Here is a collection of 90 wildlife photos taken during June-September, 2025. I picked images that appealed to me for a variety of reasons. We have a lot of wild creatures here.
Rabbits
Long legs, bodies, and ears characterize the Black-tailed Jackrabbit. Even the black tail is long. They are fast; I often see just a glimpse of movement as they disappear into the sagebrush.
The Desert Cottontail is more compact and has eyes that seem too big for its head. Here is one at the Conservation Open Space Area.
Cottontail below was at Mono Lake. Looks very young.
Cottontails below were at Airport Road.
American Beaver
The beaver drags its tail, leaving wavy marks on the dirt roads that we walk. For 20 years I mistakenly thought these were rare creatures, found only on some mountain streams. I was wrong. They are common, but elusive. On our local walks I see a beaver once a year. The beaver below was swimming in the Owens River, upstream from the Pleasant Valley Reservoir.
Coyote
They always look skinny. If you live by chasing rabbits, being fit and thin is advantageous.
Stripped Skunk
Usually presents as a crushed and pungent mess at the edge of a road. Fun to watch when seen alive.
Are pieces of grass stuck to its body? Or could they be porcupine spines? I cannot tell.
Chipmunk
These two animals were chasing each other in Lee Vining Canyon. I think they are Lodgepole Chipmunks. They would periodically stop for one second of sex, then run on.
Common Merganser
Mergansers are often found at the Pleasant Valley Reservoir. I think the birds in the photos below are all juveniles, born this Spring.
American White Pelican
A nine foot wingspan. This Pelican was at Pleasant Valley Reservoir.
California Gull
This bird was at Mono Lake, where thousands of gulls gather to mate and raise their young on islands.
Spotted Sandpiper
A young Spotted Sandpiper cruises over Pleasant Valley Reservoir.
Great Blue Heron
I have more photographs of this bird species than any other. They are colorful, common, and easy to photograph.
Herons near Airport Road.
A Heron shows its balancing talent along Warm Springs Road.
When Herons fly, they usually curl their neck. But the bird below, at Buckley Ponds, is like a runner straining to get part of their head over the finish line first.
Heron 3
The next 3 photos are all from Pleasant Valley Reservoir, where subdued light made the feather patterns stand out.
Note the mosquitos in the next photo.
Black-crowned Night Heron
About once a year I see a Black-crowned Night Heron. The bird below, on Bishop Creek Canal, is too young to have the black head color.
Note mosquitos
An adult bird with a black crown flew past in Lee Vining Canyon.
California Quail
A male posed north of Bishop.
Chukar
These are game birds introduced from Asia. This pair was at Pleasant Valley Reservoir.
Turkey Vulture
This bird locates food by detecting ethyl mercaptan, a gas released by decaying flesh. It can follow a gas plume back to a rotting carcass that is miles away. Using smell, the vulture can locate carrion that is hidden by snow or dense foliage.
A Vulture on Airport Road.
A TV at the Reservoir.
Northern Harrier
A female Harrier cruises past me on Airport Road.
Sharp-shinned Hawk
This raptor was at the Conservation Open Space Area near downtown Bishop.
Red-shouldered Hawk
This medium-sized hawk was at the Reservoir.
When this bird lands, it slows down by flaring its wings. Near the end of each wing, the primary feathers are partly white so that it looks as if the wings have a clear “window.” You have to use your imagination to think of these white areas as windows; they look like white bands to me. The next 3 photos all show these white “windows.” The first photo was taken at the Pleasant Valley Reservoir.
Next two photos from the Conservation Open Space Area.
Swainson’s Hawk
The Swainson’s below is probably a juvenile in its second year. It appeared in June and used a perch on Warm Springs Road for several weeks.
On June 19, a Western Kingbird harassed the Hawk. In the first photo the Hawk turns, in the second the Hawk ducks and almost flies away, in the third the Hawk settles down as the Kingbird flies past.
A month later, on July 19, a Northern Mockingbird harasses the same Hawk.
Finally, a peaceful moment.
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tails are the most common hawk that I see near Bishop. They are big, which makes them easy to spot. If you see one or two birds circling high up on thermals, they are probably Red-tails. Young Red-tails don’t have red tails, as shown below in a photo from Warm Springs Road. This bird has bands on both legs; green plastic on the left leg, silver metal on the right. The left foot rests on a fragile branch and the right foot is balanced on one toe. This young bird is being a bit careless.
