Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Spring Birding is Over


Well it's official, as of this morning I declare that spring birding is over. I'm sure that summer birding has something to recommend it but I think to experience its charms you have to get up earlier than I am accustomed to. I've been birding some this spring, inspired by a training that I went to put on by the Western Foundation for Vertebrate Zoology (which totally kicks butt and deserves a visit if you are ever in our area on one of the days that they are open to the public).

This morning I went out to Rancho Sierra Vista with Lena and Seth at 7 AM and it was already getting hot, very few birds were singing, all the grass was dead, only sticky madia and mustard were blooming and there were tons of bugs. Woe is me. It was still beautiful out there and, best of all, we saw:

BLUE GROSBEAKS!!

What a cool bird. I've never seen them before. They are very beautiful, very blue, and as Seth commented, their bills really are silvery. A lovely bird to end the spring birding season with.

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