Bestest friends

Hey look! An owl and a duckling playing together, how sweet.

Modoc NWR, Devil's Garden and Tulelake

Highlights: dark morph Swainson's Hawk, Mountain Bluebird, Clark's Grebe, Bufflehead, Tricolored Blackbird, Killdeer performing its anti-predator distraction display, huge numbers of wildfowl and Coyote. Tulelake in the Klamath Basin was very impressive, absolutely rammed with waterfowl.


What you looking at?

Back in the land of the living

A week without the interweb or mobile, lovely. Probably won't get a mobile signal for days yet, so if it ain't an email I ain't gonna get it.

Woodpeckers and flycatchers were the highlight of the week just gone, will update properly when I get a mo, suffice to say Lewis' and Black-backed Woodies are sweeeeeeet.

North to Alturas

Highlights: Lark Sparrow, Loggerhead Shrike, Golden Eagle and Pronghorn Antelope.

Antelope Valley & Yuba Pass

Highlights: displaying Common Nighthawk and Common Poorwill. A nocturnal foray to Yuba Pass produced excellent views of Common Poorwill.

Chapman Saddle, Bear Trap Meadow and Snag Lake

Highlights: Pine Grosbeak, MacGillivray's Warbler and Black-backed Woodpecker. The Pine Grosbeak was a rather nice singing male.

Antelope Valley & Snag Lake

Highlights: Lewis' Woodpecker, Black-backed Woodpecker and Rock Wren. The two woodpeckers were absolutely superb, both gave very close and prolonged views around nest sites. [edit: by the end of the trip I'd managed 11 woodpeckers, out of a possible 12; only Red-naped Sapsucker in the Warner Mountains eluded me,... bastard.]

Carman Valley

Highlights: Gray Flycatcher, Olive-sided Flycatcher and quality views of Skunk. Once again the OSF qualifies on the grounds of getting a flipping good recording including a call I hadn't heard before, given when a second bird (presumably a female) appeared close by.

Yuba Pass & SFSU Campus

Highlights: Williamson's Sapsucker, Cooper's Hawk, Townsend's Solitaire, Red Crossbill, Lincoln's Sparrow and Evening Grosbeak. The Cooper's only qualifies as a highlight due to the close views and the rather good, if I do say so myself, recording of its call obtained by yours truly.

Marble Hot Springs Road

Highlights: Sage Thrasher and Prairie Falcon. The Prairie Falcon flew straight over my head accompanied by an irate Willet and alarm calling Cliff Swallows; the 'chipping' Wilson's Snipe I was recording at the time decided to shut up for five minutes, wise move.