Then the bird literally fell off its perch. In the first photo, the fragile branch under the left foot gave way. The Hawk used its wings to stay up and both legs are on the stronger branch.
In the next 4 pictures, the bird struggles to get both feet onto the sturdy branch. It then looks around, probably thinking: “Wow, that was embarrassing. I hope no one saw me do that.”
On Sunland Drive a mature bird posed. Note the pattern of darker feathers across the middle of the bird; an avian cummerbund.
The next Red-tail on Warm Springs Rd has different coloration, but a similar cummerbund.
The Red-tail below, a juvenile, has almost no red in the tail.
American Kestrel
This small raptor is common in the Bishop area. After the Red-tail, I think this is our most common raptor. They are small birds, but if you look for their compact shape on top of small trees, they are there to be found. The first three photos show a male landing on a bare tree at the Buckley Ponds.
The shape and posture below are typical for this bird. A round ball. The tail sticks out and down, as if this is a capitol letter Q. With an added lump formed by the head.
In the next photo, a Kestrel takes off at Pleasant Valley Reservoir. The tail is out of sight, so he looks as if he forgot his pants.
Peregrine Falcon
Not common, but impressive when it appears. I show two photos taken five days apart in June. The first shows a Peregrine in flight at Bishop Creek Canal.
Below, a Peregrine displays its “executioner’s hood” on Warm Springs road. These photos may show the same bird.
Great Horned Owl
Two of these owls were on a dirt road north of Dixon Lane.
The next photo shows an unusual pose. This owl may be looking for its partner.
Doves
The Mourning Dove was first recorded in Inyo County in 1890. It was the dove for a century. But in the last two decades, counts have plunged. The photo below shows the blue eye ring and black spots on the feathers.
The Eurasian Collared Dove appeared in Inyo in 2002, the same year I arrived. It is now the most common Dove in Inyo. Photo below shows the collar on the back of the neck.
Northern Flicker
This woodpecker is common, colorful, and noisy. In the first photo the female is above. A male, with his red mustache, is taking off near Dixon Lane.
The next image shows a male at the Conservation Open Space Area.
The last photo shows a male in my neighbor’s yard.
Phoebe
The Say’s Phoebe has subtle colors. Bird below was at Mono Lake.
Next Phoebe is at Bishop Creek Canal.
Below, a mother feeds her child. The youngster looks big enough to find his own meal. But what mother would miss the chance to feed her child; “Come on darling, finish your peas.”
The Black Phoebe strikes a formal look in a tuxedo. Both shots at the Reservoir.
Western Bluebird
The colors of the adult male look unreal. Photo from Airport Road.
At the Conservation Open Space Area, a juvenile Western Bluebird displays softer colors and many spots on chest. Wing edges are flashy.
American Robin
Eating a caterpillar at Bishop Creek Canal.
House Wren
This Wren was at Convict Lake.
Green-tailed Towhee
Convict Lake is home to Green-tailed Towhees. In next six photos, a mature Towhee hops and swaggers.
At far end of the lake, a juvenile Towhee shows streaks, no red crown, brown-green feathers.
Savannah Sparrow
Savannah feeds at Airport Road. Note yellow eyebrow streak.
House Finch
This bird was feeding at the Conservation Open Space Area. Bird looks like it fell into a paint bucket.
Brewer’s Blackbird
The females are muted, the yellow-eyed males are garish. These pictures are from Mono Lake. To see these birds up close, sit at the tables in front of Schat’s Bakery. Stay alert or they will grab your pastry.
The Osprey is ubiquitous. They aren’t particularly common, but they are found on 6 continents. There are Ospreys in every state. If there is a pond, ocean, lake, stream, or river, an Osprey may be nearby.
