Birds and book, days 152 - 155 (+ many photos)

[emmarytz]

It's not like I've not been around the last few days; I've just been busy/distracted/too tired to post. Now, of course, Thursday and Friday are blurs. I don't think the birds were particularly brilliant and I think the weather may have been fairly marginal. Thinking very hard, I remember that after fussing with the downspout on the south side of

Comments

[alexfandra]

That's a terrific crow with ex-fish shot. Well, truth to tell, there a tons of terrific shots here. Yes, that's a Virginia Rail. No pics of the Cinnamon Teal? Oh, and the swallow - I can never get swallows in flight over the pond! Well done. There was just one osprey on the lights when I was there circa 7:30 - 9:30am that morning. The Marsh Wrens rarely come out that nicely for me though the Savannahs were out in force.

I don't suppose you spied any flycatchers about? I had a mystery flycatcher Sunday morning which I caught just the briefest glimpse of in poor lighting (catching flies) and I'm about 90% sure it was a Western Wood-Pewee but despite several trips round the Fill and the enlistment of every birder I encountered, I never could find it again. Oh, well. So it goes.

People have reported an otter there in the past week so but I haven't been fortunate enough to see it.

Great Goose and Goslings pics, too!

Thank you kindly!

[emmarytz]

I worried that it was an awfully long post and thought how considerate you always are about breaking up your photos over a number of days. The photos of the cinnamon teal were taken at some distance as it was moving out sight entirely on the pond so they're good enough to say "longish bill/head darker than body as I thought" but even I can't pretend anyone else would take an interest in them.

Alas, I wouldn't know a flycatcher but we didn't see any birds that I didn't think I knew. God knows there were plenty of flies around; I kept calling to the swallows to come eat the bugs that were buzzing around our heads. -em.