Welcome to the World!

Surprise! We saw a baby Robin in the picnic area at the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex visitor center!

 I've never seen one before and luckily hubby did and pointed it out to me!

 Mom and Dad were closeby, foraging for grub...

 Good luck, little Robin! I hope you have a wonderful life!

Warbling Center

Welcome to the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center!

I've been on a quest for a Yellow Warbler for years. I always figured it couldn't be too difficult to spot an all-yellow bird out in the wild. Turns out, it's not so easy.

We've seen lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers during our birding outings, but no solid yellow ones. Well, that all changed at the Klamath NWR! There aren't a lot of trees on the refuge itself, but there are some at the visitor center. When you get out of the car, you can instantly hear birds chirping high up in those trees.

And would you look at that! I got my first ever Yellow Warbler!!!

Gosh, it sure is exciting to add a new bird to my lifelist. It's like when you're a kid and you find the most eggs on Easter Sunday, but even better!

It was tough to even see any birds among all the leaves, but I was patient and finally spotted what I'd been hoping to find. (Birding sure has taught me patience!)

Fate must have said, "Why not throw that determined birder another warbler" because I also spotted a Wilson's Warbler in the same tree!

That's what makes birding so great. You never know what's going to fly in and sit still long enough for you to photograph...

Tomorrow I'll post the other surprise bird I spotted at the visitor center...

Ruddy Duck Courting Session

As you might already know, Ruddy Ducks are my favorite species of duck. I find them fascinating because they look like they are always smiling and also because it looks like someone painted their bills with my favorite color of nail polish.

See the resemblance?

Ruddy Ducks also perform the coolest mating display ever. (Yep, that's a fact.) They court females by beating their bill against their neck hard enough to create a swirl of bubbles in the water. While we were on the auto tour at the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge we actually got to see one awesome little male in action!

I never thought we'd get to witness such a thing because what are the odds that we'd be at the right place at the right time to see it? Well, I should start planning a trip to Vegas (or at least the local casino) because see it we did!

Without further ado, here is a video of this crazy cool duck doin' his thang. The little frog sound he makes at the end of his routine is the cherry on top! I dare you not to smile...

Didn't I tell you he's the greatest duck ever?

We need more mud!!!

There is some serious nest building going on in the Klamath Basin!

Here are some Cliff Swallows frantically gathering mud for their nests under the cliffs at the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge:

 But wait, there's more!

At the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, the same thing was going on. Except these swallows were building their nests right under the sign!

Some nests were further along than others...

Boy, that sure looks like a lot of work!

To get the full effect (and hear how noisy they were), I've uploaded a short video:

Klamath Basin Birding

It's interesting to see how much the refuge changes throughout the year. During our latest visit to the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, the grass had turned almost white...

And here are some of the birds that brightened our day on the auto tour...

Double-crested Cormorant

White-faced Ibis

 Their feathers are stunning in the sunlight!

 A cute little Canada Goose family...

Yellow-headed Blackbird

 And finally, here are the two trees I always photograph while we're there...

Usually there's a hawk or eagle perched somewhere in the branches, but not this time!

The Welcome Wagon

On our way to the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, we saw dozens of different species from the main road, before we even turned into the entrance!

 There was a flock of Franklin's Gulls...

 ...and they were making the neatest sounds!

 We also saw some ibises and avocets, all set against a stunning backdrop of Mt. Shasta.

Tule Lake NWR Auto Tour - Part Five

The Space Between...

The town of Tulelake doesn't have a space between Tule and Lake, but on the website (and brochure) for the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, there is one. Huh.

Either way, the landscape there is stunning and the birds are plentiful! Who cares how they choose to spell it!

Now, on to the rest of our photos from the auto tour...

This Snowy Egret was showing off his cool summer plumage...

As always, there was a hodgepodge of Grebes at the refuge...

...and they're all sporting that CGI-looking red eye!