Red-winged Blackbird, male

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on March 7, 2008

The Red-winged Blackbird is perhaps the most abundant and most commonly studied bird of North America. The male displays delayed plumage maturation; third-year and older male is glossy black with “epaulets” of red (for which species is named) bordered with yellow on wrist (bend) of wing. The Red-winged Blackbird is primarily associated with large freshwater marshes and prairies, but it also nests in small patches of marsh vegetation in roadside ditches, saltwater marshes, rice paddies, hay fields, pasture land, fallow fields, suburban habitats, and even urban parks.

Red-winged Blackbird, female

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on March 9, 2008

The female Red-winged Blackbird shows mottled brown above and heavily streaked below with a prominent white eyebrow stripe. Third-year and older females are variable in throat (pink to buffy) and epaulet (dull orange to bright red-orange) color. Second-year females are less variable, throat and face light pink, epaulets brown to salmon.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on May 10, 2008

The distinctive male, with its black-and-white plumage and rose-pink breast, has earned the colorful colloquial name “cut-throat.” The female, in contrast, is striped brown and closely resembles the female western Black-headed Grosbeak. These grosbeaks live in mixed forests and thickets, and beside humans in parks and gardens. It overwinters in Central and South America. The males have black-and-white upperparts, white underparts with pinkish-red triangle on breast, and large white bill. Female streaked olive-brown and black above, with a distinct pale crown-stripe and supercilium, whitish wing-bars, pale underparts with dark streaking on the breast and flanks, and pale bill. I had never seen the underneath side of the male's wings before and the red surprised me. I think he is a dream for a date if a female grosbeak turns up—that is what all his singing was about.

Common Grackle

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on April 27, 2008

The Common Grackle is a large and conspicuous blackbird (subfamily Icterinae) of eastern North America that frequents open areas with scattered trees. Its yellow eyes, iridescent bronze or purple plumage, and long, keel-shaped tail give it a striking appearance. Males are essentially black with glossy, iridescent sheen; head, neck, and breast are glossy purplish blue or bluish green. Female slightly smaller and less glossy. Throughout most of range, glossy head contrasts with brassy bronze body.

Cardinal

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on February 21, 2007

A year-round resident, the cardinal is a common visitor to bird feeders in winter, and it has been chosen as state bird in 7 U.S. states. The male, shown here, is brilliant red and shows up very well against the blue sky or a field of snow. Males are red, with black face-mask surrounding bill. Female grayish tan, with some red on wings, tail, crest, face, and breast, and pale gray to black face-mask. Both sexes have prominent crest and heavy conical orange-red bill. Immature similar to female, but has gray to black bill

Coopers Hawk

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on February 14, 2008

A close up look at a female Coopers Hawk looking down at you from a Spruce Tree. From this kind of perch, she can quickly fly down and instantly strike any smaller bird on the ground. I have seen these hawks strike birds perched on power lines and on smaller tree limbs and when they hit the prey the impact is so great that most of the feathers are knocked off the prey and flutter down like large snow flakes. That impact often kills the birds by breaking their necks but any bird captured is squeezed to death and the hawk does not tear at the bird with its beak or talons until the bird is dead and then they will strip feathers off and begin to eat the flesh.

Sharp-shinned Hawk

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on February 2, 2008

Even the experts miss identifying this hawk and call it a Coopers Hawk. It is the Sharp-shinned Hawk which has, 'sharp shin bones," and a tail that is more square when folded. The yellow eyes mark this as a juvenile bird. As is true of many members of the genus, the Sharp-shinned Hawk has especially long middle toes and large eyes—to better capture small birds. This feisty accipiter, with short, rounded wings and a long, narrow tail eats small mammals and even insects appear in its diet, but they feed almost entirely on small birds.

Coopers Hawk

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on November 8, 2007

A short-winged, long-tailed hawk who is very similar to the Sharp-shinned Hawk but larger. Almost as long as a Crow with a well rounded tail even when folded. Female Cooper’s Hawks are about one-third larger than males and vocalizations by the female may be an essential element of a pair bond. Midway in size between North America’s larger Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) and the smaller Sharp-shinned Hawk (A. striatus), the Cooper’s Hawk, like these other Accipiters, is a quintessential woodland hawk. With short, powerful, rounded wings and a relatively long tail that ensures maneuverability in dense cover, it is well adapted for quick pursuit of forest birds and mammals. It captures a variety of prey, mainly medium-sized birds and mammals such as doves, jays, robins, chipmunks, and other rodents.

American Goldfinch

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on July 1, 2007

Males have black wings, tail and forehead patch. Females are darker olive yellow with black wings and wing bars. They have short bills or beaks. Of all the finches, the American Goldfinch is one of the brightest and most colorful. It is abundant and in the summer is found in weedy fields, river flood plains, early second growth forest, orchards and suburban gardens—all are major habitats where they find their major foods and suitable nesting sites. Some northern populations migrate, before the occurrence of winter. All wintering flocks are nomadic and are tied to a food supply. During the winter months the species is common at bird feeders. In my area we buy and feed Niger thistle seed.

American Crow

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on March 17, 2008

This cunning, inquisitive, vocal opportunist is one of the most widespread of North American birds. Everybody knows crows. You may have seen one pilfering the dog’s food, tearing holes in your garbage bag, or emptying a temporarily neglected lunch bag. It is a mistake to underestimate a crow’s ability. Males are larger than females, otherwise they are alike. It has a squared tail unlike ravens who have a wedge-shaped tail.

I have always liked this intelligent bird and have heard that they will only come around or stay where the environment is close to being like Nature intended.

