Lots of you probably know the Backyard Bird Count is happening right now. It’s sort of a cool concept. If you’re unfamiliar with it, check out this link for more info. (Above: badass cedar waxwing and ping pong ball ruby-crowned kinglet)
My best yardbird is still the harris’s sparrow (not a very common bird). There have been at least five of them hanging around for a couple months but it’s hard to get great looks at them. They are super flushy little guys! They seem to be buddies with the dark-eyed junco flock. I hadn’t seen a Harris’s until last year (also in the yard). Pretty sweet that we’ve got the habitat that they want! I managed to get a couple crappy photos, but nothing to write home about. Today however, one was actually spending quality time on some outside branches, chipping like a maniac. It was a little better photo op than usual. (Above: the elusive harris’s sparrow)
I’ve been missing the ruby-crowned kinglet who was coming to the suet all the time. Damn those guys are feisty! I think maybe he booked it to his breeding spot already (I hope). Had a pretty big flock of rusty blackbirds today in the yard (not too common around here either). Birds, they’re cool. (Above: double-chin, no chin? pine warbler; below: rusty blackbirds)
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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