I have only a few more batches of photos, so please send yours in if you have good ones. Thanks!
Today’s bird photos (and one mammal) come from regular Susan Harrison, an ecologist at UC Davis. Susan’s IDs and captions are indented, and you can enlarge her photos by clicking on them.
Going About Their Business
This set of photos — my 75th for WEIT — emphasizes animals who are doing a little more than just sitting around. All of these were taken near Davis, California, in January 2025.
Western Bluebirds (Sialis mexicana) in my backyard on New Year’s Day, checking out a years-old and not-yet-used nest box. Perhaps I’ll become a bluebird landlady at last!
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) stalking, pouncing, extracting its prey in a clump of vegetation, and finally swallowing its meal. Light reflected from the ripples caused the striking “lava lamp” effect on the bird:
Black-necked Stilts (Himantopus mexicanus) creating a DNA strand pattern with their legs:
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) digging for goodies in the bark of a Valley Oak (Quercus lobata) festooned with Oak Apple Galls (Andricus quercuscalifornicus):
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) fleeing and flashing a bit of his fiery crown:
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) preening and fluffing:
White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus) heading west with the sunset:
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) striking a catlike pose:
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) hovering against a strong wind:
Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) pausing from its murderous work, with a backdrop of snowy Sierran peaks:
Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) glaring at an annoying photographer:
Wow! Such great moments!
Thanks so much for these.
Beautiful, gorgeous, and magnificent
Happy 75th, Susan! That kinglet is especially nice — you so rarely see them with the ruby crown that gives them their name visible, and then when you do, it’s “whoa, head on fire!”
wonderful Susan, much appreciated.
Nice pictures. I like the Great Blue capturing a crayfish. (I use to collect them as a kid.) And the curious and seemingly annoyed squirrel is a close second.
Congratulations on your 75th contribution to WEIT! Your photos and commentary are always a very welcome sight.
Very nice! Thanks.
Thank you. Birds doing bird things is so much more mood lifting than people doing people things.
Your photos today are genuine works of art – especially the heron pics and the shrike. Thanks very much
You always find a very artful composition in your photos. Thank you
Nice batch Susan. Thanks.
Loved the Black-necked Stilts with reflection, making it look like three stacked. And the Ruby-crowned Kinglet with red streaks.
Great photos, but as a NZer I am puzzled by the Loggerhead Shrike’s pause in its ‘murderous work’. What do you mean by that?
Shrikes are known for catching large insects and small vertebrates and impaling them on thorns or barbed wire. This gives them a bloody reputation, even though they are really no worse in that regard than the rest of us 😸
Thanks, all, for the kind and apt comments 😸😸😸