Wednesday, February 20, 2013

NM - Short-eared and a white crane! - 02/04/13





Short-eared Owl - Columbus, Luna Co., NM. February 4th, 2013. Panasonix Lumix FZ7. After the disappointment of a very parched and barren Pancho Villa State Park, our Birdfinders group found more success in the agricultural fields to the east of Columbus. This Short-eared Owl was one of several pleasing finds less than two miles east of town.





Sandhill Crane - white, leucistic bird left of center in the above three images. Columbus, Luna Co., NM. February 4th, 2013. Panasonix Lumix FZ7. Another extremely interesting bird. We wondered, if seen poorly or at distance on migration, if this white Sandhill Crane might be an identification pitfall for Whooping Crane? However, there appeared to be no size or structural differences compared to the surrounding Sandhill Cranes. Just for fun and comparison, here's an image of a genuine Whooping Crane photographed a week earlier at Aransas Bay, Texas on January 25th, 2013.




1 comment:

Larry said...

A very interesting bird.