White-winged Crossbills are an irruptive northern species we don't see very often on the Lower Mainland. This past winter has seen considerable numbers but they come and go quite erratically. I have been following up reports of sightings all winter without any success until April 2 when I caught up to some across the road from the Richmond Nature Park. They are hard to photograph because they feed on cones at the top of the trees and tend to burrow into the foliage and out of sight. Here are a few photos:
White-winged Crossbill by
brian avent, on Flickr
White-winged Crossbill by
brian avent, on Flickr
White-winged Crossbill by
brian avent, on Flickr
White-winged Crossbill by
brian avent, on Flickr
During a recent trip to The Big Island of Hawaii I spent some time on the mountains trying to photograph native birds. The native birds of Hawaii do not have much resistance to Avian Malaria spread by the mosquitoes introduced by the early European visitors. The mosquitoes introduced don't live much above 4000 feet so the range for the native birds has been reduced to land above 4500 feet and every thing below that is extirpated or extinct with few exceptions. I was fortunate to photograph several species, all of which have a population of less than 2500 and some as low as an estimated 800 individuals. Some of the picture are not great but I am quite pleased to have them in view of the small population they represent.
Oma'o (Hawaiian Thrush)
Omao by
brian avent, on Flickr
Akaipola'lau: This is a Honeycreeper that has evolved to fill the niche of a woodpecker. The lower mandible is strong and stout and is used for hammering. The upper is long and curved, held out of way during hammering, and then used to winkle grubs for the tree. Only an estimated 800 remain.
Akiapolaau by
brian avent, on Flickr
Palila: This is the last remaining species of finch-billed honey creepers. The population has crashed from perhaps 10,000 in 2000 to maybe 2000 today due to habitat issues.
Palila by
brian avent, on Flickr
Finally there is the I'iwi, a brilliant honeycreeper still in good numbers on Maui and the Big Island but going extinct on Kauai along with all the rest of the native birds due to mosquitoes moving higher to the top of the mountain. I consider this my prize photo of the trip.
Iiwi by
brian avent, on Flickr
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Topic: 2018/2019 Birds (Read 23782 times)