Tag: passerine

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2013 Round-up – Top 40 photos of the year

I am a little late this year, but finally, here are my favorite images from the previous 12 months. This year I only had one major photography focused trip to the northern California coast, capturing the delicate rhododendrons amongst the fog of the coastal redwoods. I also had a truncated attempt at the John Muir Trail (got completely rained out after only three days) and a wonderful trip to Kauai to celebrate ten years with my beautiful wife.

Photos from all of these trips plus a wide variety of birds made my top 40 list this year. Please enjoy the gallery below. For best viewing (especially if viewing on a mobile device), please click on the following photo:

Click the photo above to see the top picks from 2013!
Click the photo above to see the top picks from 2013!

Or, just enjoy the gallery here on the page. To view larger photos in the embedded gallery below, be sure to click the icon in the lower right corner to enter full screen mode.


Hank’s Picks 2013 – Images by Hank Christensen

If you are interested in compilations from previous years, please see the 2012 2011 and 2010 lists.

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Red-crested Cardinal

A red-crested cardinal stands in short grass, Kauai, Hawaii.
A red-crested cardinal stands in short grass, looking for food
A red-crested cardinal stands in short grass, looking for food

One of the more interesting birds I got to spend time photographing on my recent Kauai trip was the Red-crested Cardinal. This turned out to be a relatively tame bird, and I had several occasions to get quite close. I found that sitting on the ground and waiting for them to approach provided both a stable (and low) position from which to take photos, and allowed me to remain very still so as not to spook them.

A red-crested cardinal stands in short grass, looking for food
A red-crested cardinal stands in short grass, looking for food

Natively found in South America, this species was introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in the 1930s. Even though its common name includes “cardinal”, it is not closely related to other cardinals, including the common Northern Cardinal found in eastern North America. Rather, the Red-crested is part of the Tanager family. Males and females are similarly colored, while immature birds have a dull orange color to their crest.

A red-crested cardinal stands in short grass, Kauai, Hawaii.
A red-crested cardinal stands in short grass, Kauai, Hawaii.

Ultimately, I spent quite a bit of time with a few of these feisty looking little birds. The longer I sat with them, the more used to me they became. In fact, on several occasions, they got within a foot or two, far too close for my lens’ minimum focus distance. At that point I wished I had a second body with a wide angle lens attached – it would have made for a very unique photo!

A red-crested cardinal stands in short grass, Kauai, Hawaii.
A red-crested cardinal stands in short grass, Kauai, Hawaii.
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The Uncommonly Common Starling

A European starling perches on a length of barbed wire
A European starling perches on a length of barbed wire

Everywhere I go for bird photography, I see starlings. Sometimes alone, sometimes in huge flocks, these birds are very common throughout much of the world. Here in the US, they are known as European Starlings (as they are native to Eurasia), elsewhere as Common Starlings, and in Europe, simply Starlings.

Because of their ubiquity, they are generally regarded as pests or just ignored by the general population. However, closer inspection reveals a beautiful feather display and a strange and sometimes unbelievable vocalization. Adults have an iridescent black feather coloring, and in winter, it becomes speckled with white flecks. At the right angles of light, the black feathers reflect a glossy green or purple.

A European starling perches on a branch of a white-barked tree
A European starling perches on a branch of a white-barked tree

They can be excellent mimics, repeating various bird songs and sounds from the environment. Each bird has its own repertoire with more proficient birds having a range of up to 35 variable song types and as many as 14 types of clicks.

Here is a sample vocalization from a common starling:

Taken individually, they can be a quite striking bird. But real amazement comes from their behavior in a flock, or murmuration. Changing speed and direction based on their closest neighbors, they fly as one shape-shifting organism, with the ability to perform a beautiful aerial ballet. A YouTube video gained popularity a few years ago showing off this behavior.

The next time you see one of these birds perched in your neighborhood, take a moment and admire them for the interesting species that they are.

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2012 Round-up – Top 40 photos of the year

It is once again that time of year where we assemble compilations of the best and worst of the previous 12 months. Here are the results of culling through my many photos from 2012. Looking back it was a nice mixture of birds, wildlife, and landscapes. I had great photo trips to Death Valley and Grand Teton National Parks, but didn’t spend quite as much time in the High Sierra as I would have liked. Please enjoy the gallery below. For best viewing (especially if viewing on a mobile device), please click on the following photo:

Click the photo above to see the top picks from 2012!
Click the photo above to see the top picks from 2012!

Or, just enjoy the gallery here on the page. To view larger photos in the embedded gallery below, be sure to click the icon in the lower right corner to enter full screen mode.


Hank’s Picks 2012 – Images by Hank Christensen

If you are interested in compilations from previous years, please see the 2011 and 2010 lists.

Copyright 2017 Hank Christensen