Today started with a lovely gathering at the botanical gardens. Everyone who showed up for the bird walk, led by Allan Ridley and company, was greeted by the Red-shouldered Hawks - one slung low in a tree outside the gate, the other bathed in morning sun on a branch in the large beehive-laden tree just inside. Also inside:
The rare Golden-crowned Song Sparrow, suffering a pollen induced identity crisis.
After the Arboretum I checked out Corona Heights Park in hopes of something interesting and tested my reflexes against this White-crowned Sparrow. The rare part of this moment is it stayed in the frame, in good light... that was worth the expedition up the hill. (click the image to see the details - this small version has many compression artifacts)
Then to North Lake for 30 minutes of looking before other engagements called. I found a pair of Pied-billed Grebes and settled in to watch them. They resumed their fishing and about 5 minutes later one came scooting out of the reeds at top speed, running on the water, out into the open to deal with its catch. The last rare moment of the day. Definitely click on these to see the larger versions.
Moments after the catch, the grebe takes a break before attending to the fish.
Now properly oriented after an initial attempt at swallowing it failed.
Down the hatch.
The rare Golden-crowned Song Sparrow, suffering a pollen induced identity crisis.
After the Arboretum I checked out Corona Heights Park in hopes of something interesting and tested my reflexes against this White-crowned Sparrow. The rare part of this moment is it stayed in the frame, in good light... that was worth the expedition up the hill. (click the image to see the details - this small version has many compression artifacts)
Then to North Lake for 30 minutes of looking before other engagements called. I found a pair of Pied-billed Grebes and settled in to watch them. They resumed their fishing and about 5 minutes later one came scooting out of the reeds at top speed, running on the water, out into the open to deal with its catch. The last rare moment of the day. Definitely click on these to see the larger versions.
Moments after the catch, the grebe takes a break before attending to the fish.
Now properly oriented after an initial attempt at swallowing it failed.
Down the hatch.
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