A Red-tailed close up

I tried something a little different today. Something which I've only done once so far; I got out of my work vehicle and attempted to get as close as I could to my subject. I managed to get pretty close -- granted this is a juvenile.

The Bluebird Bar

 Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana

This little fella surprised me the other day. I thought I had simply gotten lucky and discovered him atop a bollard next to where I park my work truck, but there was more to it than merely a simply encounter. I crept up to him as close as I could while he was perched atop the bollard and then he flew off. I had some things to unload from the back of the truck, so I started in on that. As I unloaded I noticed that he had returned, however this time he was atop one our building services' Rubbermaid wheeled trash carts that was upside down. So I grabbed my camera, stood still, waited, and observed. Well, guess what he was up to? 
He flew down from the wheel to the ground, then flew over to edge of the cart's upside down lip and began to drink. See we had had a decent rain a few days back and because the overturned trash cart had stayed in shade all that time the rain water it had collected had not evaporated and our bluebird had discovered this along with a few of his friends!

Heron lies the truth!

About what, I'm not sure but I am certain that today was the closest I've ever got to a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) while on foot!
Most of the time I photograph from my work truck but this time I figured why not go on foot and see just how close I can get; besides if I spook him then it's a win as well because I still need to scoot him off the airfield. I probably got within about ten feet before he bugged out. Pretty cool!

A Savannah Bath Party!

 We had rain the night before, which is rare in Southern California -- although they say we're going to see much more as an El Nino cycle hits us this winter. The birds don't know about forecast models, but they do know a good place to take a dip when they see one! These Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) wasted no time, despite my presence.

Of Ravens and Pipits

 This Common Raven (Corvus corax) was actually my guide the other day. He had been picking at something out in one of the infields, and had his presence not piqued my curiosity I would not have investigated was ended up being a wildlife strike by an aircraft. What was left of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) after predation were legs, vertebrae with some of the occipital skull, wings from humerus, some primaries, and body feathers all over the place. 

This American Pipit (Anthus rubescens) happened to stay on the fence long enough after I came to a stop in my work truck to get a few pictures. The second shot made me think of "Grumpy Cat" when I was finally to home and editing!

Red-tailed Ramblings

It certainly has been a while since I've posted anything here. I'll be honest, it's been busy with work, family, and school. I've found it easier to quickly throw something up over on the CTWA (Call of The Wild Airport) Facebook page. So I've kind of decided to keep this for more a "quality" versus "quantity" over on the Facebook side, not to say that there's not good stuff over there. Pop by and you be the judge.

Three Amigos

So just what are these three juvenile European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) up to? Are they newest thing in non-destructive airframe inspection? Are they conducting a pre-flight inspection before they take her up, or just simply trying to figure out this mechanical contraption does what they do naturally? Well it actually something a little more basic than any of that. See if you can figure it out. I'll give you a hint these photos were taken in the morning not long after some light fog had burned off.

Focus in on what I just told you about the weather. It had been foggy.
Visible moisture had been present in the air. What happens to metal while sits out overnight in the open air? What does your own vehicle look like on foggy morning?

 Next, I want you to look a little closer at the surface of the stabilator -- that's the horizontal surface upon which the "inquisitive" bird is standing on. (I did tell you that I have pilot's license right?) You will notice that the stabilator is not perfectly smooth, it has grooves which run front to back. And now guess what these grooves have collected? 

Yup, that's right! Condensation has formed and has pooled enough in the grooves of the stabilators to provide a drink for our three thirsty starlings! If you look close enough you can actually see a droplet of water is this bird's beak.