Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)

Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)

This male and female pair of northern shovelers was seen at Fossil Creek Reservoir on the afternoon of March 20th, 2012. These dabbling ducks have a neat spatulate bill that they use to forage for food. This picture was taken using my iPhone and a scope from a long distance away. You can read more about these ducks here.

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

This red-tailed hawk was seen at Fossil Creek Reservoir on March 21, 2012 in the afternoon. These hawks are really common- I think that 95% of the raptors that I see are red-tailed hawks. Recently Cornell set up a camera on a red-tailed hawk located on their campus. You can check that out here, and read more about the red-tailed hawk here.

Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus)

Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus)

This sparrow was seen on the morning of April 7th, 2012 at Bobcat Ridge in Colorado. This is a new adult. These birds can bee seen in grassy areas, like the start of the trail at Bobcat Ridge (also home to many western meadowlarks). You can read more about this bird here.

Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)

Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)

Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)

These western meadowlarks were seen on two separate occasions, once on March 31st, 2012 in the morning, and once on April 7th, 2012 in the morning. They were both spotted at Bobcat Ridge in Colorado. I have taken to using a Swarovski scope and my iPhone to take pictures of birds at a distance (lending to the less crisp look of these photos). I like the way I can snap up close pictures from far away, using what I already have. The only tricky part is positioning the iPhone camera lens at just the right distance to take a clear picture. I then crop the photos and place a filter in them using the Instagram app. Back to the meadowlark. The most distinguishing feature of the western meadowlark is its call, which you can listen to here. You can also read more about this bird here. You can learn about scopes here, and more about Instagram here.