June 2012 summary….

I know there are still a couple of days to go until the end of the month, but I’m heading out, early tomorrow morning, for another short get-away -

water levels remain in ‘flood mode’ – they have dropped slightly from last weekends high, but when I was down here about noon today, it appeared that they were now starting to creep back up – as had been forecast.

Barn Swallows continued collecting mud – they’ve been making little excavations in the water logged lawns, beside the curbs…and they must be thrilled because with all the water around it, the birds have the gazebo all to themselves – they can build their mud nests in the rafters and hopefully get their families raised before the gazebo is once more high and dry and invaded by humans.

noticed a lot of House Finch in a tree in one corner….Bullock’s Orioles, Cedar Waxwings and Black-headed Grosbeaks were much in evidence – if you could find a spot and sit I’m sure you’d see all kinds of interesting things.  Yesterday I could hear Spotted Sandpiper but couldn’t ‘spot’ them.

there is the boat launch….you have to start the launch from up the street!

American Robin continue throughout the park – this one perched on a tree that came down during last Saturdays wind storm…

at home in the yard, and every where else in the park, Chickadees continue to be seen in great numbers!  Here a young Black-cap but there are Chestnut-backed as well.  Young Junco, Steller’s Jay, White-crowned Sparrow, Towhee and Song Sparrow are showing up regularly.  Haven’t seen a Band-tail Pigeon for a few days now, so maybe, finally, they’ve all moved up into the mountains for the summer. American Goldfinch and Brown Headed Cowbirds continue, as are the Purple Finch.

Lots of young Rufous Hummingbird throughout the area as well.  Haven’t noticed a male for a few days – this is typical, usually by the end of June they have departed having done their duty.  I’ve heard they usually move up into the alpine meadows and then slowly work their way back south – I have no idea if that is the case, but it sounds good.  Females normally raise 2 sets of young a season, the first set which are out and about now, are raised in nests quite low down, within a few feet of the ground, while the later batch is raised in tree tops to take advantage of cooling breezes (not that any of those have been needed so far this year).  Again, that is what I’ve heard, whether true or not I don’t know.

So we are off again for another circuit trip, pretty much to the same places we visited a month or so ago, and that trip is now on my birding by Shantz blog (http://birdingbyshantz.blogspot.com )  I expect that things won’t be all that different here when we get back, although probably the mosquitoes will have showed up by then.  We’ve been lucky!