Miscellaneous Odds and Ends
A variety of recent photos from here and there
It's time again to share a variety of random photos that have been sitting on my desktop just "waiting" for the right moment. I like this shot of a Red-tailed Hawk, taken at Sewailo this past December. The Rad-tail is perched on a tall pine tree early in the morning. You can see its characteristic "red" tail and the white feathers on its back. We will be at Sewailo again next week for our 2024 Birdathon morning.
A male Gambel's Quail perched on the chiminea on my back porch. He called for a bit and then flew down to the ground to join the other quail in the yard.
When I visited my grandkids in Las Vegas in January, we took a short trip to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area west of town. The BLM manages this area. After a nice morning hiking in one of the canyons and scrambling on the rocks, we drove home. A herd of wild burros was seen just off of the road.
I'm not sure why the burros kept their behinds towards the highway, but they did. After waiting a while, one lone burro turned and allowed me to take a profile photo.
Midtown on a February morning, a flock of Cormorants flew circles around a large pond before heading towards the east.
At one point they were circling around at a low level with the Catalinas and Finger Rock in the background.
Also in February, a pair of Wood Ducks arrived at a neighborhood pond. The male and the female both seemed disturbed at a nearby duck and let their feelings be known.
The male Wood Duck may be one of the more spectacularly plumaged ducks in the US. It has a "glossy green head, a chestnut breast, buffy sides, a reddish bill and red eyes." The female is a warm brown color with a white teardrop around her eye. Birdnote tells us about the important call of the female Wood Duck https://www.birdnote.org/listen/shows/wood-ducks-succeed
With the Wood Duck resting his bill on his back, you can see the intricate patterns on his head and the white 'arrows' on the chestnut colored breast. Even the buffy side has a delicate pattern.
From this angle, you can see the white and black feathers that outline the top of the Wood Duck's buffy side.
At this moment, the blue and black wing feathers were present.
https://www.birdnote.org/listen/shows/wood-duck
This Tuesday our Birdathon Team "Birdies, Bogeys and Eagles" will head out to Sewailo Golf Course to find as many birds as we can. Thank you to our newest donors including Kate P, Lynda E, Gideon W, Rich B and Elaine G, Mai S, Shelly A, Kathy O, Laura and Bill D, and Carol and Charles S. For more information and to donate to our team, click on the green tab on our page at https://tas.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/tas/campaign.jsp?campaign=122&fundraiser=12602& Thanks in advance.