Birds Large and Small

I photographed this hummingbird a couple of weeks ago.

I’m amazed that I got decent shots because I was walking in from the pasture and carrying 5 separate grass samples in one hand and I didn’t want to put them down. I got these photos mostly one-handed.

I’m sure that my birder friends will chime in here. I tried to ID this in my bird book: Is it Costa’s? The wingtips reach the tail, at least in this photo but I don’t see an “eyebrow”. Or Calliope with the short tail but I wouldn’t call the front “pale buffy”. Or Anna’s but no red on the front.

How about a female Black-chinned Hummingbird?

Here is a contrast. I was working in the shop and my husband called me to come out a look at a bird.

We have never seen a bald eagle here. It was a thrill to see that huge shape and the white head. At first the eagle was flying fairly low. By the time I got my camera it was going higher…

…and higher. These are not National Geographic quality photos but this is the best I can do with what I have (equipment and skill). Nevertheless, I’m excited to have something.

Dan had seen some other birds flying nearby and then one of them swooped into harass the eagle.

It sort of knocked the eagle off it’s flight path…

…but the eagle recovered. Look at the size difference.

The other bird swooped in again.

And again the eagle seemed to be knocked around...

…but recovered. I wonder what is going through his (her?) mind. “Stupid bird.” “Annoying punk.”

This is the culprit, a Swainsons’s Hawk. Eventually the eagle flew higher until we could barely see it. Then it was gone.