h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Who knew? Both are really birds. I hope you get an interesting mini painting in return. Do you have to use minature brushes to paint these with?

Hi Elektra! Glad you like. Actually I don't have tiny brushes, I used my regular watercolour brush for this. It's been a challenge!

I've seen the ibis here in the Salton Sea area, but not so far the spoonbill, which surprises me, the waters being extremely rich along the shoreline in brine shrimp and brine flies.

I'm very privileged to have spotted a spoonbill in the UK. A few make it to the East Anglian coast, and I saw mine near Dunwich. It was feeding in a lagoon, sweeping its bill from left to right. It's quite distinct here - the only similar bird is the little egret, which is much smaller.

Thanks for this

I'm also very privileged to have seen spoonbills in the UK - a surprisingly large number hang out at my local RSPB reserve A87875987

I saw an ibis at a wildlife sanctuary recently, but not in the wild.

Very interesting indeed, and the painting is excellent - fantastic detail!

Hi folks! I'm happy to see so many ibis- and spoonbill fans here! Here's to y'all spotting some (more) spoonbills and ibises soon! Over here we are blessed with several ibis species ... I love all of them! I have done the sacred ibis for Colours of Wildlife, still have to do the hadeda ibis, the glossy ibis and the bald ibis. They're all lovely birds! I don't think there are any ibis species at all native to the UK ... white ibises and scarlet ibises occur in the southern US. Both those are lovely!

In the Salton Sea Area, California, its the white ibis.

Also the white egret and the black egret, though the latter is rare.

The white crane is more common.

The sandhill crane is sometimes seen here, standing about five feet in height, with pale, sky blue feathers.

That one is in terms of mass the largest land dwelling and flight capable bird in north America.

The blue heron is sometimes seen, but rarely.

All told, there are estimated to be almost two hundred bird species native here or visiting as occasional migrants.

The brown and white pelicans are seen frequently.

Sea gulls (the California sea gull) is seen here rarely, though its very common on the Pacific coast.

I've seen only one in the past five years.

There are birds I've seen here I've never been able to identify, among them a rare corvid, much like an exceptionally robust raven, with a raven-like but deeper voiced cry with a beak eight inches/twenty cm long with the male, six inches/fifteen cm long with the female, the beak slightly turned down at the tip, otherwise proportioned like the raven, both genders uniformly raven black in color.

Desert ravens are common, so is the jackdaw.

I've never seen crows here though they're very common on the seaward side of the coastal mountains.

On the jackdaw, intermediate in size between crows and and ravens, the first season fledgling is dark grey with subtle markings in the same pattern as the coastal mocking bird, with the same basic repertoire of cries, though deeper voiced and louder.

The jackdaw only turns raven black after the first moult.

The ranges of the coastal and inland mocking birds, distinguished on the point that with the latter, the white and black bands on the wings show when the wings are furled, while they do not with the coastal mocking bird, which is uniformly grey in color in repose, while the banding shows when the bird is in flight.

I've had both species and the jackdaw on the premises simultaneously.

Other big birds, as a rare and occasional visitor, the black Mexican eagle of the type depicted on the Mexican national flag is sometimes seen here.

So is the golden eagle