I’ve been overstimulated with the yard birds lately. We actually got some gnarly rain recently and there have been some good warbler and sparrow flocks who have been pretty pumped about it. Some kind of bug is laying eggs on fenceposts right now and I’ve noticed the warblers are chowing down on the eggs all day long. All these guys in the photos were in the live oak outside the kitchen window yesterday. I was hunched over the kitchen sink for a couple hours craning my neck out the window to get these pictures. (Top: Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pine Warbler. Below: American Goldfinch)
There were 4 warbler species (yellow-rumped, pine, orange-crowned, and nashville), tons of chipping sparrows, some field sparrows, bluebirds, downy woodpeckers, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, that red-bellied woodpecker who usually just laughs in my face when I try to get a picture, savannah sparrows, house finches, killdeer, goldfinches, kinglets, white-throated and lincoln’s sparrows, chickadees, titmice, and you know, the list goes on. Oh! And american pipits too! (Below: Chipping Sparrow)
I was practically having a panic attack trying to get photos. (That may be a bit dramatic). I haven’t been taking a ton of great bird ones lately and it was starting to frustrate me. The Pine Warblers were making me a little on edge because they kept landing right in front of my face but either they were too close for a photo or my flash battery wasn’t quite ready. I finally snagged an okay one of a male eating..a freaking sunflower seed? Which confuses me, quite a bit confuses me. (they don’t eat seeds…)
(Above: Red-bellied Woodpecker, Below: Orange-crowned Warbler) Anyway, birds, tons of them, cool ones, everywhere yesterday and the day before. Most of the house is surrounded by horse pastures and they flood a little bit when it rains so I lookrd outside afterwards and the ground was just dancing with sparrows, bluebirds, and warblers. It’s kind of sweet. Ah! There was also a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers last week for a few days but I haven’t seen then since then, fingers crossed they’ll come back! There’s a lot of good snags waiting for them. Wild Bird Wednesday
Jill Wussow
Jill Wussow, 31, is a seasonal field biologist, nature photographer and nomad. She has worked with several federally endangered bird species (including the Golden-cheeked Warbler, Black-capped Vireo and Piping Plover), sea turtles, and bats all over the United States. She is rarely in one place for more than a few months at a time and her whereabouts are often confusing. Field work has given her great opportunity to travel often and meshes with her passion for wildlife and nature photography perfectly. Through her photography, Jill hopes to convey her love and respect of the natural world.
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