“No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.” William Blake
The phrase, Taking Flight, made me think of birds although it can easily describe other things flying like butterflies, bees and balloons. Looking through my photo archives, I found pictures showing several species of birds Taking Flight that I’d like to share. (Double clicking each image shows a larger version).
These two pictures are of the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) as he gracefully glides through the air, so quietly he can hardly be heard in spite of his size. These owls are the largest common owl in the eastern United States with a wing span of 4 to 5 feet (124.46 to 157.48 cm). These photos were taken at Center for Birds of Prey, Awendaw, South Carolina.
This pair of Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus) take flight very differently than owls and other larger birds. They have to frantically flap their wings in order to get airborne. They are a common sight in many ponds of the ponds on Kiawah.
Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger) are frequently seen on Kiawah by the Atlantic Ocean, searching for food. They slowly fly over the water, looking for small minnows. When one is spotted, they will fly down to the surface and start skimming the water to scoop up the fish. Their lower bill is longer than the top one so this is easy for them to do.
The second picture in this series shows one skimming the surface to the water.
These two species of Pelicans are taking flight as they travel from one pond to another in the neighborhood. These pictures were taken from our backyard a few years ago when we spent time in Florida.
The first is a Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), the only species to dive into the water from 30 ft (9 m) to capture fish.
American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) are shown in the picture below this one. They are one of the largest birds in North America with a 9 ft (2.8 m) wingspan.
The banner picture at the top of the post shows a large flock of migrating Red Knots on the beach at Kiawah.
Hope you enjoyed seeing these birds “Taking Flight” in my neighborhood. Thank you for visiting my post!
Tina is our host this week so be sure to see her beautiful post, Travels and Trifles, which shows a few interesting birds from her neighborhood!