An Osprey Family
Let’s meet a typical Osprey family in their rural home, a nest on a tufa tower in Mono Lake. The nest is a large pile of wood, about 6 feet across, constructed over many years. In the first photo, Dad is on the left; his chest is white, his eye yellow, and his feathers are brown. Mom is on the right. She wears a necklace of brown feathers on her chest and she is a bit bigger than Dad. Junior, about three months old, has black feathers outlined with white, giving him a scaly look. His eye is red/orange. All three birds have a chest and belly that is mostly bright white and a band of dark feathers that runs across the eye and down the neck to the back. Adults weigh 3.5 lb. Their 63” wingspan approaches the 80” of a Bald Eagle, but the Eagle weighs 3 times as much; a thuggish brute compared with the slender Osprey.
This cooperative family posed for more images. The next shot shows the size of the nest.
Mom flies off, leaving Dad and Junior to bond.
But after a minute, Dad departs with his lunch. Junior is left alone, a latchkey bird.
What Does “Osprey” Mean?
Most birds have a species label made from two or three words: Great Blue Heron, Say’s Phoebe, Yellow-headed Blackbird. A select few have a single moniker: Mallard, Killdeer, Merlin. The Osprey is one of these, but the name is a mystery. One theory is that the Latin “avis praedae” (bird of prey) became the French “ospreit” which evolved into the English “osprei” in 1460 — maybe, but why was this the “bird of prey” any more than some other Eagle, Hawk or Falcon? A second theory notes that the Lammergeier, an old world vulture, was called the “ossifragus” in Latin, which means bone-breaker. “Os” means bone (ossify, etc.) and fragus means break (or fragment). This bird likes to eat bones and breaks its preferred food items by dropping them from a height. Somehow “ossifragus” migrated to a different bird of prey, the Osprey, although Ospreys are not bone-eaters. Neither theory seems terribly satisfying.
What do Ospreys Eat?
There are reports of Ospreys eating mice, rabbits, ducks, even a baby alligator. These are exceptions. This bird prefers fish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Each meal has a fish appetizer, a main course with gills, fins, and tail, and a desert fish. If you ask an Osprey to eat out, they will suggest a Sushi bar or Legal Sea Food. Ospreys generally avoid carrion, even dead fish. They always ask, “Is the fish fresh?”
Ospreys at Mono Lake
Mono Lake is three times saltier than the ocean; consequently, it has no fish. So why are Ospreys nesting on the tufa towers that rise up above the water? The answer is safety. Tufa is calcium carbonate, or limestone. Tufa towers form below the lake surface, where freshwater springs emerge and mix their load of calcium with carbonate in the water. When Los Angeles Department of Water and Power diverted water from the Mono Basin, the lake level fell, exposing these offshore tufa platforms. After World War II, the towers rose above the falling lake waters and Ospreys built their nests on these protected spots. To get fish, the Ospreys commute to nearby Rush Creek or a bit further to Grant Lake.
In August of 2025, Roberta and I visited Mono’s South Tufa area. We counted 10 Ospreys, adults and juveniles. Here are photos of these birds:
Below an Osprey lands on a nest. Note the bands on both legs. In the third photo, the wings bend at the wrist, a common sight with these birds.
Below is the mother with one of the fledglings we saw in the first photo of this blog. This picture was taken July 14, while the first photo was taken Aug 6.
The next few photos show these birds on nests. They often make a racket — high-pitched cries of “PIERP! PIERP!”
The next photo shows a juvenile having a meal.
Canada Geese sometimes use Osprey nests:
A Taxi for Fish
After catching a fish, Ospreys usually point the fish head-first and zoom off to find a safe dining location. The fish has a final aerial ride, but gets little joy. It isn’t easy to hold a cold, wet, slippery, wriggling trout. To hang on, Ospreys can rotate one toe so that two talons are on one side of the fish, two on the other side. The talons are strong and have tiny barbs that help grip the fish. The pads of the toes and feet have sharp spikes. Below are photos showing this transport. The first picture shows an Osprey landing at a Mono Lake nest with a fish.
The following pictures are from the Pleasant Valley Reservoir in 2025. In the first and last photo, the Osprey uses only 1 foot to hold on. Rarely an Osprey will catch two fish at once, one with each foot.
The Catch
Ospreys cruise 20 to 100 feet over the Pleasant Valley Reservoir, looking for fish within four feet of the surface. When the dive starts, they use a head-first position, but in the last tenth of a second, the feet come forward with talons open for the catch. The splash is impressively noisy. The bird may submerge entirely. Then powerful wingbeats lift it, with a squirming burden, back up into the air. Observers have reported that 20 to 80% of dives are successful. Success depends on type of fish, water conditions, lighting, and so on.
