of the beak from whence it graduly deminishes & towards the lower part of the neck, the orrange yellow prevails most; the red has the appearance of being laid over a ground of yellow.    the breast, the sides, rump and some long feathers which lie between the legs and extend underneath the tail are of a fine orrange yellow.    the tail, back and wings are black, ecept a small stripe of yellow on the outer part of the middle joint of the wing, ¼ of an inch wide and an inch in length.    the tail is composed of twelve feathers of which those in the center are reather shortest, and the plumage of all the feathers of the tail is longest on that side of the quill next the center of the tail.    the legs and feet are black, nails long and sharp; it has four toes on each foot, of which three are forward and one behind; that behind is as long as the two outer of the three toes in front."  Courtesy of http://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/read/?_xmlsrc=1806-06-06.xml&_xslsrc=LCstyles.xsl

There was even a brief campaign around 1930 to make the Western Tanager the State Bird of Idaho by a lady who recognized the historical merit of the Lewis & Clark discovery in Idaho.  Unfortunately, not many Idahoans at the time recognized the bird and the school children voted instead for the Mountain Bluebird (see the rest of the story here).  

Many Idahoans are finally getting familiar with our Western Tanager!

210 in 2010: eBird Idaho - Week 22

For those of you checking into the Idaho Birding Blog for the first time, I am hosting a little competition to see who can be the first eBirder in Idaho to see "two-ten in twenty-ten", that is 210 species of birds this year!  That goal has already been reached!  Now we are focusing on the second part of the competition which is to see who can submit the most checklists to eBird by the 210th day of the year (July 29th).  Here are the rules of the game.

The eBird team and KAYTEE have been very supportive of this effort to encourage birders to be eBirders and are donating $210 worth of cash or prizes to the winners!

Here is the current leader board...

Hyperlinked names are those that have been featured in my weekly blog segment called Idaho Birder Profiles where we spotlight one of Idaho's enthusiastic birders!

Checklist Leaders:

1.  Jackson Whitman 368

2.  Cheryl Huizinga 250

3.  Lew Ulrey 236

4.  Charles Swift 222

5.  J Harry Krueger 159
6.  Terry Gray 149

6.  Steve Butterworth 147

8.  Lynn Davenport 131
9.  Jonathan Stoke 129
10.  Rohn McKee 117  

Species Leaders:
1.  J Harry Krueger 242 - 1st to reach 210!
1.  Darren Clark 238 - 3rd to reach 210!
3.  Steve Butterworth 234 - 2nd to reach 210!
4.  Cheryl Huizinga 221 - 6th to reach 210!
5.  Heidi Ware 216 - 4th to reach 210!

6.  Jay Carlisle 215 - 5th to reach 210!

7.  Cliff Weisse 207
8.  Zeke Watkins 201
9.  Robert Mortensen 198
10.  Terry Gray 193

Special thanks to our sponsors:

Wilson's Phalarope

Wilson's Phalaropes are cool looking birds and they don't seem too afraid of people and allow one to get fairly close.  I have seen them in reservoirs, but most often in flooded pasture lands as pictured.  All of my Idaho and Oregon sightings have been in the months of May through July and they seem fairly common during these months in suitable habitat.  

They are fun to watch.  I've seen them swimming in mad circles in a discombobulated swarm of a couple dozen, or individually gently preening themselves.  This is an example of a bird, like humans, where the females are prettier than the males.  Wikipedia has an interesting note: the males incubate and tend the young as the females migrate once they lay the eggs.

In flight, for the inexperienced like me, they can be hard to figure out.  My father-in-law and I once studied a flying shorebird as it circled over us in the air near Danner, Oregon.  For the life of us, we couldn't figure it out for a half an hour, while the whole time it kept flying round and round.  Finally, we got to the Phalarope section in our Sibley guides and realized what it was we were seeing.

The picture below was simply to point out what the back of the head and neck look like with the black and white constrasting stripes.

Evening Grosbeak - love the Unibrow!

Old-timers in Idaho's Treasure Valley (the greater Boise area) recall with fondness the amount of Evening Grosbeaks that they used to get in their yards.  For the last couple of decades Evening Grosbeaks have been few and far between in the valley.  I personally had only seen them in the mountains around McCall, Idaho.  It has been heartening to hear that several folks in Boise, all in the very mature landscape areas, were having Evening Grosbeaks show up in force at their feeders.  I visited the homes of a couple birders, and as luck would have it, I dipped at both locations, having just missed them by minutes.  A couple days later I tried the Henderson home again while on the way to check a nearby remodel I am working on and was rewarded with lots of Evening Grosbeaks and close-up views as these photos attest.

These mountain birds look like they could be tropical vagrants.  These males really know how to sport an attractive unibrow!  I enjoyed looking at these birds up close.  The brown hue of the face; white, black, and yellow wings.  The female is very distinct.  If it wasn't for the striking males, we'd probably regard her more as the beauty that she is.

Photo-tip Request:  How would I prevent that cool yellow uni-brow from being over-exposed and still get quality detail on the rest of the bird?

Thanks to Bob Whitlatch and Danette Henderson and both of your families for letting me invade your homes and yards for a couple of days to see these awesome birds in town.

