10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2011

I’ve seen young Red-tailed Hawk s who just don’t have the hang of it, counting on luck of good fortune to present them with a careless gopher or a rare easy meal. On this occasion Patch had secured a gopher and was dining on a streetlight. Patch was focused and deliberate, consistent and inventive. She had remembered.

Gophers 233

Gophers Blackbirds Tanzania Hunting 233

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2012

Continuing the celebration of commonplace birds we now hail the ubiquitous Great Blue Heron. Their beautiful blue-gray can really pop in the right light. They know the rhythms of gophers. There are too many images to share so I’ll keep the captions brief and let the pictures do the squawking, er, I mean talking.

San Francisco 252

San Francisco Gophers Reptiles Hunters 252

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2012

As special as any bird that is abundant… just not abundant in your neck of the woods. It takes a special trip to see these special birds, and as such, the pointy-winged migrants are particularly cool to me. It takes a special trip to see these special birds, and as such, the pointy-winged migrants are particularly cool to me.

Gophers 180

Gophers Argentina Oregon California 180

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

I was pretty new to watching birds and photography when I first met this Red-tailed Hawk. The hawk was intent on finding gophers and I used its focus to my advantage and closed the distance gradually. I knew it was a hatch year bird because of its juvenal plumage and I also noticed it was banded. I was hooked!

San Francisco 244

San Francisco Gophers Hunting Blackbirds 244

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2011

The California Quail ( Callipepla californica ) is the California state bird, inhabiting scrub, broken chaparral and woodland edges primarily in California, Oregon, Washington and Baja California. At this age, they are also able to make short flights, a highly desirable trait for game birds. www.youtube.com/watch?

California 245

California Eggs Gophers Rattlesnake 245

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2012

As birds adjust to urban environments they figure out what the real concerns are and play by a new set of rules. In Half Moon Bay there is a park that provides… gophers, voles, snakes, whatever suits your crop. But fear of people was still a thing of the past as he flew right at me on his way out. Threshold established.

Gophers 193

Gophers Collecting Dogs Rights 193