The next three pictures show a dive that failed. The bird came up empty.
The next series of pictures shows a successful dive. First the bird spots a target.
Then the dive starts.
Head first now
Feet drop down and talons open.
Feet thrust forward in last split-second
Wham. Impact speeds up to 40 mph have been reported. The bird vanished right after the impact.
Head appears
Wings appear
The struggle to get into the air, using powerful wing muscles.
Success!
One footed hold
In the next shot, the bird throws its tail to the left, to shake out water. More about this shaking later.
The bird continues to use just one foot to hold the fish
On September 21, 2025, I filmed another dive. The first photo shows the start, with the bird well lit by the sun.
The next photo shows the bird lower down, wings in a “W” formation. This dive came to an end before the bird hit the water; evidently the fish moved.
Shake it Baby!
After diving for a fish, the osprey will often be soaked. Its feathers are oily and dense, to resist getting totally soggy. But the bird still needs to shed water to save weight, to allow the feathers to work properly, and to avoid losing heat. Getting dry makes flight faster and easier. Wet feathers waste energy and make the bird vulnerable. In one earlier photo, I commented that the bird was shaking its tail to get rid of water. Next I’ll show two sequences of this shaking behavior, both taken at the Pleasant Valley Reservoir.
Series A. A juvenile bird failed to get a fish. Three photos show water dripping behind and below the flying bird.
In the next picture the bird starts to swivel its head to shake it
Then the bird acts as if it is in the Exorcist. Fierce shaking throws off a cloud of water
Shaking stops, but feathers are disheveled
Just three seconds later, the bird looks smooth and orderly, as if it dried off with a little towel.
Series B. The bird below plunged into the water a little behind me. I heard the splash and started taking pictures as it rose up without a fish. Water drips from the feathers and the belly looks like a wet rag.
First the head starts shaking, followed by spasms of the body, tail, and even wings. A cloud of water flies off the bird. By the last photo the bird is so bedraggled that it is actually falling out of the air. This was all over in one second.
This shaking behavior of Ospreys is well-described in books. I’ve photographed other birds that shake themselves dry in the air: Belted Kingfisher, Double-crested Cormorant, Green-winged Teal.
Portraits
The next photos are Osprey portraits from several Bishop locations. First an Osprey takes off along Bishop Creek Canal.
Then two pictures from the Buckley Ponds. Ospreys in the air often bend their wings at the wrist, so they form a W (or M) shape.
Osprey at the Conservation Open Space Area (COSA)
The remaining portraits are from the Pleasant Valley Reservoir.
The Competition
Humans fish at the Pleasant Valley Reservoir. When we walk there, it is common to meet a half-dozen fishermen with gear that may include small rafts and up to five rods per person. Osprey are competing for fish with these humans. They are also competing with other birds, including the ones below, all photographed at the Reservoir:
Bald Eagles have been known to attack Ospreys in the air and steal their fish.
Double-crested Cormorants. Some cormorants are reported to be the most efficient fish-catchers of all birds; more ounces of fish per calorie of effort.
Common Loon
Common Merganser
Great Egret in the process of catching a small fish
Belted Kingfisher
Great Blue Herons, a group of three
Great Blue Heron with a large fish. These birds do not spear fish; they catch them between their mandibles. The heron had a lot of trouble choking down this fish.
Did a child invent this bird? The birds below were circling the Buckley Ponds on June 29, 2025. The iridescent green feathers, maroon body, decurved bill, red eye, and pink legs are suitable for Alice in Wonderland. Or a Florida theme park.
The name “white-faced” refers to the rim of white feathers that surrounds the eyes and base of the bill. This area is white in breeding season. After molting in the fall, the white border disappears and the bird looks grayer. Strange that the name describes a feature that is usually absent.
This bird is found throughout the US, except for a few regions in the east. I was clueless about its existence until Aug 13, 2022. An Ibis flock passed over the Buckley Ponds and I captured the three images below.
The three pictures above illustrate the difficulties of photographing this bird. They appear mostly as black silhouettes or blurry shapes. They move fast, they are far away, and they appear without warning (unlike Canada Geese and some ducks, who announce their approach with honking or quacking). The distinctive beaks give away their identity; I was able to search my bird guides and quickly figure out what I had photographed.
