Emberizidae, Picidae & Gruidae

It has been longer than usual since my last post. An ongoing and urgent family medical situation has kept me busy when not working. A small window of opportunity opened up this afternoon I headed out to Reifel.

I used bird families in the title and the first up is Emberizidae. This large group includes Towhees, Sparrows, Juncos, Longspurs and Buntings. The two I managed to capture this afternoon were,

White-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow

… this White-crowned Sparrow,

Dark-eyed Junco
Dark-eyed Junco

… and a Dark-eyed Junco. Both of which seem to be present in greater numbers the last couple of weeks. This is normal for this time of year and into the winter season. Still no sign or further reports of the White-throated Sparrow.

Next up, Picidae, or woodpeckers.

Pileated Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker

This Pileated Woodpecker was busy looking for insects in this old snag,

Northern Flicker
Northern Flicker

… while this Northern Flicker was foraging along the ground.

Last but not least Gruidae, or cranes. In this case Sandhill Cranes of which there were 36 in the outer ponds this afternoon. I think that is the highest count I have seen there. I got the following series of shots of a juveniles running taking off.

Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane

It was a nice break from what has been a hectic week or so.

Heron, Nuthatch, Junco, Golden-crowned & Downy

Over the last couple of weeks I have managed a few outings to Reifel.

Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron

Nothing much out of the ordinary around,

Red-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch

… but that does not mean there is nothing around.

Dark-eyed Junco
Dark-eyed Junco

First the Junco,

Golden-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow

… and then the Golden-crowned posing on the same branch for me.

Downy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker

This Downy Woodpecker posed briefly,

Downy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker

… and then went back to work looking for a snack.