Osprey

 

Once again DesertDale took this photo of the "Osprey" near the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona.  They are one of the easier raptors the beginner birder to identify.

Their wing area is very large for their body size.  It gives them more lifting power.  They also will migrate while holding a fish .     They are usually seen near water.  They will be found wherever there are a fish population throughout the North  America.  Their has increased since the 1980's.

 

Enjoy the posting as much as I did seeing DesertDale taking the photos.  Kitfoxgal

Orange-Crowned Warbler

 This is the Orange-Crowned Warbler DesertDale took at our site here on Sidewinder.

The Tennessee Warbler are so similar in the Fall.  The Orange-crowned shows a long whitish or yellowish split eye ring with a indistinct short yellow supercilium.
They are stable, especially in the a West, were they are very common. In the winter  they can be found in thickets and shrubby areas from southeast U.S. and Ca., though Mexico to Guatemala.  They rarely linger in the north.

They lay 4 to 5 eggs in its nest or near the ground.  Mar.-May in the West and June in the east.

They seem to think they are very plain but  I think its a pretty yellow bird.

Enjoy the photos.  Kitfoxgal

Black-Crested Titmouse

 The Black-Crested Titmouse could be a mirror image of the Tufted Titmouse in its behavior and appearance.   It shows little fear of humans.  They also does not hesitate to use another nest.

The Black-crested and the Tufted Titmice interbreed in a north-south 30 to 60 mile wide belt from Oklahoma through central Texas.   Their offspring show variably  intermediate shades of dusky crests and gray or brownish foreheads  which makes it hard to assign them to a species.
They are found in oak or other woodlands along watercourses, open tracts with scattered trees

DesertDale took the photo last year, on our trip to Florida.
Enjoy. 

Costa's Hummingbird

The Costa's is a small hummer of the southwest. This is a male.  Had one of female but it would not post.  The male have a  violet gorget and crown.  Their tail lacks white tips.

  The female's throat and under parts are a dingy white to a pale gray, throat sometimes are a blotched violet.
 They are found in the western U.S. and Mexico.  They breed usually in Feb. to July in the desert in the washes and chaparral.
Dale sent me another photo of the female Costa's , so was able to post it.  DesertDale took these photos from inside our rig, where we put  a feeder just out side the window.
Kitfoxgal
 
 

Belted Kingfisher

The Belted Kingfisher is one of the widespread kingfisher in North America.   They need to have the water to be clear and still. 
They are medium size, with a big head and along heavy bill.   They live in much of the U.S.
They breed in burrows close to or along the water.   The population is stable.
Here is the site with more info, http://birds.audubon.org/species/belkin.
Enjoy.