August, 2022
During August, 2022, I collected more Ibis photos as they migrated through the Owens Valley. The flocks often made large circles, so in some images the birds are moving south, but in others they are moving north. All these pictures were taken at the Buckley Ponds.
In the next two photos, the birds are flying south with the White Mountains in the background.
In the next two images, they are flying north. The first photo shows Mt Humphreys in the background.
In the next photo, part of Mt Tom and the Wheeler Crest are in the background.
Ibis weigh 1.3 lb, have a 3-foot wingspan, and the bills are five inches long. They winter in Mexico. They migrate north to breed in marshy areas of California, Nevada, and elsewhere. They like shallow fresh water, including wet agricultural fields, such as alfalfa fields and rice paddies.
To forage, they wade about, using their long bills to sweep the water or probe muck for insects, crayfish, and worms. In videos, their heads rapidly bob up and down like a feathered sewing machine, while their beaks probe for chow in muddy gunk. Imagine that you put on a blindfold, then stuck your head into a dumpster and tried to locate edible treats with your lips. Fortunately, for Ibis, my dumpster analogy is not quite right. The tips of Ibis bills have sensitive nerves and they have a reflex that makes the bill snap shut on food. So they are not wasting much thought about their culinary choices. Whereas you, in a dumpster, might pause before swallowing what might, or might not, be a hot-dog bun.
Spring 2023
The winter of 2022-23 brought record snow to the Sierra, so many Bishop fields were water-logged in spring. Ponds and marshes sprang up in the sagebrush. Ibis appeared along Airport Road in March. The birds were in breeding plumage, with maroon coloring, white faces, and pink lores. (The lore is the area between the eye and the base on the bill.)
In April, Ibis were in a field bordering Line Street in Bishop, along with a Great Egret and a Mallard.
Fall 2023
In the fall of 2023, large Ibis flocks passed overhead at the Buckley Ponds. Without a camera, or binoculars, I would mistake them for geese or ducks.
Owens Lake
On November 29, 2023, Roberta and I were prowling Owens Lake for birds. Where the Owens River joins Owens Lake, we found Ibis having lunch in casual non-breeding outfits; white faces absent, color grayer, green feathers, less maroon, legs now black. An annoying fence made it hard for me to get clear photos of the birds on the ground. Then the birds took off and circled; the Inyo Range and the Sierra appear in the backgrounds:
Summer 2024
In summer of 2024, a flock of Ibis flew over Airport Road. Some were still in breeding colors:
Spring 2025
In April and May of 2025, Ibis were at the Buckley Ponds. I now had a full-frame camera (Nikon Z8) and the quality of these images is better than the previous ones.
Summer 2025
On June 29, at 7am, Ibis circled us at the Ponds. Thanks to their flight path, I was able to shoot with the sun behind me. I had my Nikon Z8 with a Nikkor Z 600mm f4 lens, gear that proved itself that morning. Images are sharp and well-lit. The garish colors are obvious. In the future, I hope to get better photos of this bird on the ground.
Death Comes for the Agave
This little story has nothing to do with birds. It describes, with photos, the spectacular death of a Harvard agave in my backyard.
Valery Harvard (1846 to 1927) was born in France. He emigrated to the US as a young man and finished medical school at NYU in Manhattan in 1869. He served for decades in the US military, mostly in the American West, but also in Cuba and Manchuria. In 1906 he became faculty President of the Army Medical School. In addition, he was a botanist and studied plants in western Texas. In the 1880s he described the agaves in the Chisos Mountains along the Rio Grande. This plant was later named for him. The beautiful leaves and spines of a Harvard Agave appear in the two photos below, taken in the Chisos Range of what is now Big Bend National Park.
Mexican Jays, a gaudy bird, are common in Big Bend. Below, one perches on sharp agave spines.
I bought a Harvard Agave from the Bishop Nursery and planted it in our raised backyard beds in April of 2014. It survived summer heat and winter snow for years.
On May 5, of 2025, I noticed my Agave was putting out a new central stalk.
