Grackle!!!

Well here it is, the 10th of July and I’m finally getting a July posting done.  Was away for a few days and then all of a sudden summer arrived with vengeance – and so did the mosquitoes – so, not being a heat or bug lover,  I just haven’t been out and about very much…

Due to needing the ‘shared’ car, I was up at the 4:30 am this morning – took a walk down to the boat launch area about 5:30 am….

Here is the same view at noon – water levels have dropped a couple of feet at least but are still very high, at least the pavement in here is high and dry now, or at least most of it, one parking area is still partially covered..

during the early morning walk saw this fledgling American Robin – the parents were nearby…

and there were at least 3 young Red-breasted Sapsuckers down in the willows, unfortunately the mosquitoes were so thick I couldn’t take staying there so this is the best picture I got – I’d mentioned before that I hadn’t seen any Red-breasted Sapsuckers here this year – obviously they were here – I just missed them.

this female Black-headed Grosbeak was in a boulevard tree…

back at home I was trying to get pictures of a Townsend’s Chipmunk that was in the yard, failed at that, but this young Steller’s Jay was busy trying to figure out why it couldn’t eat this little stick…..  I’m so happy to see the Chipmunks again….we used to have lots until someone in the area took offence to them and decided to poison them – let’s hope that doesn’t happen again!

The big surprise of the day came at noon.  I had decided to not take my camera – probably the first time in months and months that I didn’t have a camera with me, but I figured I already had enough to do a blog posting….but wouldn’t you know it…

that would be the very time when you see something that shouldn’t be here – a Common Grackle!  Luck was with me though as I hurried home, grabbed a camera, fully expecting the bird to be gone, but it was still there and I managed to snap a few quick pictures of it – this one being the best.  This wasn’t a ‘lifer’ for me, as I’ve seen Grackle in Alberta where they belong – in fact they are pretty much all over North America – east of the Rocky Mountains….but this was a first for this area and brings our area to 180 recorded species.