I just got back from visiting my Mom up in Carson City. Thankfully, she’s doing BEAUTIFULLY! Healing up amazingly quickly and in generally good spirits! We did a few shopping excursions and ate out for some lovely meals. I was a kind and loving daughter and did not take any photos of her in recovery! 🙂
We even got a little birding in. Just a little, tiny bit. We didn’t want to tire Mom out but some car birding isn’t too tiring!
Here’s what we saw . . .
2 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
10 California Quail Callipepla californica
2 Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
1 Wilson’s Snipe Gallinago delicata LIFER!
2 Western Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica
8 Black-billed Magpie Pica hudsonia LIFER!
2 American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
10 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
2 American Robin Turdus migratorius
2 House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus
The best was the Snipe. We were driving along this beautiful stretch of road at pastures near the Carson River. The pastures are flooded . . . perfect Snipe country.
Isn’t it lovely? Posed for us for hours, chatting loudly the whole time! I’ll give you more pics and even some vid tomorrow! 🙂
While I’ve seen lots of Yellow-billed Magpies, I hadn’t ever seen (or at least listed) a Black-billed Magpie. I didn’t get a good picture of them but this isn’t a baaaad picture, right?
The biggest problem is the magpie’s lovely long tail was tipped away from the camera and looks a bit like it was clipped off. 🙂 But, I love the look on it’s face . . . sort of a knowing smile!