Broughton Beach, etc.

I took the dogs for a nice long walk at Broughton Beach this morning in hopes of finding some kind of shorebird or something.  Failed on that front, but found other goodies.


Most of the gulls along the beach were Californias, with only one fly-by of a Glaucous-winged.  I believe this young one is a California, but don't hold me to that:


Savannah Sparrows are creeping around every corner at the beach.

 
On the walk back I heard a bird sound I couldn't place, but after a minute realized there were some Horned Larks milling about on the sand.  I had not seen any here since the fall so I was very happy to see the new parking lot has not scared them off.


The larks were a mix of adults and juveniles, though the exact ratio was not too clear.


I was psyched to see that at least one of the adults had the same leg bands as one I photographed last fall...


I'm not sure if the leg bands mean it's the same bird, or if it's just one of a group that got the same bands.  Either way, pretty cool.

Last weekend I spent too much time bumming around the house which gave me a chance to see some good yard birds.  A young Red-breasted Sapsucker has shown up- the first I've seen in the yard since December (and this actually counted as a new 2013 motorless bird)...


Hummingbirds have been frequent visitors, mostly to flowers that Michele gave me in the spring.  I finally caught sight of a Rufous fellow but he disappeared before I could get a photo.  So here's an Anna's instead...


And lastly, from the yard- these little eggs appeared on a forsythia leaf yesterday.  Any ideas what they are from?  This morning I checked them and they had turned a tan color...


That's all I got.  Good times!

Comments

  1. Jen, the first shot is a pretty scene! Great collection of birds, the Horned Larks are great. Also cool that the sapsucker is in your yard. Great photos, have a happy weekend!

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  2. Love the horned larks...it is my theory that the same bird lives in the same patch yr after yr...I know the birds who live in my yard have been here their whole life, And the ones that migrate are the same ones...so it probably is the same bird.
    WOW those eggs look like a mosaic..imagine laying those perfectly along the outline of that leaf?
    http://www.austinbug.com/larvalbug/eyes/tinyeggs.html
    maybe this link is a starting place for the ID.

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    1. Thanks for the link! I'm hoping they will just hatch and end the suspense.

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  3. Glad those flowers are workin' for ya! Those insect eggs are so cool. I do like me a tidy rows of insect eggs. Keep photographing and keep me posted if you figure out an ID.

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    1. I'll let you know! All these damn bugs and things have me pretty much sold on getting a macro lens...

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  4. Hmm I'd really prefer the Rufous...

    That is a NICE parking lot. Also, all your birds and garden stuff is sweet.

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  5. Nice to see successful Horned Larks! When songbirds are banded, each individual gets a unique color combination, so that was surely the same bird you saw in the fall.

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    1. Interesting, thanks for the info- that lark and I are buddies!

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  6. You're still doing the motorless bird list-love that idea! It must be exciting to find a banded bird like that. I've only seen them on Canada Geese.

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    1. Ha, well, I've been a bit lazy on the motorless birding this summer but plan to pick up the pace again soon.

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  7. Jen, take a look at this:

    http://www.ispot.org.uk/node/103959

    Keep an eye on your eggs and try to get pictures of the larvae when they hatch, and don't be surprised if the eggs change color before hatching.

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    Replies
    1. OH wow, that looks exactly the same! Very cool, thank you so much for sharing.

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  8. OOPS, I now see that you already mentioned that they have changed color.

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