Another cold, cloudy, breezy, morning. I was hoping for
weather like yesterday's, but we got more Junuary. Everybody was
wearing sweaters AND coats, and there was a lot of wishing for gloves
and talk of hot chocolate.
This isn't the most exciting June we've ever had, though the usual
breeding birds are in evidence (with the notable exception of
Pied-billed Grebe, completely uncharacteristically absent since April).
The biggest excitement today was an extremely close encounter with 2
LONG-TAILED WEASELS at Dog Central that came up to with 10 feet of us.
They were busy chasing each other around, paid us no mind at all, and
forgot to worry about dogs until almost too late.
Bird highlights:
Green Heron
Rowing Club nest has 4 babies
Cooper's Hawk Female
on nest, male harassed by crows
Caspian Tern One
on lake
Band-tailed Pigeon Large
flock
Barn Owl
Matt had 2-3 early
Belted Kingfisher 3-5,
including some young we think
Downy Woodpecker Male feeding
fledgling
Yellow.-rumped Warbler 2 northeast of mansion
LAZULI BUNTING Male
singing north of fields 7-8-9
For the day, 58 species.
Band-tailed Pigeon flock near 2nd dog swim beach
Long-tailed Weasel at Dog Central bench
The two weasels moving fast...
Female (left) and male Brown-headed Cowbird
at the Community Gardens
Our day's only Canada Goose with a Great Blue Heron near the windmill
We think this was a juvenile creeper.
For a while it was creeping sideways, and even down. It seemed a
bit downy as well. Seen south of the mansion.
Adult (upper left) Green Heron standing
guard over the nest (lower middle)
at the Rowing Club
Four babies were seen in the nest (three beaks visible in this photo)
At this age the young look like fluffballs with huge beaks