In less than 3 weeks the stalk looked like a ten foot spear of asparagus. Below, I posed a professional model in front of the plant, so you can judge the height. The model is 5’2”. She looks worried, probably thinking the stalk will topple over and clobber her.
During June and July, the stalk grew to over 15 feet and put out masses of flowers that were visited by bees.
The last photo, taken July 28, shows that the plant is dying at its base; all the nutrition in the big leaves was used to grow the stalk. The stalk was now between our power line and cable line. It weighed about 40 pounds.
With help from a friend I finally cut it down. I will miss that plant; it was a privilege to watch its spectacular death. I have seen thousands of dead, desiccated agave stalks on hikes in the Southwest. But I’ve never seen the entire cycle from robust health, to sudden growth, and suicidal blooming.
Sixty-five photos of birds taken near Bishop in April-May of 2025. Organized by location and species.
Buckley Ponds
A flock of White-faced Ibis flies north. The name refers to the white rim around their eyes and base of their beaks; this appears during breeding season. Their glossy feathers seem to change colors with the lighting.
Male Bufflehead flies over the Ponds.
The Red-winged Blackbirds are everywhere in the reeds in late winter and spring. A female is shown below.
Great Blue Herons were common in May.
Conservation Open Space Area (COSA)
A male Mallard looks outraged.
A Red-tailed Hawk landed on a post with a freshly caught rodent. Carnivorous birds have no teeth, so eating consists of tearing apart and choking down their prey. I used to think that if I died and could come back as another creature, I would want to be a bird. Eating like this make me reconsider that choice.
A female Wood Duck is not as gaudy as her male partner, but still a lovely bird.
Male and female Wood Ducks.
European Starlings are famous for their murmurations in large flocks. I also enjoy the colors of the individual birds. In winter they are covered in bright spots. In breeding season the spots fade, the bird develops glossy feathers, and the bill becomes yellow.
Western Bluebirds were often on a fence line in Spring.
Brewer’s Blackbirds lined up on a dead branch. The males, with their yellow eyes, bracket a female. These birds like to hang out in the Vons parking lot and near the tables at the Great Basin Bakery.
Below is a female House Finch. Her eye is swollen, red, and bulging. Her conjunctivitis is likely due to Mycoplasma gallisepticum, a bacteria that often infects poultry. This disease first appeared among House Finches in the mid-Atlantic states in 1994 and killed off about half of the House Finches in the area. The illness moved west, reaching California House Finches in 2006. Birds die due to lose of vision; they cannot feed themselves and are killed by predators. Will this bird survive her illness?
Airport Road
Northern Mockingbirds are common along the fence line of Gus Cashbaugh Lane. The second photo shows a bird with nest-building material in its beak.
A Savannah Sparrow perches on a reed. As a photographer, I am particularly fond of this photo, showing this tiny bird posed against a green background of new reeds.
The male Ring-necked Pheasant shown below was walking on Airport Road near the sewage ponds. I was excited to see this bird, a new species for me. This bird comes from Asia and was introduced to California around 1855. It was introduced to the Owens Valley for hunting in the early 1900s. The Fish and Game Department continued to spread these birds until 1977.
Ravens and Crows often harass other birds. Below a Common Raven torments a Turkey Vulture with the Sierra in the background.
I have many photos of Great Egrets in flight, but the pictures below were unusual. The sky was a bit overcast and the bird flew in front of darker clouds; this lighting made the wing feathers unusually translucent. Near the leading edge of each wing you can see some of the bone structure.
A male American Kestrel flies past.
A Bullock’s Oriole does a balancing act on some vegetation.
Pleasant Valley Reservoir
A Common Loon floats alone.
A male Common Merganser streaks over the water. In the second photo, the bird is moving away from us and the water looks green due to reflections from trees. I liked the reflections of the bird in both photos.
Rock Wrens are common along the Reservoir road. In the second picture, the Wren picks up a fly.
Two pictures of a Mallard and her family.
Owens Lake
For the third year in a row, Roberta and I attended the Owens Lake Bird Festival, sponsored by Friends of the Inyo. Each year we sign up for a photo shoot with Martin Powell; he grew up near the lake and has photographed birds there for many years. We cruise a network of gravel roads to get close to some birds. Drive and shoot, drive and shoot.
California Gulls are plentiful in the Spring and it is fun to see them flying and and feeding on the alkali flies.
