Anne and I spent another weekend birding, and it was a wonderful break for both of us. We enjoyed this colony of Acorn Woodpeckers in a large stand of oak trees. Can you find them? There are three birds clustered together in this picture.
If you enlarge this picture, you can see the acorns the woodpeckers have placed in holes in the trees.
This woodpecker is such a distinctive bird. It kind of looks like a little clown.
We came across this pair of Red-shouldered Hawks. This was a first for Anne and she was very excited. Some of these pictures are not real clear, but I kept them for the beautiful patterns of their feathers.
Reflections on the water at William Finley Wildlife Refuge.
Anne and I were trying to identify several tiny birds in another stand of oaks. They were Ruby-crowned Kinglets.
Oak galls are products of the oak tree's reaction to the gall wasp. They are high in tannic acid and are used by many cultures for medicinal purposes. They are also used for dye.
This robin was enjoying a feast of crab apples. Robin's are especially colorful in the winter.
Anne and I walked a trail called "Woodpecker Loop." We didn't see any woodpeckers, but we spotted a Black Phoebe, another life bird for Anne. We also saw many gnarled oak trees that looked like they had survived some kind of disease.
Licorice Fern
We drove past some wonderful marsh lands hoping to see a Bittern. Perhaps it is not the right time of year yet. Anne does a pretty good impression of their unique mating call :-).
A beautiful White Egret
Please leave a comment if you can. I would like to know how many people enjoy birding like we do!
