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The Daily Bucket. A stroll out in American Valley, Quincy, CA, and a new bird species. [1]
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Date: 2022-07-06
The vultures await, await the moment I stop moving, for they know I'm sweet.
Tuesday, July 5, 2022
The weather changed, cooling significantly, and turning very cloudy. I hadn’t been out for any photographs for a few days. Me, I gotta go because I never know, I never know just what I might see.
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Out near the turnaround end of my walk, a Great Blue Heron flew past. First photo op for the day. Believe me, it’s there. Besides, this is really only to show how cloudy and rather dreary it was. Truth though, my exposure didn’t come out so good for this sequence.
Bottom photo, you can just see it between the right of the gate and the fence post to right of that.
Still having trouble? Can’t blame you. Here ya go.
Fortunately, two more flew past just moments later, and I managed better exposure, if not focus. Well, my camera has limitations.
I shot ten frames in sequence, but this is the best of them, so this one will suffice.
Today was not limited to birds. A very nice three-point California Mule Deer, in velvet:
In looking through my DKos image library I found that the very last hawk I photographed and uploaded was back on March 13th. They move out of the valley, seemingly all of a sudden, about that time of the year. I’ve been eager for the hawks to return to my big valley, as they’ve afforded me some of the best photo ops I’ve ever had, but mainly I’m eager for them to return as I simply love seeing them. I just love hawks, and all other raptors. I think I’m going to call this official; hawk season has returned.
This was the only one I saw this day, but what a joy for my heart. Taken at a distance of about 0.2 mile.
To reacquaint you with this area I walk on a very regular basis, here’s a map. I took the hawk photo from the very end of the walking path.
It takes me about three minutes to bicycle from my apartment to the entrance. Handy place.
Now, a view from the end of the walking path to those trees with the hawk. Over the years, I’ve seen as many as six or more hawks in this group of trees at the same time. I’ve looked for nests, but have never seen any. I know the hawks do nest around here, but these trees seem to be just a hunting and resting location for them. Great vantage point if you’re a hawk, that’s for sure.
Here are the bare trees, tops, that are out there.
A couple of of my favorites, from last year, in those trees:
For these photos, I had been able to walk out much closer to the trees, through a section of private property I have permission to access.
Red-tailed Hawk.
I take my time walking out, stopping often to look around, not only to watch for photo ops but also just to savor the beauty of this valley where I live. Early on weekend mornings is the very best time, as there’s little traffic on the nearby road at those times. Other times, it just one log truck after another after another. Not that there’s anything wrong with log trucks; I made my living for awhile driving one, and trees are a renewable natural resource.
It’s often on the way back, though, that I’ve been treated with many of my better photo ops. For one thing, in the morning I’m facing into the sun on the walk out. The sun therefore is behind me or off to the side on the return trip, yielding better lighting conditions. I spotted a Northern Flicker, set my tripod, and found it perching:
Northern (Red-shafted) Flicker, female
A bit further on, two more birds, and one of them turned out to be my new species.
No, not this one:
House Finch, female
This one!
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis), a.k.a. “dirt swallow”.
Click for full size image
Here’s what my Keith Hansen’s Birds of the Sierra Nevada says about...
The “dirt swallow.” A subtle bird of earthy beauty. This subterranean-nesting swallow bores holes into dirt and is the color of dirt, and its call is quite literally … dirrrrrt!
The Cornell Lab, All About Birds:
The Northern Rough-winged Swallow's plain brown back and dusky throat doesn't stand out, allowing it to sometimes go unnoticed in flocks of brighter swallow species. This common summer visitor flies low over water snatching insects in midair and rests on wires, posts, and exposed branches. It nests in burrows excavated by other birds and mammals, and spends the winters in Mexico and Central America. The Northern Rough-winged Swallow gets its name from minuscule hooks on the leading edge of their primary feathers. Running a finger along the edge of the feather from base to the tip feels like touching a rough file. The genus name of the Northern Rough-winged Swallow is Stelgidopteryx, which means "scraper wing"; the species name, serripennis, means "saw feather."
So, that brings my list for 2022 new species (as not photographed in 2021, last year being the first time I’ve ever kept a list) to thirteen. But that excludes the thirty-two species I recorded during my Point Reyes trip back in April. And half the year still ahead. Plenty of time for more. Because you never know just what you might see.
Now It's Your Turn.
What have you noted happening in your area or travels? As usual post your observations as well as their general location in the comments.
Thank you.
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