Idaho Camera Birding Photo Competition - Results!

On behalf of Idaho Camera and the Idaho Birding Blog, we want to congratulate the winner and honorable mentions of our first birding photo competition! We are grateful for all the entries, enthusiasm, and support from the participants.  Special thanks to our volunteer judges who are fantastic photographers and birders that I enjoy following.  I have learned a lot from the judges' comments about what separates great photos from good photos and I hope you learn something too.  Just so the contestants know, I asked the judges to give suggestions about what might take these photos to the next level, so please accept their critique knowing their best intentions.

Let's get back out there across scenic Idaho and take more great pictures of birds and we'll see you for the second round of this photo competition in November!

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1st Place

Bohemian Waxwing, by Kathleen Cameron

taken March 5, 2010 in Bellevue, Idaho 

with a Nikon D200 camera, AF-VR Nikkor 80-400mm lens

Judges Comments: 

This image immediately caught and held my attention, and really stands out as a superior image on a multitude of levels.  From a compositional point of view, the way eye travels through the image using the branch and the shape of the bird, there really isn't any way for the eye to easily leave the image.  It has a very simple, warm color pallet that is very pleasing.  The image is slightly backlit, which really emphasizes the shape of the bird, but not silhouetting it.  I like the way the creator of this image separated the background with very shallow depth of field, yet the bird appears to be in perfect focus, that was very well done.  The action of the bird tells a story, and the creator of this image caught it right at the perfect moment where this bird is about to pluck the fruit off of this twig.  Stepping back, there is almost an Art Nuevo element to this image.  It's the kind of image that was popular during this art movement and the people of that time would have really appreciated this image as I do.  I really don't have anything I could add to improve the image.  It's really good!

Excellent image quality from good exposure and focus. Good size in the frame. Interesting active pose. Eye has catchlight for a good live appearance and viewer eye contact.

Bohemian Waxwings are beautiful birds, so the subject matter helps, but the photographer doesn't rely on the beauty of the bird alone for the success of the image. The bird is doing something (eating), which is interesting. The gesture of the bird makes for a good composition - the frame is filled with the bird and I find myself moving throughout the frame. There doesn't seem to be wasted space. The light is is also really nice, it's soft, but direct. Also the bird is sharp (a simple, but very important element in a successful image).

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2nd Place

Northern Pygmy Owl, by Terry Gray

taken Sept 25, 2009 near Moscow, Idaho

with a Sony Cyber-shot DSC H9

Judges Comments:

I like the pose--the interesting head tilt. Any time one can capture something other than a typical "field guide pose" it makes for a more interesting subject. The photo is sharply focused and has very low noise. The contrast and brightness are good. The cropping is a bit tight.

What a great shot of a pygmy owl. What makes this photograph work for me is how close the photographer is to the bird, how sharp the details of the bird are (including the slightly bloody bill), and the shallow depth of field (which helps separate the bird from the potentially busy background). If there is anything that bothers me about the image, it's how much attention the big sharp branch in the foreground demands from me when I look at the photograph. I'm not sure of the solution (being back a bit further, a vertical composition, or using a slightly shorter lens perhaps). It's a small thing though. I really like the photograph.

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Idaho Camera is a great resource for birders and bird photographers.  Their friendly staff can help you select the right camera equipment to take stunning photos.  Classes are even offered to help you get the most out of your equipment.  Idaho Camera also offers a nice variety of binoculars and spotting scopes.  You can buy their products online or personally at their four locations in the Treasure Valley.

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Honorable Mention (photos receiving top five votes and judges comments): 

(click on all photos to enlarge and enjoy more)

Great Blue Heron, by Bob Whitlatch

Judges Comments:  Great Blue Herons are impressive birds. I don't know if I've ever looked this carefully at a Great Blue Heron before though. The photographer has done something important. He's made me pay more attention to a very familiar subject. He did this by getting close to the bird, photographing it in good light that really defines the texture of the bird, and photographing the bird in fresh breeding plumage. The bird is in focus (very important). Also, the bird is slightly left of center in the frame, but the bird is looking to the right side of the frame, this is a nice use of space.

Western Screech Owl, by Mike Morrison

Judges Comments: I like how the pattern and color of the owl matches the tree. The focus is a little soft on the back of the head, so a bit more depth of field might be nice, but does not detract. I wonder if there was even  

a better cropping choice? This is such a nice photo, I'd like to see it cropped a couple of different ways to compare.

Burrowing Owl, by Kathleen Bowman

Judges Comments: This is the kind of image I would see in National Geographic.  The first thing that strikes me is the eyes of the owl that captures the viewer and holds them.  It is an intense stare and you get a connection to the owl because of this.  I like the way the creator of this image simplified the background through shallow depth of field, the background is completely indistinct and just becomes a lovely green backdrop to this image.  I like the rim light that really make the bird stand out from the background, and the fact there is enough shadow detail for those eyes to grab you.  I think the only thing I find myself wanting is a little more intensity in the eyes...not too much.  That might be accomplished through a low-power fill in flash or perhaps some mild post-process.  All in all, a great image.

