Birding in the desert

I managed to get out to the desert very recently and shoot a few photos of some birds, mostly around the Anza-Borrego Desert's Visitor Center.  The weather happened to be mild, but still very dry.

The first bird I heard at this place, as soon as I stepped out of the car, was a Costa's hummingbird.  Though they have a high-pitched call, they are extremely loud.  Even if you have hearing loss on the high end, they should be loud enough to hear for most people.  They sorta sound very insect-like.

I tried to find a black-tailed gnatcatcher, but couldn't.  Instead, I got this photo of a blue-gray gnatcatcher.  This print is for sale on Fine Art America:

The black-throated sparrows weren't being very co-operative , this is the best shot I got:

A loggerhead shrike is looking for lizards to impale.  He seemed completely undisturbed by my presence:

Mockingbird peering at me:

Ravens were everywhere, but no crows.

There was also a flycatcher there that sounded unfamiliar.  I think it was a Hammond's flycatcher.  Both it and the Pacific Slope flycatcher migrate through the area and it didn't sound like a Pacific Slope flycatcher to me.  I didn't get a good photo except I did get one with a definite notch in its tail.  It was also fairly yellow-ish.

I didn't see any quail or even verdin, which is kinda strange.  Someone else saw an Inca dove in another spot in Borrego Springs.

Birdy update

Not a whole lot going on bird-wise.  I got a close up of this wood duck whom I think is Doodle's Son (the one whom I called Doodle's Placekeeper).  He looks like his dad after his last breeding season.  I'm betting this guy is now "retired" and may not be breeding anymore.  We shall see if he gets his colors back next year.  Usually, when they get scruffy like this, they're near the end of their lives.  Doodle lived over a year in his scruffy phase.  He appears healthy otherwise.

The Canada goslings say "hello".

Troublemaker is still under-grown and fuzzy on his back.  But, he is showing some growth.  Here he is next to his mom:

He might not be a Brewer's duck because he's getting blue speculum feathers.  But, he still looks different from a regular mallard:

He still has a lot of white on his belly:

I love watching the terns doing courtship.  Here, a female is waiting for her male to bring her something to eat.  I also saw a juvenile Forster's tern:

I couldn't identify these, at first, but they're cowbirds.

I saw a California gnatcatcher family, but only the mom let me take a photo of her:

The domestic ducks seem to be mostly fine, though I think something is going on with the Pekins.  I think we might be missing a couple of them.  It's been hot and this breed of ducks don't do so well in hot weather.

A few birds for a nice January morning

The lesser scaup are hanging around near the shore of Lake Murray, waiting for handouts.  This is the time of year they try to fatten up for migration.

I first saw Pepper with Fish Food mama and her mate, but he was so bothered by me that he swam away and is hanging out by himself.  His brother is off chasing girls:

There is one little green-winged teal girl there, today.  I took this photo a few days ago:

This is all that is left of the resident geese.  The three other Canada geese aren't getting along with the white goose in the background, so they were off in the water on their own.

I took a photo of this blue-gray gnatcatcher the other day when I was counting the birds.  Today, I heard several California gnatcatchers:

Mama raven was being harassed by a crow (on the right) who wanted to steal a piece of trash that Mama raven was checking out.

I think this might be a young, sick, California gull.  A lot of young gulls get sick their first and second winter and don't make it.  Most gulls don't make it to full maturity:

I accidentally disturbed this black-crowned night heron.  Sorry heron!

Blue-gray gnatcatchers

This morning was bright and sunny and a lot of the birds were out singing and chasing each other around.  This blue-gray gnatcatcher was out in the open and didn't mind me chasing him around with the camera at all.  Most birds will immediately hide or leave the area if they even suspect you are following them around, but not this one.

One thing that definitely IDs these guys as blue-gray and not California gnatcatchers is that blue-gray gnatcatchers have nearly all white under-tail feathers.  This next photo is not the greatest example of that.  California gnatcatchers have mostly black tail with white outlines on the under-tail feathers.

I usually find them by listening to their call.  They make a more raspy version of the call that California gnatcatchers make.  There's more vibration in their calls.  California gnatcatchers have a thinner, higher pitched call.  Right now, there are a lot more blue-gray gnatcatchers doing calls at the lake than California gnatcatchers.

I took a couple photos of some gulls as we had a gull tragedy today.  One apparently healthy and beautiful gull was found floating in the water with his head under water.  At first, I thought maybe he got a dose of bad bacteria from his food as is common with gulls around this time of year.  But, after thinking about it, I think it was just another case of a young gull dying in his sleep during a cold night.   It sometimes happens with very young gulls, I've noticed.  He was so perfect, I almost wanted to see if a museum wanted him as a specimen 

In the meantime, here are a couple photos of living gulls, the first one being a California gull:

I think this next photo is either a western gull with a pretty head, or a herring gull.  Most likely a western gull (or a hybrid):

And, a white crowned sparrow.

The common yellowthroat was out in the open again, but by the time I tried to take a photo of him, he decided to go back into the reeds and do his calls.

All the ducks are accounted for and seem to be doing fine.  The geese are fine, too, but are fighting a lot.