Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), Humbolt Bay NWR, Eureka, CA. This is one of the earliest birds I got to know and appreciate, as a kid. I can still picture one sitting up a telephone wire and singing, right after the rain stopped and the sun came out.

From the Cornell site:
The Song Sparrow is found throughout most of North America, but the birds of different areas can look surprisingly different. Song Sparrows of the Desert Southwest are pale, while those in the Pacific Northwest are dark and heavily streaked. Song Sparrows of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands chain are even darker, and they’re huge: one-third longer than the eastern birds, and weighing twice as much.

© All Rights Reserved

American Robin (Turdus migratorius), at Tualatin River NWR, Sherwood, OR.

From the Cornell site:
The quintessential early bird, American Robins are common sights on lawns across North America, where you often see them tugging earthworms out of the ground. Though they’re familiar town and city birds, American Robins are at home in wilder areas, too, including mountain forests and Alaskan wilderness.

An American Robin can produce three successful broods in one year. On average, though, only 40 percent of nests successfully produce young. Only 25 percent of those fledged young survive to November. From that point on, about half of the robins alive in any year will make it to the next. Despite the fact that a lucky robin can live to be 14 years old, the entire population turns over on average every six years.

Robins eat different types of food depending on the time of day: more earthworms in the morning and more fruit later in the day.

© All Rights Reserved

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura), Humbolt Bay NWR, Eureka, CA.

From the Cornell site:
The Turkey Vulture uses its sense of smell to locate carrion. The part of its brain responsible for processing smells is particularly large, compared to other birds. Its heightened ability to detect odors—it can detect just a few parts per trillion—allows it to find dead animals below a forest canopy.

The Turkey Vulture’s stomach acid is extremely acidic, so Turkey Vultures can digest just about anything. This also allows them to eat carcasses tainted with anthrax, tuberculosis, and rabies without getting sick.

As a defense mechanism, Turkey Vultures may vomit on a bird, animal, or human that gets too close. Considering what they eat, this can be a powerful weapon.

© All Rights Reserved

Female California Condor (tag 726) nicknamed "Little Stinker". I recently got to see her, in Pinnacles National Monument, California, while I was hiking there with my cousin Holly.

By 1980 there were only around 22 condors left in the wild. These were all captured, and a captive breeding program begun. There are now over 350 condors in the wild, plus over 200 more in captivity.

From the Ventana Wilflife Society:
Little Stinker (726) is named after the plane that won the US Female Aerobatic Championship in the late 1940s. This petite condor spent much of her time in the pen performing daring flight maneuvers. This included flying into the walls of the pen and jumping over other condors on the perch. Since her release, Little Stinker (726) has taken her aerial performances on tour all over the central coast and Pinnacles National Park.

When Little Stinker (726) reached maturity, she quickly caught the eye of dominant Pinnacles males Condor (692) and Condor (463), and the trio had several nesting attempts together. After Condor (463)’s death in 2020, Condor (692) and Little Stinker (726) remained together and dominated the High Peaks of Pinnacles National Park, often being spotted by visitors. In 2022, Condor (692) spent an extended period of time in captivity undergoing treatment for lead poisoning, and Little Stinker (726) paired with Condor (700) that year in his absence. Now that Condor (692) is back in the wild, he and Little Stinker (726) have rekindled their romance and have continued to nest together. Unfortunately, none of Little Stinker’s (726) eggs have ever hatched to date, but we know she would make a formidable yet caring mother if given the chance.

For more information on Little Stinker see:
www.ventanaws.org/condor726.html

© All Rights Reserved

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), at the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, Gilbert, AZ

© All Rights Reserved