2015 - New Year's Day

The Year 2015 began very Birdy-ful!
I wasn't even out the door when I heard Mariana Fruit Doves. And before I got to the street I heard the White-throated Ground Doves. I didn't see either then.

I did see 3 Pacific Golden Plovers in the lower field - though I've about given up on them ever coming down to 'my' end of the field as they did in other years. Well, new year - new hope - huh? Their breeding plumage is only seen here in April just before they migrate to their summer home.

Plovers

 

At the stairs to the beach I again heard the call of the White-throated Ground Dove. While searching for the tree I thought it came from I spotted a Mariana Fruit Dove, then another. Though they moved around a bit they soon settled side by side and pretty much ignored me. They were in so much shadow I hadn't much hope for the pics I took but some are pretty fixable! My enhancement program does do a pretty good job at lightening up photos - if I just stumble on just the right commands!

Mariana Fruit Doves

When they flew over to another tree I followed and nearly got attacked by some Micronesian Starlings. A pair of them seemed to fall right out of the tree just above my head. Then they swooped and flew just over my head scolding me loudly. They were joined by several others. They all kept moving from branch to branch screeching at me and I feared they were trying to 'poop-bomb' me. I just kept moving so as not be right under them - trying NOT to get 'tagged'!

When they calmed down I caught a brief glimpse of White-throated Ground Dove Apaka but not his mate. And before I left there I also caught a couple of glimpses of Egigis (Micronesian Honeyeaters).

I guess it won't surprise you to read that I decided to also come home by those trees but  there wasn’t anything remarkable there on the return trip.

At the bandstand I saw White-throated Ground Doves again - both the Apaka(m) and the Fachi(f) but never at the same time. I also heard Mariana Fruit Doves. Both these dove species cover wide areas so they could have been the same ones or different. I got no pictures then but here are some older ones clearly showing the white throat/chest of the male - (apaka=white in Chamorro)

 White-throated Ground Doves

I guess the Kingfishers didn't want to get left out as I saw a young one fly the length of the Fiesta Grounds a few times to swoop down near the Sparrows trying to terrorize them - though this is getting so common for the Sparrows they scatter then rapidly recover.
And as usual the Eurasian Tree Sparrows were gathered, waiting for their treat and would rapidly return to it after each Kingfisher swoop.

 

 Eurasian Tree Sparrows

 Terns and Starlings are always abundant everywhere. They are a given any time I go out and thus often don't get mentioned in my posts. But today a young tern gets top billing. It obviously was pretty new at this 'flying' stuff and fluttering and flapping as it lost altitude, it landed in the road. I was able to get rather close and got several close-up shots while it kept a close eye on me. Eventually it had had enough of the photo shoot and fluttered and struggled to get airborne again. It finally succeeded - landing on one of the roofs which afforded it much more distance from 'the human with the long nosed black box'!

White Fairy Tern

 

Going home held its delights. A pair of Egigis (Micronesian Honey Eaters) landed on a palm frond rather close to me. I thought it likely they were a mating pair but in my pictures they look more like two males. I'm beginning to wonder if the females are not always so much duller and drab as I've read. I couldn’t get good pictures but here are some earlier ones of the very vibrant male and the much more drab female.

Egigis

Opposite the Plover field there is a tree where a Micronesian Starling (Sali) family was camped out. The little one would flutter or hop from branch to branch while the parents kept a watchful eye. I now suspect that may have been why the earlier bunch were upset with me. I was just unknowingly too close to a new fledge. Salis are readily distinguished from other black birds by their yellow eyes. Adults are otherwise totally black while young Salis have a sort of striped front.

Sali family

A couple of young Kingfishers were squabbling on the overhead wires while I was getting some shots of the Salis.

 

Kingfisher

So if the first day of the year is an indicator of the year to come my 2015 may be a very birdy year indeed.