Up at sunrise to drive up to Morongo Valley Preserve to join dedicated bird watchers complete their weekly count. These intrepid birders have only ever missed their Wednesday sessions during COVID restrictions. Last week there was snow! This week the forecast was for 5 degrees to start increasing to 13! Turned out to be warmer and we were peeling off winter jackets by the end.
We followed our leaders for three hours spotting, listening to, and enjoying the loveliest little birds. Phoebes, phainopeplas, Vermillion flycatchers, cedar waxwings, kestrels, hummingbirds, finches, warblers, owls - some 30 species were added to the list.
The birders are generous with their explanations, tips for identifying, and knowledge. And on top of that, we wandered through a variety of ecosystems with the sound of songbirds singing their hearts out all around us. My idea of heaven.
We were so enthusiastic about seeing birds that, after our three-hour session, when someone reported finding the location of a long-eared owl back on the trail and was willing to show us, we headed off for another hour of pointing, squinting and trying to capture on film the deftly camouflaged three long-eared owls.
 |
| Phainopepla -a common bird in the desert that started a lot of our enthusiasm for the adventure of the bird watch |
 |
| The Great Horned Owl female still sitting on nest and looking annoyed. |
 |
| The spectacular vermillion flycatcher. Dodging and dancing in the sky, then returning to rest on a high branch. |
 |
| A black phoebe - aka "The Tuxedo bird" Made we penguins' day! |
 |
| A long-haired owl. Can you spot him? |
No comments:
Post a Comment