In the image below, you can see the bird’s iris.
The black specks are alkali flies.
Waterbirds will often dip a wingtip into the water as they fly close to the surface. I used to think this was a minor flight error, like a car dragging its muffler. But I’ve seen this often with many bird species. My thought now is that the bird is tapping the water to assess or maintain its altitude, just as you might rest your hand lightly on a railing on a flight of stairs.
A long-billed curlew contorts itself to get food into its beak tip.
American Avocets.
Long-billed Dowitcher.
Green Gate road off of Dixon Lane
Two Great Horned Owls have been hanging out here. But no babies this year.
European Starlings showing their breeding plumage, particularly in the third picture.
Eurasian Collared Dove.
Bishop Creek Canal
Prairie Falcons are not common here and I had no good pictures of them in flight. This changed on April 8, when the bird below shot past me. The falcon headed north and then turned east. Flight was so smooth and predictable that I captured over 100 images with the bird in perfect focus.
The Falcon has fine white dots on the wings, something that was not known to me.
Western Meadowlark. The song of this bird is just as lovely as its feathers.
Red-tailed Hawks have a nest on Warm Springs Road. I managed to find two babies for pictures. They have already been banded.
Two photos of a young Red-tail near the canal. Note damage to feathers in both wings.
Loggerhead Shrike.
Roberta and I spotted 4 hawks that were flying close to each other near Warm Springs Road. They had white rumps and at first we thought they were Northern Harriers. But as we got closer, we realized these were something else. Later, looking at the photos, I decided they were Swainson’s Hawks. The first two photos below show a juvenile Swainson’s; the third photo shows a mature bird. These pictures were taken from the car. These hawks winter in locations from Mexico to Argentina. They come here to breed. They are not common here and I was happy to get photos with so much detail.
A Turkey Vulture was perched near the road. A bug (fly?) passed over the Vulture’s head and the Vulture turned to look at the bug; you can see this flying bug in the picture. The Vulture rolled its blue nictitating membrane over its eye, possibly for protection.
Miscellaneous
Chukars were introduced from areas that are now part of Pakistan. Like the Ring-necked Pheasant shown earlier, they were brought from Asia and turned loose to be hunted. The Pheasants like the habitat of agricultural fields. Chukars prefer dry rocky slopes. This bird was in Mazourka Canyon in the White Mountains. I got out of the car to get this picture. The Chukar did what they usually do. It ran off uphill.
The male House Finch shown below was singing like mad in my neighbor’s front yard. But his color is wrong; he should have bright red feathers on head and upper body. Instead he is yellow. Apparently this Finch cannot produce red feathers because his diet is deficient in certain chemicals that are needed.
Roberta spotted a Western Kingbird in a tree next to Ed Powers Road. The bird kept flying out to grab something in the air, then perching again.
A short comment
In this collection I showed two birds that were introduced from Asia so that people could shoot them in North America. This introduction of species for hunting is common. If you visit White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, you can also visit the nearby White Sands Proving Grounds. The Army tests missiles here. The visitor’s center has a missile museum, but surprisingly has heads of Oryx, a large African antelope, mounted on the wall. The State Fish and Game Department introduced 95 of these animals into the missile range between 1969 and 1977. Now the population numbers around 5000 and they are hunted as big game. They have also become a road hazard for motorists. On another trip, we were in the Davis Mountains of west Texas and saw a herd of what we initially thought were deer; but these were Barbary Sheep, imported from North Africa to be shot by hunters in Texas. These are all small, quirky examples of how humans have manipulated nature. For a more sweeping discussion, see Beth Shapiro: Life as We Made It: How 50,000 Years of Human Innovation Refined — and Redefined — Nature.
I selected bird pictures from the 2024-25 winter. All were shot in the Eastern Sierra, most close to Bishop. All were taken with my new full-frame camera, the Nikon Z8. I picked 60 photos that had some special appeal to me.
The Buckley Ponds
Horned Larks hang out in flocks of 30-40 birds. They hop about on the ground, scratch for food, and then take-off in unison to zoom about. They seem skittish, nervous, and hyperactive.
The Song Sparrow below was trying to find food on the ice. In the second image, the bird is executing a Hamill camel. If this term is not familiar, look up Dorothy Hamill.
