Usually, Gary and I take a trip out to the Salton Sea sometime when the year is still new and fresh. The air is not exactly fresh at the Sea, but the birds are pretty wonderful. This year was no exception.
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| Snow Geese in flight, Vendel Road. There were some Ross' Geese here and there in amongst the bigger Snows. |
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| We only saw one Burrowing Owl this year, this one along Lack Road. Interesting to see its burrow (at lower right). |
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| We encountered this scene along Vendel Road. This was the Wildlife Refuge, and clearly marked, so it's unfortunate that there was a need to post a sign saying "Don't gas the owls"! |
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| I loved this assemblage of Cattle Egrets at Unit One. They definitely like to maintain a certain spacing between themselves! Many Snow Geese in the background. |
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| Sandhill Cranes flying over Vendel Road. |
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| Sandhill Cranes in a field along Vendel Road at last light. A tiny flock of the ubiquitous Snow Geese in the background. |
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| A mass of clouds moved in during the afternoon, creating some moody lighting on these Snow Geese along Vendel Road. |
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| Definitely one of the "usual suspects" anywhere in SoCal at this time of year - a White-crowned Sparrow. |
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| This was one of many White-faced Ibis seen. In the non-breeding season, they lose the whitish facial markings near the base of the bill. This was shot with my Canon Rebel THROUGH the old spotting scope, handheld, as an impromptu experiment. Then I Photoshopped the heck out it to get the painterly feel! |
