Industrious Cliff Swallows /  by Kitundu

A patch of mud near a nesting colony produces Cliff Swallows fluttering like butterflies to keep their wings clean while they gather gooey construction material. Cueing up in orderly fashion.

Here is a description from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology about their nests. The nest is a covered bowl made of mud pellets, with a small entrance tunnel on one side. Lined with grass. It is placed on a vertical wall, usually just under an overhang.

Even their tails are carefully held high and clear of the mud.

A charismatic and tough little bird. I'll go back to check on them in a few days.

Golf Owls /  by Kitundu

Burrowing Owls are adorable. They are also terribly photogenic, which means people often get too close while trying to get a picture. These disturbances can be problematic and it gets even more complicated when the birds take up residence on a busy golf course. Now the photographers are just one of many hazards to avoid. Standing at the burrow, cooly surveying the landscape... er, golf course.

I can see why people might flush them inadvertently. The park should do its best to help golfers and the general public know which areas to avoid.

I pride myself in being conscientious and careful but that didn't stop me from being surprised by an owl hiding in plain sight. I stepped away quickly.

Just another day on the fairway.

Yosemite Moments /  by Kitundu

An Acorn Woodpecker in the drizzle, backed by the splendor of Yosemite Falls. A pregnant doe leads another deer through one of Yosemite's meadows.

A relaxed resident passes the time on a grey day.

This is what I've come to expect of Yosemite in June.

This Hermit Warbler was a brand new bird for me. It sat high in the tree singing "I'm a Hermit blah blah blah."

A White-headed Woodpecker returns home.

Black-headed Grosbeaks are wonderful, inquisitive birds. They sound like Robins turned up to 10.

This is the best look I've ever had of a Dipper. Turbo powered birds!

The obligatory Half Dome shot.