Another year has passed and with that some new favorite photos. Some were common locals and migrants but there was one rare visitor from California: The Acorn Woodpecker.
Wilson's Warblers are a small New World warbler that are greenish above and yellow below with the male having a black crown It breeds across Canada and south through the western United States, and winters from Mexico south through much of Central America. This one I found above Lake Tahoe near Incline Lake moving in and out of Willows.
There are five species of Titmouse in North America, with 4 being residences of the West and Southwest. I have seen 3 species with the Juniper Titmouse being the one I see in the Reno, NV area. They are not as common as the related Chickadee, but if you know where to find them you can be treated to this wonderful bird. I was able to capture this guy north of Reno in a Juniper habitat. They are hard to capture since they don’t sit still but this one I was able to get a good photo. Titmice are permanent residents even during cold weather you can find them in the Reno area.
Happy New Year. Here are some of my favorite images take over 2023. I really like the image below of an American Kestrel looking back at me. He was perched on a light post with under a mostly sunny sky so I could us a shutter speed of 1/1000s, an f/9.0, and ISO400. Some birds will let you get close and others will not like Warblers. I was able to get within 10m and just sat there looking at the lake and me.
The Pinyon Jay is charismatic member of the Corvid family and can be found throughout the Reno/Carson City area in the right habitat. I found the Jay below at Topaz Lake in a transitional habitat of Pinyon/Juniper and Sagebrush. They were right next to the road and let me get very close.