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| Northern Mockingbird |
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| Turdus migratorius |
It was an absolutely beautiful day, perfect weather, not too hot, not too cool, with a light breeze.
It was a long hike and my feet hurt. I didn't bring my great lens, which would have killed me probably it is so heavy, managed to take a few shots, although nothing very epic.
The highlight of the day for me was seeing five burrowing owls although they were too far away from the road for a decent capture. Whomever built the habitat installed the dwelling structures just outside of 600mm range. I also snagged a pic and a look at some cedar waxwings, one of my absolute favorites and a rare capture for me. A rough, initial list is here, courtesy of Miranda.
Dec 23, 2022 7:30 AM - 12:53 PM
Protocol: Traveling
8.07 mile(s)
65 species
Snow Goose 4 On the big pond off Rangeland Rd
Canada Goose 165
Northern Shoveler 118
Gadwall 1
American Wigeon 140
Bufflehead 1
Ruddy Duck 20
California Quail 3
Pied-billed Grebe 3
Eared Grebe 3
Eurasian Collared-Dove 2
Mourning Dove 4
White-throated Swift 5
Anna's Hummingbird 5
American Coot 1
Killdeer 23
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Turkey Vulture 1
Bald Eagle 1 Seen clearly in scope.
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 One near pond at Ramona grasslands preserve: In the scope, unusual dark, grey-toned: dark head, wash down entire breast in front, white low underneath, terminal band on tail, petite shape.
Red-tailed Hawk 8
Ferruginous Hawk 3
Burrowing Owl 5 Colony in the fields across the road from Ramona Grasslands Preserve: 4 birds around nesting structures and one beside a dirt hole in the middle of a field.
Acorn Woodpecker 2
Nuttall's Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 2
American Kestrel 7
Black Phoebe 4
Say's Phoebe 5
Vermilion Flycatcher 1 Vibrant male near the water treatment pond off Rangeland Road.
Cassin's Kingbird 7
Hutton's Vireo 2
California Scrub-Jay 2
American Crow 16
Common Raven 14
Oak Titmouse 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Rock Wren 1
Bewick's Wren 2
European Starling 49
California Thrasher 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Western Bluebird 44
Mountain Bluebird 13
Hermit Thrush 2
American Robin 12
Cedar Waxwing 12
Phainopepla 2
American Pipit 9
House Finch 40
Lesser Goldfinch 1
Chipping Sparrow 3
Lark Sparrow 10
White-crowned Sparrow 45
Golden-crowned Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 31
Song Sparrow 2
California Towhee 5
Spotted Towhee 2
Western Meadowlark 48
Red-winged Blackbird 6
Brewer's Blackbird 66
Common Yellowthroat 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 4
I am calling this a harlan's hawk, I will see if my compatriots agree with me. I never saw the bald eagle, not sure when she did but I wish someone had told me.
Here are some more shots of the day:
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| Red tailed hawk, light morph |
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| Ferruginous |
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| red tailed hawks flying in tandem |
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| kestrel |
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| yellow crowned and white crowned sparrow |
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| Meadowlark on a rock |
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| Phainopepla |
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| Robin |
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| Cedar waxwing |
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| Mountain bluebird |
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| an elusive hermit thrush |
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| Western Bluebird |
5 comments:
What a plethora of proud plumage
With the Christmas Bird Count underway, some are asking: Where have all the birds gone?
https://www.kut.org/energy-environment/2022-12-23/with-the-christmas-bird-count-underway-some-are-asking-where-have-all-the-birds-gone
Texas bird enthusiasts are reporting fewer birds even at their backyard feeders. It mirrors a trend of bird decline across the globe
That's a LONG walk! Thanks for all the photos.
So many beautiful bird pictures! Thoroughly enjoyable!
Just an observation, our crows/ravens have crushed our red tail eggs chicks. Could their problem solving skills be responsible for the declining bird numbers?
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