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Birds on a Wire

When I think of birds perched on a wire, California Quail isn't the first thing that comes to mind but this guy seemed quite comfortable.

This Brewer's Blackbird is waiting for the coast to be clear before heading toward some nearby fledglings.

Speaking of baby blackbirds, this bird ain't on a wire but it sure is cute. Check out the little downy mohawk.

Mystery Frog

I could look it up in a guide but I'm more interested in what you have to say.

Hot Hawk

95 degrees in the shade, well if there was any shade. Man it was hot, and what on earth is a young Redtail doing in the middle of all this? I've never seen one out here before, a few miles south of Mercey Hot Springs.

Is it injured? Is it sick? It sure is keeping a close eye on the skies.

What is that bloody mark on its head above, and in front of, the eye? Weird. Wow, it is hot as blazes. I should just get back into my car and leave.

I've been spotted. Oh, that looks like a little string of meat not an injury. Still, this bird is acting weird, rolling its neck around and looking dazed in the heat.

Oh good, it is taking off. So it's healthy enough for flight then. Perhaps it will find some shade in the nearby gully.

Oh! I get it now. That dazed look was a food coma. And those shifty skyward glances and raised hackles were in defense of your meal, off of which you have meticulously stripped little strings of flesh in this blazing heat. You've only been out of the nest for a couple of months at most, so this might be your first snake... I see you are finally flying toward the gully like a hawk with good sense to go with your predatory prowess. Good luck to you.

Buteo Lineatus