As the drought continues, with fall migration and everything slowing down along the river, like elsewhere, the search for birds amidst the changing leaves has become a little less frantic. But there are still birds to see. Here are the highlights, if you will, from three recent visits.
On October 18, a bird that rarely makes it into my photos insisted on having his picture taken.
An unmistakable Red-tailed Hawk flew into a tree.
Mallard Green is a popular color this season.
Yellow-rumped Warblers were less frequent.
White-throated Sparrows are filling in.
On October 21, two Great Blue Herons were back on the river. The one below hangs out near the Hofmann Tower.
I was on the Swan Pond side of the river when I spotted a Red-tailed Hawk perched in a tree with its back toward me.
Then a surprise visit of Eastern Bluebirds occurred when they flew into the willows near the paved trail. I have missed seeing these birds all year, so this was a special treat.
An American Goldfinch tried to distract me.
There were a couple female or younger Eastern Bluebirds like the one below.
A Brown Creeper crept up a tree.
I spotted a Golden-crowned Kinglet in the willows.
Mallards in the river were navigating rapids created by the shallow water.
A younger Great Blue Heron has been hanging out at the bend in the river by the library.
Two photos of the swinging bridge framed by some autumn colors.
Northern Cardinals are a little easier to see these days.
A Yellow-rumped Warbler I had been checking out flew toward me.
An American Robin sat still for me when I was unable to get clear photos of a Hermit Thrush.
I checked back with the Hofmann Tower Great Blue Heron again.
On October 23rd, the Hofmann Tower Great Blue Heron nearly faded into the rocks.
The water in the river was even lower that day.
I saw an American Robin and a Red-winged Blackbird among a few others, but it was less birdy in Riverside Lawn that morning.
One more look at the Great Blue Heron by the Hofmann Tower. There’s lots more to come. We did get some rain Thursday night to tide us over, and there’s more in the forecast for this Thursday and next week. It’s been a busy week and I’m looking forward to a little down time. Oh yes, and Halloween, of course.
I like to see a heron so thank you for that. We have tree creepers here and I wish that I was as good at spotting them as you are. They are lovely little birds.
I look forward to seeing the herons everyday, checking to see if they are still with us. I can only imagine the mild temperatures and shallow water in the river will keep them here longer. As for the Brown Creeper, I don’t always see them and they are not always easy to discern from the trees they are on, but this one was particularly close so that made it pretty easy.
I never find them easy!
Loaded with some wonderful pictures of our waning visitors who are moving on and the newest arrivals coming down from up north. The junco and white throats are back. Some stunning shots of the bluebird, hawk and the yellow-rump in flight. The great blue is one of my favorites and one has to love the shot of the bluebird and creeper in the same frame.
I see you even captured the house sparrow in your summary of the last several weeks of ambling along the trails. That was a very nice posting this week.
Thanks, Bob, I’m glad you enjoyed this post. I really had to give space to the bluebirds after not seeing them around here for so long. I’m also glad the creeper caught my attention.