Lincoln Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) photos by Larry Jordan
Right up the road from our group campground (Lost Creek ) at Lassen Volcanic National Park is Summit Lake. We took a hike around the lake Sunday before heading up to the summit. It wasn’t very birdy but among the few birds seen was a Clark’s Nutcracker which I didn’t get a photo of, and this Lincoln Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) singing it’s heart out.
They have a beautiful sweet, gurgling, wren-like songThey can be distinguished from other sparrows by their broad, buffy chest band with fine, black streaking continuing down the flanks, contrasting with their white belly and throat.
They also sport a buff colored mustache and a narrow whitish eye-ring
But that song, it’s distinctive!
If you want to see some cool birds from around the world, check out World Bird Wednesday!
Common Raven (Corvus corax) photos and video by Larry Jordan
Last Weekend was our yearly bird outing to Lassen Volcanic National Park where we heard many a call from the Common Raven (Corvus corax). Their calls echoed through the morning forest as I went searching for nesting birds to photograph.
While attempting to photograph the already fledged Brown Creepers, the Ravens were causing such a ruckus at daybreak that I had to investigate what was going on. There were at least four Ravens calling and flying around the area, some spending a considerable amount of time near the top of different snags. As I got a closer look at two of them, they appeared to be juveniles. I say this because of the obvious yellowish color at the base of their bills (see photo above).
Since there was nothing going on at the Brown Creeper’s empty nest, I turned my attention to the Ravens and shot this amusing video of the two juveniles on a branch of the nearby snag.
Later that morning, on the opposite side of Manzanita Lake, I found another Common Raven calling from atop another snag. This was a mature bird as you can see by its color, sheen and elongated throat feathers.
You get the full effect of one of these large passerines from the video.
If you want to see some really good bird photography, check out Bird Photography Weekly, then post one of your own photos!
The U.S. House of Representatives will begin debate this week on, H.R. 2584, an environmental spending bill that is one of the worst assaults on birds and other wildlife ever to come before Congress, according to American Bird Conservancy (ABC), the nation’s leading bird conservation organization.
“The bill is loaded with devastating funding cuts and anti-environmental provisions that will wreak havoc on our land, water, air, and wildlife,” says Darin Schroeder, Vice President of Conservation Advocacy for ABC. “Birds will be particularly hard hit by this bill.”
I would suggest that we all write our congressmen to tell them how much we loathe this bill. You can find your congressperson’s contact by state and zip code HERE. You can also find their phone numbers in an alphabetical listing HERE.
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) photos by Larry Jordan
Last weekend was the annual camp out at Lassen Volcanic National Park for the Wintu Audubon Society and I was thrilled to get to watch a pair of Brown Creepers (Certhia americana) feeding their nestlings. Above is the adult approaching the nest site (click on photos for full sized images). But wait, there’s more
Lincoln Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) photos by Larry Jordan
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