Brown Thrasher

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on April 14, 2008

A large, skulking bird of thickets and hedgerows, the Brown Thrasher has a large selection of songs; perhaps more than any other North American bird. Boldly patterned, it is conspicuous when singing on its territory but is seldom observable most of the time. It has a very long tail. The bird's upperparts are bright rufous in coloring and the underparts are white to buff with black streaking.Underparts white or buff. with black streaking. The bird is almost always seen, if seen at all, while on the ground scooting or running from one shrub or bush to another.

Carolina Wren

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on November 16, 2007

The Carolina Wren is a rich brown color on top and a tan or buff color below. It has a very white eyebrow stripe. It is also a larger bird then you might think and is about the size of a sparrow. It's tail is nearly always held erect. Loves woodpiles, underbrush. and eats a lot of insects.

Cowbird

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on September 7, 2007

The male is black with shiny or glossy colored head feathers in brown and shoulders in a bluish-green when the sun strikes them just right. The female is a plain gray or plain brownish color and both have a finch-like beak.

Often called 'bison bird' because they were seen in great numbers following the migrating buffalo herds. For this reason (always on the move) females laid their eggs in the nests of other birds and the other birds then raised it as their own. The mother would never see her baby because in the two weeks or so that it took to hatch, the parents would be many miles away with the herds.

Baltimore Oriole

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on May 13, 2008

Is presently being called the 'Northern Oriole,' but I still prefer Baltimore Oriole which has a black head, wings, and tail; orange breast, rump and shoulder patches. The females are olive-brown with dull yellowish-orange underparts and two dull wing bars. Loves deciduous woodland and shade trees. Nests are woven bags of plant fibers, mixed with bark and are suspended from the tip of a branch. If they have been seen in your area try cutting fresh oranges and spear on wooden rods that are stuck into a post as shown.

Eastern Meadowlark

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on April 27, 2008

A rather plump, brown-streaked bird, with white-edged tail feathers; throat, and bright yellow breast crossed with a black "V" shape. Western Meadowlarks are similar but a lot paler and the yellow on the throat extends onto the cheeks—you can see the yellow on the throat stops and does not extend on the cheeks on our Eastern Meadowlark. The song or voice is very mellow. Nests on ground in pastures and meadows.

Eastern Towhee

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on April 9, 2008

The male has a black head and under parts with white underparts, and bright brownish-red patches of feathers on each side. Females are similar in appearance but is colored warm-brown where the male is colored black. Loves thickets and brushy woodland edges.

I waited for about 46 years for one of these beautiful birds to land in my backyard and one did on April 9th, 2008. These are the photos I took of this first encounter.

House Sparrow

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on March 2, 2008

Males have black throat patch and white cheeks and a chestnut-colored nape with a gray crown and rump. Females and young are streaked and dull brown above and gray-white below with light or pale eyebrows. A most numerous bird in America.

Chipping Sparrow

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on March 3, 2008

The Chipping Sparrow has a gray colored breast with a bright rusty-colored cap. A black line runs through the eye and a white line runs over it. It is browner over the winter and no so gray-breasted. Young are even more brown in color with a light crown stripe and a gray rump.

Song Sparrow

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on November 16, 2007

The Song Sparrow has large breast streaks and a central, larger, dark spot on the breast. Young song sparrows have finer breast streaks without the central dark spot. These birds seem to pump their tail up and down while flying. The beak, especially on top, is dark gray while the bottom is a lighter gray color.

American Tree Sparrow

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on February 27, 2008

The American Tree Sparrow has a solid brown cap on its head and it has a distinctive dark spot on the center of its breast and wears it like a stick pin as described in Audubon books. The bill is dark on top and more yellow on the bottom. The bird has two wing bars not so easily seen in my photograph.

White-crowned Sparrow

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on September 6, 2007.

The White-crowned Sparrow has a gray-colored breast with a crown that is black and white and often puffed-up on top (not so visible in this picture). The bill is pink in color. The immature birds are browner and the head stripes are dark red-brown and light buff in color instead of black and white. The adults also have a white eye stripe that begins at the bill and not the eye as in some birds.

White-throated Sparrow

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on April 23, 2008

A beautiful bird with distinctive feather coloring around the head. The breast is gray and it has a white throat patch with a yellow spot between the eye and bill. The bill is black or a dark gray. The male birds with black and white stripes on their head mate with females having brown and tan head stripes.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

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Photographed by Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio on February 22, 2008

A yellow-bellied sapsucker arrived today, February 22, 2008, and tested the White Oak Tree. It was here for a long time but it was dark, cloudy and freezing rain was falling. So the photos are not perfect.

Baltimore Oriole

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Photographed on May 13, 2008, in Brookville, Ohio and © by Abraham Lincoln

I was standing for some period of time, partially hidden by an old cherry tree and a honeysuckle vine. I had more than enough room to stick my camera out and take these photographs but the camera and the big lens weighs a ton after holding it for a long time. And besides that, my arthritis was killing me everywhere. But it was worth it to get some up close photos of this beautiful bird deciding to jump down onto the orange and get a bite to eat. Talk about anticipation. I had watched him from the top of a large maple as he came down in ten foot segments and finally flew to this post and to this picture.

Ruby-throated male hummingbird

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By Abraham Lincoln, photographed in summer of 2007.

I remember listening to a lady explain that hummingbirds never rest or perch except at night. I told her they rest all the time. In fact, after sipping nectar from a flower or from a feeder, they will find a perch and rest. I have seen them perching and resting and then lean over and sip more nectar from the open flower right beside them. I have many more photos of them resting and scratching and fighting than any other kind of hummingbird photo. This one is scratching his neck.