Violet-green Swallows (Tachycineta thalassina)
The swallows are back! Every day, these airborne devourers of insects have been regularly flying over our house on the hill. Evidently, we have plenty of food for them. Notice how long their wings are compared to their tail. A few were eyeing out this inviting hole. Since they don't excavate their own holes for nests, they rely on preexisting cavities usually created by woodpeckers.
 Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana) These beauties finally arrived in our black oak tree this week. I've been expecting them every day since they return almost to the day every year. What an exciting morning when we looked out the window and three of these male tanagers were foraging on insects.  Black-headed Grosbeak ( Pheucticus melanocephalus) Like the grosbeak, they spend their winter in Mexico or Central America. We get to enjoy both of these colorful birds in the mountains during the summer.  Lighting is everything when you are trying to photograph a bird! Identification can sometimes be done just by the silhouette of the bird but you definitely can't enjoy the colors without the right angle of light.  This is the mystery bird IN the light! Check out the gorgeous turquoise blue feathers! This was the other new bird that brought a huge smile to my face this week! They bring beauty to the previous charred forest.  Celebrating the return of birds to our mountains! Photos and content by Robin Roberts Click on photos to enlarge. |
