[Leica] Birdbath at Putah Creek

[jsmith342 at gmail.com (Jeffery Smith)]

Wow! It's about time for a "Birds of California" atlas to be published. Down 
here, a professor at LSU published a "Mammals of Louisiana" and a "Birds of 
Louisiana" back in the 1970's. The lack of color in the Birds book really 
drained it of life.

Sent from my iPad

Jeffery L. Smith
New Orleans, Louisiana
USA

On Sep 14, 2012, at 20:03, Doug Herr <wildlightphoto at earthlink.net> wrote:

> At this time of year water in California's Central Valley is a scarce 
> commodity but Putah Creek in Solano and Yolo Counties still has a small 
> flow.  The water level is near its lowest at this time of year, exposing 
> some gravel bars where the current barely trickles over the rocks.  Wood 
> warblers (family Parulidae) and other small migratory birds gravitate to 
> the riparian habit along the creek and take advantage of the gravel bars 
> to drink and bathe.
> 
> Wednesday morning I visited one of the warbler birdbath locations in a UC 
> Davis riparian preserve.  I set up a photo blind shortly after sunrise and 
> didn't have long to wait before the birds arrived at the birdbath spots in 
> the creek.  As the sun rose the sun baked the blind and its contents (me!) 
> so this morning instead of the blind I covered myself with mesh camo 
> netting. Seemed to work OK.
> 
> The scene:
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710298.jpg
> 
> Western Tanager:
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710292.jpg
> 
> Black-throated Gray Warbler:
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710111.jpg
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710113.jpg
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710332.jpg
> 
> Wilson's Warbler:
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710130.jpg
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710363.jpg
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710367.jpg
> 
> Yellow Warbler:
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710087.jpg
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710088.jpg
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710166.jpg
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710349.jpg
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710350.jpg
> 
> immature Yellow Warbler:
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710290.jpg
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710343.jpg
> 
> 
> Orange-crowned Warbler:
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710134.jpg
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710103.jpg
> 
> 
> Warbling Vireo:
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710154.jpg
> 
> 
> I'm told this is a Lincoln's Sparrow (how some people ID this at a glance 
> is beyond me):
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710315.jpg
> 
> 
> and a bird believed to be an Orchard Oriole, a first for Yolo County:
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com/PutahCreek/L1710100.jpg
> 
> All photos: R8/DMR, 280mm f/4 APO + 2x APO-Extender-R, tripod.  All 
> comments welcome.
> 
> Doug Herr
> Birdman of Sacramento
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com
> 
> 
> 
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