Owl banding to come

This has been an embarrassing hiatus, and I can't say it is going to get much better for now. Veg surveys are taking over my life, leaving little time for new pictures. Good news though, for me, and for blog viewers: I'll be heading back to Hawk Ridge in Duluth, MN this fall to trap and band hawks and owls! This is mostly good for you in that you'll get a lot of face time with Saw-whet Owls as I will be the owl bander for the season.

Post 600

Down in the Bay for our break. Here are the results of a feeble attempt at photographing swallows.

Violet-greens






A juvenile


This was at Lake Merritt, in Oakland, where there were also tons of these:

Veg is here

Point counts are officially over and the veg work has begun, kind of. The last three days have been training, which has mostly involved protocol overview and learning to ID trees and shrubs. The most challenging part has been the IDing of completely torched trees, all with varied amounts of branches, leaves and bark, most with none or little of the above.

The bass were really good eating, by the way. These Brewer's Blackbirds were doing quite a bit of insect snatching off of the water we were fishing on at Lake Almanor, keeping things entertaining when fish weren't biting.


This one looks pretty young to me