Clare at The House & other Arctic musings tagged me with a meme via Nuthatch, at the perpetually erudite and entertaining bootstrap analysis, via John at DC Birding Blog, the Most Beautiful Birds Meme. The rules are fairly simple...
Post a list of the 10 birds you consider most beautiful on your blog; you may limit the list to the ABA area (continental United States and Canada) or use a geographic area of your choice (Dave doesn't like that word continental). Mark birds you have seen with an asterisk. Tag 3 bloggers to keep it going.
1) Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa) *
As my blogging friend Clare says "Nebulosa... nebulous in it's beauty. It conveys strength and silence, patience and power". Also known as the Great Grey Ghost, Bearded Owl, etc. I have the great pleasure of working with one at Bird TLC.
2) Raven (Corvus corax) *
Raven, there's much to be said about the beauty and intelligence of this bird. I've recovered many, have a lot of funny stories and can watch them playing in the thermals for hours.
3) American Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) *
Gorgeous, graceful, aggressive, powerful, curious, car stopper, heart stopper. What else can I say. About half of the world's 70,000 bald eagles live in Alaska. We get a lot at Bird TLC. Our 2 resident eagles, One Wing and Ol' Witch are my favorites.
4) Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) *
The golden eagle is a solitary bird, which can be found in remote areas. They do not congregate in large numbers during the winter. A great hunter, the golden eagle seldom eats carrion. We get a couple each year at Bird TLC. Check my photo's for pictures of a broken wing pinning operation.
5) Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) *
Just an all round pretty bird. They are ravens in different bodies and a great birdality. Sorry, personality. They hop in and out of our outdoor mews stealing salmon bits as the eagles watch.
6) Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)
A beautifully bright bird that I've never seen in person and I lived in Baltimore at one time. But I've been to Camden Yards.
7) Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) *
Highly social, Bohemian Waxwings usually move about in tight formations, descending en mass on a clump of bushes and quickly stripping them of fruit. That must be why they wear mask. We get a lot of these this time of year.
8) Snowy Owl (Nyctea scandica) *
This gorgeous bird of prey lives in the tundra areas of North America and you'll find them just sitting waiting for something to happen. We've had 3 at Bird TLC this year. There's another one with broken wing operation pictures.
9) Stellar Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) *
Only lives west of the Rocky Mountains. A gorgeous blue member of the corvid family. A friend of mine caretakes a non-releasable Jay. She gave it a very original name "Blue".
10) Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) *
Once an uncommon bird and many find it to be a pest. But it's a beautifully multi colored bird. It travels with it's family and mates for life. We have one at the clinic now. It flew into a fence.
This is the first meme that I've done that I didn't have trouble getting to the last number. I can go on and on. I know that I have a captive viewing of some of these birds. The only three on the list I haven't seen in the wild is the Great Gray Owl, Snowy Owl and Baltimore Oriole.
If you read this post, consider yourself tagged!
6 comments:
Grand list, Dave. We're doing ours tomorrow. It's hard to choose, all birds, even the little brown jobs have beauty. Many of the little ones sing songs that can break a heart or make it soar. Maybe there should be a new meme for the ten most beautiful songs! Nah, just kidding.
It is hard to choose RD. After I posted the list I was working outside in our yard and I started thinking of other birds that could make the list. Maybe there should be a small bird meme? Nah, just kidding.
Nice to see that the Canada goose made your list. They are something of a pest in southern Ontario--but this time of year when I see them flying overhead I'm reminded of what a beautiful bird they are.
I agree Pamela. They have caused plane crashes and all kinds of stuff. But, that doesn't mean they are not a beautiful bird. They are just over populated.
Good for you for picking the reviled Canada goose. You clearly appreciate subtle beauty. My list includes a lot of gaudy birds.
I told Pamela on her blog that the only ugly bird I ever saw was Larry Bird. We all appreciate beauty in many different ways including the gaudy ones.
Post a Comment