Today, on a hike to Lake Mountain, Steve spotted the red-naped sapsucker shown above. Since we didn't even know there was such a bird until we matched the photo to the name in a bird book, it was quite a find. This bird is considered a "keystone" species because it drills holes in trees that will produce sap consumed by many other species.
A few days ago, on Pole Mountain, we saw a bird flying out of the bushes and discovered a robin's nest.
A robin parent looked on with agitation while we took photos. Sorry the photo is blurry, but this is the actual nervous parent. I'm sure she/he was relieved when we left.
Meadowlarks flit around our pasture routinely, then perch for awhile on an old fence post or on the irrigation wheel line. I love their lilting song. I also love this photo and was eagerly awaiting a chance to use it in a post!
Wow! Great photos. We had a love bird fly into our garage the other day which after no one claimed it we kept it as a pet. It's made me much more aware of all the bird calls in the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I love it when I find birds that are new to me. Enjoy the week.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you found a good excuse to post that meadowlark picture -- it's fabulous, but then too are the others. The robin patent does look nervous, but I guess that's understandable.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! These are beautiful pictures!!! I love that 1st one....and the eggs...and the yellow bird...Oh they're all so good:)!
ReplyDeleteThat is a great shot of the Meadowlark. We have a lot of those here too. I think Robins' eggs are the most exquisite color.
ReplyDeleteLove the variety of colors!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! I learned about keystone species from my EarthDoctorSon . . . so interesting. Mycelium are also keystone species, creating a matrix in the soil. Who knew!? Fabulous bird photos!
ReplyDeleteGreat bird sightings. That Meadowlark capture is excellent.
ReplyDeleteGreat pics. I really like the meadowlark photo. We had several around the house when it was so cold (below zero) last winter. We had some more a few weeks ago and then they were gone.
ReplyDeleteWow, that bottom picture is great. At first I thought you'd just taken one off the internet. It looks so perfect.
ReplyDeleteStunning photos in all accounts!
ReplyDeletethe meadow lark is my favorite shot. I just love their cheerful song.
ReplyDeleteThe meadowlard photo is gorgeous. Love those blue egss...not loving the evil look from the parent. :)
ReplyDeletebeautiful photos...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos!! You should submit them to the Wednesday World meme (http://pineriverreview.blogspot.com/)
ReplyDeleteIt's fun!
Wonderful! The meadowlark is stunning. We have two larks, song lark and wood lark, but neither of them is quite so striking as this one.
ReplyDeleteThe meadowlark looks like a perky bird! The red-naped sapsucker is new to me.
ReplyDeleteThe meadowlark is beautiful! Great shots!
ReplyDeleteThere is no cheerier sound than the song of a meadowlark. Perfect pose.
ReplyDelete