A Sunday Walk

The weather has cooled, a little rain has fallen, and I am tired of canning/freezing/making cheese. So I decided to walk around our property the first Sunday of every month that weather allows. Today was that day. My hope for these Sunday strolls is to photograph the birds still unphotographed in my Birds of the Farm blog.

I was very excited to see this bird way up on top of a tree. I did not know what it was so took photos bringing it closer.  It is the dot on the right side of the tree, a bit below the top of the tree.

 Here it is closer. Very strange...

And here it is close up. It sort of looks like a miniature headless Barn Owl.

On closer inspection, it is one of the very common Not-A-Birds that I routinely find. This one is the backside of a dead leaf.

Onward I went looking for actual birds... and I found some... robins. Lots of them. I have photographs of robins but not of a juvenile. So I was happy to get this one, with his spotted chest.

Soon after this I thought I heard something in the brush behind me. My heart sped up as I stopped and turned to look for it. I could see nothing so went on... looking up in the trees for birds. I heard the brush creature again! Eventually I figured out that when I lifted my head, my hat scraped against my shirt, making the scary creature sound.

The next creature was me. My shadow looked ominous. For a skinny person, I sure look like I have big legs from this angle. (I am easily distracted while hiking through the forest.)

The next distraction was the huge maple at the edge of the horse pasture. I love that tree.

And then, of course, were the horses. Black Nightingale in the foreground shadow, palomino Jessie Anne in the background. Mr. Smith was not in view right then.

And on I went...

Down by the creek, this Chickaree (Douglas Squirrel) kept a watchful eye on me from his perch on a stump.

Back up by the barn was a Brush Rabbit, paying me no mind.

And so my farm "birding" hike for this month ended with just 14 species of birds: Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, Steller's Jay, Scrub Jay (now California Jay, I think), Rufous-sided (Spotted) Towhee, Song Sparrow, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, California Quail, Black-capped Chickadee, Mourning Dove, Bewick's Wren, Tree/Violet-green Swallow (too high for me to tell which), and Red-shafted (Northern) Flicker. Wait! I forgot the Western Wood Pewee, seen flycatching over the creek. That makes 15. (I could count Barn Owl since I know there are  baby owls in the loft, but I did not climb up to look during my 1 1/2 hour walk.) So 15 birds plus 3 mammals (or 4 including myself)... and one notable Not-A-Bird.