This week, besides Albatrossity and Bill of course, we’ll see something new and different from Steve from Mendocino. And then Paul in St. Augustine will take us on a 2-day trip to the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand!
Albatrossity
Week four of the Summer in Flyover Country series will showcase some young local birds, and a few migrants which are starting to trickle through. August is always an exciting time to go birding; you can often find unexpected birds, or molting birds with funky plumages. More than occasionally you might even have to work hard to identify them.
On The Road – Albatrossity – Summer in Flyover Country – week 4Post + Comments (11)
As I may have mentioned before, our local Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) populations are low this summer, perhaps as a result of a killing winter week in their wintering grounds in Texas. So I celebrate every time I see a hatch-year Grasshopper Sparrow here this summer, like this one. It still has the yellow gape (corners of the mouth) that helped it attract parental attention in the nest, and very spiffy tail feathers, unlike the worn-out stubs that many adult birds display at this time of year. Let’s hope it lives long and prospers!