Friday, February 20, 2015

Chasing Nearby Rarities

     On the first day of my long weekend, I went to go see a Bullock's Oriole in a back yard just over an hour from my house.  This same Bullock's Oriole has been coming to the same yard every winter for six years in a row now.  Upon arrival, only eleven minutes of waiting produced the bird.  It did just what it was expected to do:  come in to the bushes and then hop over and drink from the hummingbird feeder.  It did this four times before we left.  It was a great way to kick off the long weekend.
Bullock's Oriole

Bullock's Oriole

Bullock's Oriole

Bullock's Oriole

Bullock's Oriole
 
 
 
     The other bird that I was able to chase was a Harris's Sparrow which was also about an hour from my house.  It was in another birder's back yard with about 200 other sparrows.  The other sparrows consisted of Song Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows (one of which was a Gamble's sub-species), American Tree Sparrows, a few Field Sparrows, House Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Juncos.  There were also many Hose Finches, American Goldfinches, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, European Starlings, and one Ring-necked Pheasant.
Harris's Sparrow

Gamble's White-crowned Sparrow (Back)

Ring-necked Pheasant

White-crowned Sparrows (Juvenile Left, Adult Right)

Harris's Sparrow (Center)

Harris's Sparrow (Center)

Harris's Sparrow (Center)

Harris's Sparrow
 
 
 
     Over-all, it was a great way to spend my few extra days off from school.