Double Dose of Phoebe

I have to say, our backyard birdbath does really well ensuring that we have return visitors. The other day when I posted excitedly about the Say's Phoebe we received a visit from, I had no idea he would return the next couple of days in a row!

Although they're in the same family, the Black Phoebe is so much puffier than the Say's! I just love watching these cute little guys flying around catching bugs near the birdbath.

He's not a flycatcher, but here's a bonus Lincoln's Sparrow to complete today's post...

He obviously wasn't too happy about the latest heatwave, (hey, at least we provided him with some refreshing water!) but I 'm confident it's the last one of the season and that fall weather is finally on its way!

Tule Lake NWR - Part 4

Today we wrap up our visit to the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge with some more photos from the auto tour.

We caught a Bald Eagle in the middle of eating a mid-morning snack.

It's amazing how much the light can change when you wait a few minutes to snap more pictures!

Maybe I should have offered him a napkin...

And look what I spotted in the the little canal behind the weeds...

At the end of the auto tour, we saw this hawk standing guard...

And because I just couldn't help myself, here are some more pics of the yellow-headed blackbirds we finally saw!

This one looks pretty proud of himself, all puffed up like that!

Tomorrow, I'll take you with us as we stop by the Discovery Marsh Trail across from the Klamath Basin Visitor Center...

The Big Unit

Here are a few of the photos we took on the walking trail at the Codora Unit of the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge...

It's a great place to see a lot of little birds. You've got to be quick with your camera because they move FAST!

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Great Blue Heron in flight

White-crowned Sparrow

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Bushtit

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow

Now that I've discovered the Merlin Bird ID app, I can officially say I've seen my first Bushtit and Ruby-crowned Kinglet! The app is amazing and helps a ton when you're trying to identify tricky birds. My Big Year 2017 is going to be even bigger because of it!!!