We've had multiple days in a row here above 100 degrees, so I haven't gone out birding as much as I would have liked. I did make it down to the wetlands twice however.

On my first trip, I took a bunch of photos of some Black Terns while I had a good lighting angle without overly harsh light. Some of those shots worked out ok, but I'll keep trying for a nice, sharp, well-lit Black Tern photo.

Wilson's Phalarope was my target on my next visit... (no luck). Upon arriving quite early in the morning I was able to photograph a male California Quail out of the car window. I'd seen him perched up high on a few recent visits, but this time he stool still in the golden-hour light and didn't flinch until I had to open the car door to get out. Soon afterwards I saw a bunch of small sparrows on the gravel path, and stopped to photograph one that looked quite plain. It appears to have been a lifer Brewer's Sparrow! Pretty cool, and I'm glad I noticed it looked a bit different, but I wish I got a better look at it. I also got some photographs of an American Bittern standing right out in the open, which they almost never do.

These were some nice outings — sometimes going out early works!

These photos are © 2024 Phil Thompson, all rights reserved.

My "birds in review" collages can be found here.