Today was by far the hottest day of the year so far but that didn't keep me and Locke from hiking out on French Bar Road. We headed out at about 3:15 with plenty of water and sunscreen and were rewarded for braving the heat by snagging two new birds for the year list.
The first bird was a bit of a surprise as I had seen it's female counterpart a few times in Howard Park near the stables, and to spot this male Black-headed Grosbeak was certainly serendipitous. We had paused under some shady oaks for a while to rest and also to try and spot those notorious Lazuli Buntings Achille and I had spotted before in the same spot. Turning my head a little to the left, I spotted a bird sitting in a small opening of the branches and was able to quickly zero in on the bird with my binocs. No doubting it, this was definitely a Black-headed Grosbeak. Score!
After a while we headed out into the sun again where we quickly spotted a bird, just for a moment, that I was unable to ID, it was about the size of a robin with a black and white streaked face. I really have no clue what bird it was as I was unable to see the rest of it before it ducked down under some tall grass.
Going back up the hill to the car we were granted the presence of an American Kestrel calling out from its perch on a power pole. A common bird, yes, but still one to add to the year list.
Tomorrow we're going down Middle Bar road where I know there is at least one American Dipper that hangs out near the bridge Ideally I would like to up my finds per day to more than just 2 or 3. Of course this means waking early or going out late, both which are difficult when I have the baby with me.
The first bird was a bit of a surprise as I had seen it's female counterpart a few times in Howard Park near the stables, and to spot this male Black-headed Grosbeak was certainly serendipitous. We had paused under some shady oaks for a while to rest and also to try and spot those notorious Lazuli Buntings Achille and I had spotted before in the same spot. Turning my head a little to the left, I spotted a bird sitting in a small opening of the branches and was able to quickly zero in on the bird with my binocs. No doubting it, this was definitely a Black-headed Grosbeak. Score!
After a while we headed out into the sun again where we quickly spotted a bird, just for a moment, that I was unable to ID, it was about the size of a robin with a black and white streaked face. I really have no clue what bird it was as I was unable to see the rest of it before it ducked down under some tall grass.
Going back up the hill to the car we were granted the presence of an American Kestrel calling out from its perch on a power pole. A common bird, yes, but still one to add to the year list.
Tomorrow we're going down Middle Bar road where I know there is at least one American Dipper that hangs out near the bridge Ideally I would like to up my finds per day to more than just 2 or 3. Of course this means waking early or going out late, both which are difficult when I have the baby with me.
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