Birds and Barbed Wire ~ Rural Birding Adventures on the Country Roads of California

Take a ride through the country with me, where we'll see a variety of birds, colorful wildflowers, and beautiful views of the foothills...

Horned Lark, Western Bluebirds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Kingbird, Sandhill Cranes, Killdeer, Savannah Sparrow, California Quail, and many more!

Follow my birding adventures!

 

Birds and Blooms

Aaah, springtime in rural Northern California...

What's better than a field full of vibrant and beautiful wildflowers? How about some wonderful bird sightings among the yellow blooms and purple lupine? Check and check!

You can see all of my wildflower photography at Wildflower Wednesday. Happy spring!

 

Follow my birding adventures!

 

STOP for birds!

Black Phoebe standing guard

While we were on the viewing platform at Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, we saw the cutest little group of California Quail bee-bopping around.

 I can't help but smile every time I see their head plumes!

 These guys are probably the fastest bird I've ever seen, too.

 More pics from Gray Lodge coming tomorrow!

Let's go birding!

Tule Lake NWR Auto Tour - Part One

On the ten-mile auto tour at the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, there is plenty to see!

 Beautiful views around every corner...

California Quail

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Canada Goose family

American White Pelicans

Pied-billed Grebe

Boundary Roads

According to the brochure, "County Road 56, 57, 59, and 115 provide excellent wildlife viewing opportunities along the perimeters of the Modoc National Wildlife Refuge." Yep, I'd say that's pretty accurate!

We saw a peacock in all his glorious beauty (I guess they're called Indian Peafowl nowadays)...

He was standing out in the open, simply roaming free and giving birders like us a jolt of excitement at spotting such a magnificent creature.

I bet he never has a bad hair day with a crown of feathers like that... #jealous

This robin doesn't look particularly happy to see us driving by...

And suddenly I noticed a flock of quail in the field next to us!

Once again I'm jealous of a bird's fabulous outfit...

And then, up ahead, I spotted a white-faced ibis in the middle of a field...

We've only ever seen them in water, so it was nice to get a clear photo of one with a grass background.

All by himself in the middle of farmland...

Tomorrow we head to the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge...

Gray Day at Gray Lodge Part 1

Last week we went back to Gray Lodge Wildlife Area and saw six new species to add to our Big Year 2017 list. It was a gray, cloudy day, but that didn't keep us away! And it didn't keep us from taking some great photos!

These adorable quail hurried across the paved trail right in front of us, the little plumes on their heads bee-bopping the whole way!

 This downy woodpecker followed us along as we walked...

There were lots of warblers in the trees and they are nearly impossible to get a shot of because they never stop moving!

 

 

More photos from our trip will be posted tomorrow!