I’ve encountered Evening Grosbeaks only a few times and always in wild places. My first sighting was at a campground along Ebbetts Pass, where a pair flew in near dusk and perched low in a pine right above where I was setting up my tent. I didn’t reach for my camera - I was frozen in place, mesmerized by their bold colors shining against a pine green background. This summer, I had the pleasure of watching a flock actively foraging along Kings Creek in Lassen Volcanic NP, with both males and females taking turns feeding a few of the juveniles in the group. It really was a spectacle - they stayed low in the canopy of firs and occasionally hopped to the ground. Named for their impressive bills and myth that they only sing at night, Evening Grosbeaks are actually in the finch family (unlike Black-headed Grosbeaks and Blue Grosbeaks in the cardinal family). #eveninggrosbeak #lassenvolcanicnationalpark #calnatshare #ebird365 #audubonca #team_ebird #uccalnat
Spending the summer on the breeding grounds of some of my favorite birds was a unique opportunity to observe behaviors that are not part of their winter residency - such as feeding and dealing with very demanding and noisy offspring! Within minutes of arriving and setting up at the Wabasso Campground in Jasper NP, I was triangulated by a trio of Merlin that were utilizing a nest at my campsite for food drop-offs for their very vocal and insistent fully-fledged juvenile. 👉Swipe through to see the full series of an air-to-perch food transfer (and you should know that by “food” I am referring to a baby bird snatched from its nest). #merlin #ebird365 #birds_of_canada #audubon
I have quite an abundance of summer photos to sort through, but this little cutie gets to jump the queue (and deservedly so!). A Common Ringed Plover was reported over the weekend at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary while I was many miles away in the mountains - a bird that had never been observed in Orange County and had only twice been reported in California. Lucky for me, he stuck around for a few days. Within one minute of my excited arrival (and before snapping a photo), a Peregrine Falcon swooped down and flushed all the peeps and plovers. The Common Ringed Plover dared to return after the falcon passed through and continued to forage at the pond’s edge....as you can tell from that mud-covered bill!
#commonringedplover #ebird365 #calnatshare #audubonca #rarebirdalert
Sooty Grouse for the win! While setting up camp at Summit Lake, I heard a little girl walk by and say, “Look mom, a Turkey!”. I jumped out of my camper to find a Sooty Grouse hen with a juvenile rambling through my campsite. My campsite abutted a meadow, dense with Corn lilies, and as they worked their way through the meadow the mama jumped up on a fallen tree, only to be challenged by this Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel. The squirrel ran at her a few times until she’d had enough. She turned, hissed, and fanned her tail while taking a few steps in his direction. Her act of intimidation worked, as the squirrel quickly bailed out of there, leaving her and her offspring to continue foraging in peace. I’ll post the full sequence in my stories ☝️
#lassenvolcanicnationalpark #summitlake #lassenbirds #sootygrouse #ebird365 #audubonca
