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Red Phalaropes, Doran Beach, Bodega

10/31/2016

2 Comments

 
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Large flock of Red Phalaropes on the beach at Doran Park, Bodega - blown in by the storms?

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Red Phalaropes in the surf, Doran Beach
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Red Phalarope, non-breeding, Doran Beach
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Another view, red phalarope, Doran Beach
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Red Phalarope in flight, Doran Beach
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Foraging on the storm debris
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Black turnstones browsing among the piles of storm debris, Doran Beach
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I think this might be a Dunlin, Doran Beach, Bodega
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A marbled godwit browses by itself, Doran Beach
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Surf birds, Bodega Harbor entrance rocks, beach side, Doran Park.
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Surf Bird, Bodega
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Surf bird, darker plumage.
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Farther down the beach, a large flock of sanderlings.
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Sanderling, Doran Beach
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With the sanderlings, another Dunlin? Doran Beach, Bodega
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Snowy Egret fishes, near the mudflats, Doran Park Bodega
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Spotted Towhee through the branches, behind Hole in the Head, Bodega
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Bewick's Wren, Doran Beach Bird Walk, Bodega
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House finch, Doran Beach Bird Walk, Bodega
2 Comments

White-tailed Kite with prey (a good sized gopher)

10/26/2016

1 Comment

 
This seemed mildly ghoulish, in time for Halloween...
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This is a good meal spot on highway one, Bodega - I've also seen a red-shouldered hawk hunting here.
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White-tailed Kite, highway One, Bodega
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Another red-eyed bird, the black-crowned night heron, Hole in the Head, Bodega
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Yellow-rumped warbler, Hole in the Head, Bodega
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Least sandpipers snooze and groom in a large flock, Shollenberger Park, Petaluma
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Greater yellowlegs (I think) at Shollenberger
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Greater Yellowlegs, Shollenberger Park, Petaluma
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Turtle sunning, in one of the sloughs, Shollenberger Park
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Avocets in flight, Shollenberger - these birds on in their non-breeding plumage.
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Mute swan, at the Ellis Creek Water Treatment Facility which connects to Shollenberger
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Marsh Wren in the reeds, Ellis Creek Facility
Some photos from the deck
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This male ruby-crowned kinglet visiting the deck feeders, camp meeker
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Another view, ruby-crowned kinglet near the feeders.
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Reddish fox sparrow on the fence, camp meeker
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Red-breasted nuthatch
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Red-breasted nuthatch drinking at the hanging water feeder, camp meeker
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Townsend warbler in a fir tree near the deck.
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The little kinglet again, this could be a female.
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Acorn Woodpecker at one of the suet feeders.
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White-breasted nuthatch with a seed
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Chestnut-backed chickadee contemplates a bath, camp meeker
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Red-tailed hawk lands in tall tree near the deck
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As soon as the hawk realizes it's been spotted, it takes off for a more private perch.
1 Comment

Light birding in Yosemite Valley

10/19/2016

2 Comments

 
PictureThe face of El Capitan, Yosemite Valley


Cutting back home through Yosemite - from the Merced area, it's a pretty easy drive up Higway 140 into the Valley.


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From a distance, a female downy the first evening in the park
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Perky robins at the tops of the trees, Yosemite.
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Beautiful fall color, Yosemite National Park
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Townsend warbler along the Merced river in the Valley
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Dark-eyed junco, Yosemite Valley
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Lots of brown creepers in the park, this one in a small tree along the Merced river in the Valley
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Best and only shot of the mountain chickadee, along the Merced river, Yosemite Valley
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Stellars' Jay reflected in the Merced river, Yosemite Valley
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Red-breasted nuthatch was among the group of small birds all traveling together, Merced river, Yosemite Valley
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Some purple wildflowers still in bloom, Yosemite Valley
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Further along, where the Valley trees are thicker and very tall, a small group of white-headed woodpeckers were softly hammering, Yosemite. Sorry for the poor photo, have to return for a better one!
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With the white-headed woodpeckers in the same tall, dark trees was this female yellow-bellied sapsucker - apologies again for poor photo. Just to document variety of birds.
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Deciduous trees turning, Yosemite Valley
PictureClimbers' tent, El Capitan, Yosemite

There were climbers camped on the sheer rock face of El Capitan, and many people in the park were watching their progress upwards, with binoculars and powerful cameras and scopes.

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Way high in the treetops along the Valley floor, cedar waxwings, Yosemite.
2 Comments

Great Horned Owl, Merced NWR

10/17/2016

0 Comments

 
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At the end of the footpath part of the Merced NWR, a small group of great horned owls were gathered for a hooting contest. For some reason this one owl stuck around longer than the others.
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Great horned owl turning around on its tree branch to plan its escape, or to see where the object of his hooting had gone to. His or her superior feathering to resemble tree bark is evident.
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Great horned owl, hooting - Merced National Wildlife Refuge
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Further along on the auto tour, a group of killdeer hold a conference.
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Killdeer, Merced NWR
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Large flock of Long-billed dowitchers in one of the ponds, Merced NWR
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Also quite of large group of tree swallows resting and grooming on some utility lines in the refuge.
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Small cottontail bunnies near the front entrance, Merced NWR
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Loggerhead shrike at the San Luis reservoir, a state park near Gustine
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Great Egret in flight, San Luis Reservoir
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Northern Harrier, San Luis Reservoir
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Savannah sparrow in the reeds, San Luis Reservoir
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Female belted kingfisher, San Luis Reservoir
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Mourning dove on a fence wire, San Luis Reservoir
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This handsome Clark's grebe, San Luis Reservoir
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Merced National Wildlife Refuge

