Birding in the summer often produces meager results; however, some days are fairly good. I was on the trail from 3:30 to 5:30 this afternoon, and although it was cloudy, making photography and identifying birds deep on trees difficult, I still managed to log 28 species. Many of them were common; others were a treat to see.
Great Blue Heron
White-eyed Vireo
Cedar waxwing
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
A rather orange House Finch and Eastern Bluebird
Female Blue Grosbeak
Male Blue Grosbeak
An Eastern Bluebird landed on a bird box that was being used by some Tree Swallows. Within a few seconds, four Tree Swallows were making dives at the Bluebird, finally driving it away.
Tree Swallows and Eastern Bluebird
I got a few photos of what appears to me to be an immature Common Yellowthroat. Any other opinions are appreciated.
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
The highlight of the hike was on the upstream trail. I have been trying for four years now to get a better photo of a Louisiana Waterthursh than I had previously taken, and I finally was successful!
Louisiana Waterthursh
Louisiana Waterthursh
Louisiana Waterthursh
Louisiana Waterthursh
Louisiana Waterthursh
Louisiana Waterthursh
Here's my species list from this afternoon:
Indigo Bunting Blue Grosbeak American Crow Turkey Vulture Field Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Kingbird Red-winged Blackbird Great Blue Heron Eastern Meadowlark Northern Cardinal House Finch Louisiana Waterthrush Common Yellowthroat Carolina Chickadee Blue-gray Gnatcatcher White-eyed Vireo Eastern Phoebe Eastern Wood-Pewee Red-bellied Woodpecker Flicker Cedar Waxwing |