Diurnal for a day

The last couple of days have brought much colder weather and high winds, giving me two nights off and a chance to interact with the living. Or at least the diurnal birds. I got to see two HY male Goshawks caught withing two minutes of each other yesterday at Frank's blind.
A nice old male Sharp-shinned

And a Fox Sparrow caught in the raptor nets.

Hartley Nature Center

I went over to the Hartley Nature Center yesterday for a run, but then ended up birding around a bit beforehand. I mostly saw a lot of sparrows, including Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-throated, White-crowned, and my first Fox of the year.

 Red Fox Sparrow, strikingly different from the Sooty, seen here.

 Lincoln's were probably second to White-throated in number.

There were also a few thrush kicking around with the Catbirds, eating berries, including this Swainson's Thrush.
 

Horned and Clark's Grebe Today

E-seal POWER


Fox


White-winged Scoter

Some birds

Swamp


Fox, Golden-crowned, White-crowned


Black-throated blue

Split mandible

This fox sparrow had a split lower mandible, with this big hole going into its mouth...

Palo Clean

Today Michael and I headed to Muddy Hollow for a moderate day of banding!

Varied thrush (young male)


Varied thrush and song sparrow


Fox sparrow


Fox sparrow foot. They have massive claws for foraging in the dirt: