Photo ABCs

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet, photographed in December of last year at the Salton Sea State Park.

White-faced Ibises, Snow Geese

Photographs taken on a December evening last year at the Salton Sea.

White-faced Ibises:

Snow Geese:

 

California Towhee

A California Towhee, photographed at Lake Hodges in December of last year.

Bewick's Wren, Inca Dove, Violet-crowned Hummingbird

A Bewick's Wren, photographed at Hacienda Tepetzala, a lovely ranch in the state of Tlaxcala, Mexico. Photographed in November of last year.

An Inca Dove perches on an artistic light fixture at the Hacienda Galindo Hotel near Querétaro, Mexico.

A Violet-crowned Hummingbird, photographed a few minutes later:

Steller's Jay

The Steller's Jay is a handsome bird. I think it would be more prized by birders if it were not so abundant!

This one was photographed in Idyllwild in October of last year.

Gulf Fritillary

The Gulf Fritillary is a butterfly found throughout the southern United States and most of Mexico and Central America.

Here is one at the South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes, California.

Photographed in September of last year.

Another, photographed at Lindo Lake in May of this year.

Oaxacan Birds

Last year I traveled with friends to Oaxaca City to see and photograph Day of the Dead activities.

I did manage to get a little birding in, with the help of friend and guide Roque Santiago.

Here is a Bridled Sparrow, photographed at Hierve del Agua.

Green-fronted Hummingbird:

Russet Nightingale-Thrush. This was my favorite bird of the trip. It perched for just a few seconds on this branch, turning its head towards me for an instant.

 

Cattle Egret

A Cattle Egret struts its stuff next to an irrigation ditch near the Salton Sea.

Photographed in July of last year.

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Long-billed Curlew

One of my favorite places for a weekend getaway is the Estero Beach Hotel, south of Ensenada, in Baja California.

The hotel overlooks a large estuary (thus its name), which is guaranteed to have abundant bird photo opportunities. This was true during my visit in July of last year.

There is a certain spot in the estuary where, invariably, there is a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. Here is a juvenile, stretching its wings.

A Long-billed Curlew, photographed a few minutes later and a few feet away.

Lincoln's Sparrow, Red-breasted Sapsucker

A Lincoln's Sparrow, photographed in July of last year, near the Trail of 100 Giants in Sequoia National Forest.

A juvenile Red-breasted Sapsucker, photographed a few minutes later.