10/16/2016

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Merced had closer access to the sandhill cranes on the ground.
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Sandhill cranes at Merced NWR
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Two sandhill cranes coming in for a landing.
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Another view, sandhill cranes landing, Merced NWR
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Also at Merced, a large flock of white-faced Ibis
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Ibis in flight
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White-faced ibis wing stretch, Merced NWR
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I think this is a common gallinule, related to coots, at Merced NWR
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Black phoebe in the reeds, busy catching bugs (of which there were many).
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The american coot, a large flock, at the refuge.
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A barn owl in the walking section of the wildlife refuge.
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One male and two female cinnamon teals.
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Healthy population of red-tailed hawks.
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Male Nuttall's woodpecker in the walking area, Merced NWR.
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Perched juvenile red-tail hawk, MNWR.
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Gadwall ducks (I surmise) take flight at one of the ponds.
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Gadwall ducks in flight, Merced NWR.
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A small group of cranes approach the refuge, behind them smoke from an agricultural controlled burn.
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Road Trip south to see the Sandhill Cranes

10/16/2016

1 Comment

 
Original destination was the Merced National Wildlife Center, but due to a navigation error on my part, ended up further south at Kern and Pixley.  The Sandhill Cranes were at Pixley, so the longer drive wasn't too bad. And Merced was still on the way back for the next part of the trip.
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Sandhill cranes in flight at Pixley and silhouetted against an early evening sky.
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Meadowlark in flight at Pixley
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Sandhill cranes illuminated by a rosy early evening light, Pixley National Wildlife Refuge
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Cranes on the ground at Pixley
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Two cranes in flight together, Pixley
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Red-winged blackbirds among the grasses, Pixley NWR
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Least sandpiper? Pixley NWR
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A lone sandhill crane flies in to join the flock. There were probably about a thousand cranes in the refuge.
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Wild black-eyed susans at Pixley
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Great egret on the path, in the soft evening light, Pixley
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A lone killdeer, Pixley
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Masses of cranes start returning to the refuge for the evening as the sun begins to set in the central valley.
1 Comment

Black Turnstones, Bodega Bay

10/10/2016

2 Comments

 
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Black turnstone, Bodega Bay
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Watching these birds forage along the shore, I realized why they were called "turnstones" - they turn over every little item in their path looking for tasty things.
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Another view, black turnstone
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Sea otters were feeding in the bay, near to the shore.
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Sea otter, Bodega Bay
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Great Blue Heron taking off, Bodega Bay
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Yellow-rumped warbler, Campbell Cove, grooming after a bath.
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Same bird fluffing up - Bodega Bay
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Perched juvenile red-tail hawk Bohemian Highway near Bodega
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Townsend warbler visits the deck feeders, camp meeker!
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Townsend warbler, camp meeker
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Likes the suet
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Townsend warbler up close, camp meeker
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What a cool bird!
2 Comments

Two Downy woodpeckers and a bobcat!

10/8/2016

0 Comments

 
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Male Downy, Owl Canyon, Bodega
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Female northern harrier, usually makes a couple of passes over the pond at Hole in the Head, Bodega
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Another view, female northern harrier
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Yellow-rumped warbler eating a berry, Hole in the Head, Bodega
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Yellow-rumped warbler amongst the leaves, Hole in the Head
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Yellow-rumped warbler
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This young bobcat appeared out of nowhere, Hole in the Head Bodega. I think it was waiting for mom to return with a meal. It was so close, my telephoto lens only got a cropped image.
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Upon realizing I wasn't mom returning, it retreated a little ways back into the shrubbery to continue its nap.
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Back at owl canyon (different day), the female Downy woodpecker
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Another view, female Downy, owl canyon
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Also at owl canyon, this very shy hermit thrush.
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This white-throated sparrow was running with some golden-crowns, willow creek rd near Jenner
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White-throated sparrow, willow creek road
0 Comments

Cedar Waxwings and Townsend warbler

10/6/2016

1 Comment

 
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Juvenile cedar waxwing in the Laguna
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Eating wild grapes in the Laguna
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Adult cedar waxwing, the Laguna
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Bushtit, the Laguna. If you spend any time at all in the Laguna, a small flock of these birds will come chattering by.
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Anna's hummer in the Laguna, behind me as I watched the waxwings.
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This northern flicker shot by, in the Laguna de Santa Rosa, Sebastopol.
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In the woods above camp meeker, many townsend warblers
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Townsend warbler, camp meeker
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Male Hairy woodpecker also in the woods above camp meeker.
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The woodpecker was knocking off sheets of bark on an old tree branch, and looking for insects underneath.
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Lots of brown creepers in the woods.
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Reddish fox sparrow near the yard, camp meeker.
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Golden-crowned sparrows have also returned.
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Acorn woodpeckers very busy, replenishing their acorn larder for the coming winter, camp meeker.
1 Comment

Clay colored sparrow, Point Reyes

10/1/2016

0 Comments

 
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Clay colored sparrow with a bee, point reyes
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Small group of clay colored sparrows near the arch rock trail.
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Kestrel, perched, point reyes.
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Same kestrel in flight.
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Two sea lions playing, near the fish docks, point reyes.
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Yellow warbler near the fish docks, point reyes.
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Yellow warbler with a bug, point reyes.
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Also this small kinglet, near the fish docks, point reyes.
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Probably female ruby-crowned kinglet.
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Behind me was the ocean, which can be seen in the reflection of the kinglet's eye.
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Off it went.
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Curious buck near the lighthouse, point reyes national seashore.
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    Author

    Walking through
    California coastal parks and redwoods, and sometimes beyond, with a Nikon DSLR & telephoto lens (completely amateur)



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