American Goldfinch, by Leo Miller

Judges Comments: Really like the simple colors of this image, how the color of the bird is contrasted against the soft green background, and the little explosions of purple flowers it is perched upon.  Once again, I'm finding good eye contact with bird...I'm finding a connection with the bird through that.  The image is taken with shallow depth of field and I really like how it separated the bird and flowers from the background and the lighting is perfect for this image.  I'm debating on how the center composition works in this.  Center composition (subject placed in the middle of the frame) really needs a lot of additional impact (leading lines, graphic elements) to successfully work...otherwise you want to stick to "rule of thirds" composition.  (There is a big, academic dissertation as to why...I'll spare everyone of that for the moment)  In this case, I'm finding myself wanting the bird to shifted slightly to the right so that it's looking into the rest of the frame probably would have given this image just a little bit more impact.

Excellent exposure on difficult yellow (many photographers over exposure yellow and lose detail). Perch is natural and adds interesting color to composition. Composition could be improved by having a bit more space on top and a little cropping on the right to move the bird out of center.

Swainson's Hawk, by Jennifer Hall

Judges Comments: Commanding eye contact. Interesting plumage. Nice habitat setting. Good sharpness.

Spotted Towhee, by Bob Davis

Judges Comments: This photo has excellent artistic framing with the placement of the bird and hawthorn, worthy of imitation.  I'd like to see if this photo looked even better a touch brighter and with a hint more sharpening.

Bullock's Oriole, by Kathleen Cameron

Judges Comments:  This photo speaks a lot to color and texture.  I like how the creator of this image used harsh light to show the texture of the bird, the orange and the fence they were on.  Lighting also made for strong colors which is key to this image.  I like the eye contact that the bird is making with the viewer...I get a sense of the personality of this bird and the story behind the scene.  The background is wonderfully simple and lets the bird really be predominant in the scene.  I find the highlight on the fence in the lower right to be a little distracting, if you put your thumb over the highlight, the image becomes even stronger.  You could tone it down a little through some post-process work and that would strengthen the image quite a bit.

Gosling, by Ryck Tanner

Judges Comments:  Whether they are animals or humans...babies are always fun and interesting.  This image of a gosling is no exception...  The colors are great, the subject stands out from the background.  The texture on the bird just makes you want to reach in and touch it, the eye contact, the lighting all work together nicely.  The lower part of the frame seems cropped in a strange place.  I think I would either like to see more of the feet, or a closer crop on the head.  I would have liked to see the image shifted a little to the right in the frame.  All in all, a good image!

I've seen plenty of terrible duck and geese photographs (my students turn them in all of the time). This is a great photograph of a gosling. I think what makes it work for me is the color, the shallow depth of field, and the slight back-lighting, which gives the bird a bit of rim lighting, which is especially noticeable with this fresh down. If I had any suggestion it would probably be a vertical composition. It is a bit awkward to cut the bird off at the belly. I'd love to see the legs and feet. However, I really like this photograph. It's difficult to make an interesting photograph of an overly photographed subject (in this case a baby goose).

Short-eared Owl, by Jennifer Hall

Judges Comments: Excellent image quality. Great eye contact. Nice habitat. Natural color.

Oregon Junco, by Debbie Courson Smith

Judges Comments: The textures and subdued colors in this photo were quite attractive. The focus and lighting were excellent. The cropping is too tight--perhaps cropping out some undesirable element. Ideally the bird needs more room within the frame, above the head and in the direction the bird is facing.

Party!, by Kay Asher

Judges Comments: I love the action in this photograph. It does look like a party. I also like the fact that the photograph is of very ordinary birds, house sparrows and a house finch. The success of the photograph relies more on the action and overall feeling of the photograph than it does on the beauty or the intrigue of the individual birds. It's a really happy fun image. If I would improve on anything it would be a slightly more careful composition. There is sort of a lot going on and some of the birds bunch together. Also that weird out of focus greenish-yellow edge on the right could probably be cropped out. This photograph makes me smile though.

Western Meadowlark, by Linda Milam

Judges Comments: Initially this photo was not in my top list of five. Technically, it has good color and brightness and focus. The style might be called BOAS (bird on a stick). This gives a rather uninteresting background (solid sky). However, the more I looked at it, the better I liked the potential. So, yes, I am including this based on how good this photo could be with a couple of minor changes. First, there is a dust spot in the sky at two o'clock from the back of the bird and one body length away that should be cloned out. Second, birds often look better offset within the frame, not centered, with more space above the bird's head and in the direction it is facing. This shot should be more tightly cropped (maybe up to 60% of present size), losing half the fence post and placing the bird more to the lower right within the frame (bird's bill close to center).  (example below created by website host)

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A few sentimental favorites from the Idaho Birding Blog host and his wife:

Canada Geese, by Linda Milam

American Goldfinch, by Debbie Courson Smith

Red-tailed Hawk with Snake, by Louinda Huston

Black-crowned Night Heron, by Louinda Huston

American Avocets, by Arenett Grant

California Quail, by Kevin Walker

Canada Goose, by Gene Halberstadt

Red-tailed Hawk, by Leo Miller