Two “Lifetime” Birds

If you travel you’re likely to add a bird to your “lifetime list,” even if you don’t have a lifetime list. Though birding wasn’t particularly good on our California trip, I did get shots of two birds I’ve never seen.

While touring the Colusa NWR, the ranger told us there were large flocks of Tri-colored Blackbirds on the back side of the refuge. Sure enough, there were large flocks of them flying overhead carrying insects for newly hatched young. Unfortunately, not one shot of them flying overhead turned out, and I was left with this rather sad shot.

Tri-ColoredBlkbrd

If I hadn’t been told ahead of time I would probably have thought these were Red-Winged Blackbirds.

I have seen Pied Grebe babies before, but this is definitely my favorite shot from my Spring Lake walk.

PiedWChicks

Birders sometimes go to extremes to get shots of a lifetime bird. This Lesser Goldfinch

LsrGldnch

landed on the feeder while were visiting friends in Santa Rosa. Truthfully, I thought it was an American Goldfinch, Washington’s State Bird, until told otherwise.