Hi Mountain Lookout
When I found out from the Morro Coast Audubon Society that the Hi Mountain Condor Lookout was having an open house, I cut my Eastern Sierras trip short and drove home so I could learn about the work being done to save California condors from extinction.
Although the condors aren’t often seen there, a cliff that was last used for nesting in 1969 is nearby and there is hope that the increasing wild populations will rediscover it.
Band-tailed pigeon 
Hermit thrush 
Dark-eyed (Oregon) junco
Bewick’s Wren 
Sage Thrasher 
Golden-crowned Sparrow
California thrasher 
California towhee 
Hermit thrush
Photos and text copyrighted by Cindy McIntyre
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Website: CindyMcIntyre.com
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Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
May 2011
I have several GB of images I’ve never gotten around to editing. I found this folder while looking for another old file, and decided to edit it. Unfortunately these were taken with the Nikon D80 and the sharpness is not good. They look fine on the web, though.
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Utah 
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Utah 
American Avocets 
Black-necked Stilts 
Long-billed Curlew
This visit was in early May, 2011 when birds were in their finest breeding plumage.
Clark’s Grebe 
Western Grebe 
Clark’s Grebe 
Pie-billed Grebe 
Pie-billed Grebe 
Clark’s Grebes in a cloud of midges 
Eared Grebe male
The four grebe species I saw there are above. The Western looks similar to the Clark’s but the black covers the eyes.
Barn Swallow 
Yellow-headed Blackbird 
Cinnamon Teal 
Cinnamon Teal 
Yellow-headed Blackbirds 
Cliff Swallows 
Marsh Wren
There is a phenomenon called “midges” this time of year that greatly interferes with photography. They are basically harmless mosquitoes – they don’t bite or suck blood, but they emerge in clouds.
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Midge 
Midge 
Clouds of Midges
This is one of those places where you can do most of your bird photography right from the car. As I get older, those places are more important for me.
Marsh Wren 
Yellow-headed Blackbird 
Yellow-headed Blackbird 
Female Red-winged Blackbird (?) 
Cliff Swallow 
Cliff Swallow 
Gadwalls 
Gadwall 
Canada Geese 
Ruddy Ducks 
California Gull 
Franklin’s Gull 
American Coot 
White-faced Ibis 
Male Brown-headed Cowbird 
White-faced Ibis 
Ring-necked Pheasant 
Forster’s Tern 
Forster’s Tern 
Cinnamon Teal 
Cinnamon Teal
Go give it a try, you may discover things WordPress can already add into your posts that you didn’t know about. Here’s a short list of what you can currently find there:
Photos and text copyrighted by Cindy McIntyre
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Website: CindyMcIntyre.com
Online gallery: Smugmug and Fine Art America
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Tule Elk at Their Finest
The biggest herd of elk I’ve ever seen under control of one alpha male was along the Pacific Coast Highway just north of San Simeon, California the first week of September. He ruled over 35 cows and half-grown calves, with 10 other bulls – some with huge racks – grazed peacefully. One scrawny male challenged him while I was there. Take a look.
The first part of the video was in mid-afternoon, so the heat waves interfered with the quality. But I returned an hour before sunset for the best light, and they were closer to the road. A few horses even joined them in grazing.
He spent a lot of time rounding up his harem in a fairly tight bunch, so no interloper could snatch them away.
The testosterone keeps the bulls pretty wound up, and he made a few mating attempts with a cow who seemed receptive. It seems the females also mount the males as well, which could be a sign of affection and desire. Watch the video if you don’t believe me.
A few days later I found a smaller herd that frequents an area in Jolon, near Fort Hunter Liggett. This bull had just chased off a rival.
His cows were in the shade under a grove of oaks, standing on their hind legs to pull down the oak lichen, which apparently was a delicacy.
I returned to the area in the early evening and found them a couple of miles away.
The bull seemed exhausted and had a slight limp. Maybe the rigors of mating and fighting were wearing him down.
The cows moved out when they saw me, with their lord and master bringing up the rear.
They would stop periodically to look back, as if awaiting further guidance.
They moseyed along.
The Tule Elk is the smallest of the three sub-species of elk found in California.
To see a herd like this one in April, when the bull was just regrowing his anglers, see my earlier blog post.
Photos and text copyrighted by Cindy McIntyre
Feel free to reblog or share
Website: CindyMcIntyre.com
Online gallery: Smugmug and Fine Art America
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Birds of the Oaks
Acorn woodpecker female
Since I live in the Central Coast area of California, there are lots of oak trees, mostly blue oak, and there are some very nice stands of large valley oaks as well. The acorn woodpecker is extremely populous here, since there’s a plethora of acorns. You can see how striking they are with their black-and-white plumage topped with a red cap, and white eyes. Read the rest of this entry »
Camp Parks – Wildlife Oasis, part 4
Great egret with mouse
This great egret finds the grasslands of the Parks Reserve Forces Training Center, aka Camp Parks, to be an excellent hunting ground. Its bill was already quite bloodied before it caught the mouse. Read the rest of this entry »
Camp Parks – Wildlife Oasis, part 3
Turkey families were abundant at the Parks Reserve Center Training Area, also known as Camp Parks, in the Bay Area of California.
Two hens and about 20 chicks were in this group. Read the rest of this entry »
Tule Elk Herd
A herd of tule elk grazed peacefully in a field along Mission Road, Fort Hunter Liggett, California on Saturday, back-dropped by blue and valley oak. Tule elk are the smallest of the three elk sub-species found in California. Read the rest of this entry »
A Pretty Cool Day
Rainbow and blue oak, Fort Hunter Liggett, California
I missed the bus yesterday morning. Actually there was a new driver and he wasn’t at my stop at the right time. So I drove 50 miles to work.
I’m glad I did because as soon as I got to Fort Hunter Liggett, California, the rainbows happened. Read the rest of this entry »
Homosassa Wildlife Park
Crested caracara
My birding friend Marilyn and I knew that the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park was a great place for bird photography from a visit a few years earlier. We were determined to return when I was able to extend a business trip to take advantage of a 3-day holiday. Read the rest of this entry »
Snail Kites and ChizzyWinks
Florida snail kite, female
Actually, I thought they were called chisleywinks, but couldn’t find that word, so chizzy wink it is. But more about them in a minute
Florida snail kite, male
This post is about the endangered Everglade snail kite, which lives in the U.S. only in Florida and eats pretty much only apple snails. Read the rest of this entry »
