There are those days when things just don’t work out from the birding perspective, but all is not lost.
Such was the case today and then I happened across this coyote at the end of my afternoon outing.
Coyote
Category: Other Photos
Cooper’s & Swallow Nest
The day got better as it progressed and this afternoon’s walk was back to the North 40. No sign of the Bullock’s Oriole today, but while checking for them a familiar “pek pek” got my attention. It was coming from a tree behind me, one frequently used as a staging area by the Cooper’s Hawk pair.
The adult male Cooper’s Hawk was on a branch inside the tree with prey in its talons. I could not make out what it had before he flew off towards the nesting area.
With nest on the mind, I made my way to an area where I had previously seen some Tree Swallow activity and suspected there was a nest.
It did not take long after arriving before I could see the adults arriving and feeding the young in the nest.
While you can only see two here, I could make out at least three at one time. They look to be a good size and crowded in there, so it will probably not be long before they fledge.
One other fun shot from this afternoon,
… was this Squirrel stretched down the trunk of a tree eating leaves.
Bullock’s Oriole
Not the potential large crowd for a Sunday afternoon at Reifel, but still a good number of visitors. Aside from all the new waterfowl arrivals in varying stages of development, it was fairly quiet on the birding front. There was a report of a juvenile Great Horned Owl, but I and others were unable to relocate it. There was some interesting activity though, a Bullock’s Oriole pair.
The male as seen above,
… and the female not far away gathering nesting material. It’s been a few years since the sanctuary has had a nesting record for Bullock’s Oriole.
Bonus shot and entertainment for the afternoon,
… was this Mink catching voles along the outside dyke trail.