A mature Cooper’s Hawk was in the trees on the Rawson Canal.
A Bewick’s Wren weighs 1/3 of an oz, but can bellow out over a dozen melodies. I often hear this bird, but cannot find it in thickets. Sometimes it poses politely, as shown below.
This Cinnamon Teal looks a little comical with his beak open.
The Ruddy Duck below looks calm and relaxed. I like the way his paddling churns up the water in his wake.
This Pied-billed Grebe also seemed tranquil, but then suddenly spit out water.
A male Redhead cruised by and then turned to fly over me.
The Eared Grebe below does not have the characteristic “ears” (tufts of feathers) that appear in mating season. It dives for food in the second shot.
Most of my flight photos of Red-tailed Hawks show the underside of this bird. But this hawk banked so that I captured a good view of its back and the red tail feathers. Note the messy white feather in the middle of the tail. Blackbirds will often chase and attack these hawks. Was the white feather partly pulled out by a Red-winged Blackbird?
Northern Harriers patrol low over open areas. I usually identify them by this flight pattern and the prominent band of white feathers where the tail meets the body. The white rump is easy to spot as the birds twist and turn over the sagebrush.
A Harrier couple was hunting at the ponds and in the surrounding desert. Back and forth, back and forth, over the brush. The female, seen below, wears a brown outfit.
The male sports a conservative gray suit, a dignified look.
I parked along the Rawson Canal, a little north of the ponds, and walked about, hoping to get more shots of the Harriers. I was tracking the brown female when the gray male came close, as seen below. I was pumped when I saw the encounter in the viewfinder. The camera was shooting 12 frames per second with a shutter speed of 1/2000. I wasn’t initially sure if I captured the action, or if the image was well focused. Later, when I saw the images on my computer, I was pleased. The camera caught sharp pictures of this split-second meeting.
In the next two pictures, the female hovered while the male plunges toward earth. But no bird hit the ground. These superb fliers were in control.
The next photo shows the female continuing her patrol of the desert.
The COSA
The COSA (Conservation Open Space Area) is a 25-acre plot of land right in Bishop, managed by the Bishop Paiute Tribe. It is just north of the Forest Service Office Building and the Hospital. On the east is a school and to the west is a health clinic. There are 1.2 miles of popular trails. Birds of all kinds frequent this area.
This winter a pair of Wood Ducks were often here. The colors of the male are so gaudy that they seem comical.
A Ring-necked Duck, below, was bathing itself in the pond.
Female Mallards have lovely feather patterns. I like the first Mallard photo for the reflection.
As we were leaving the COSA, we surprised two Mallards in a small drainage ditch. The ditch behind the female was in shadow, creating a portrait that reveals detail against a black background. A Mallard counterpart to Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring.
A Sharp-shinned Hawk yielded two photos that I liked.
A Great Egret lands, using wings to brake and legs to reach out for a perch.
A Red-shouldered Hawk.
European Starlings have intricate patterns.
A Song Sparrow.
A Ruby-crowned Kinglet weighs ¼ of an ounce. Hard to photograph because they won’t hold still. It is wearing spectacles.
A male House Finch looks as if it was dipped head-first in red powder.
I liked the feather detail in this image of a Eurasian-Collared Dove. This bird species originated in India, spread throughout Asia and Europe around 1600, arrived in North America about 50 years ago. They are now the most common dove in the Bishop area.
A Northern Mockingbird peeks around a branch.
Airport Road
The intersection of South Airport Road and Gus Cashbaugh Lane is a good place to find birds.
A flock of Canada Geese is heading south in March. The wrong direction!
Another flock of Geese heads north, with the Sierra in the background.
This Mountain Bluebird appeared in early March.
A male Northern Flicker.
Western Meadowlarks perch on the fences along the road. Their loud and lovely song is often heard here. In the first photo you can see the bird’s tongue. I managed to catch the bird in the air.
Pleasant Valley Reservoir
In winter the reservoir is used by all sorts of water birds, plus others.
The image below shows four Double-crested Cormorants. One thinks it is performing on Dancing with the Stars. The nearest bird is trying to ignore this display, while two other birds look on in shock.
A group of Ring-necked Ducks tries to take-off in a panic.
A Yellow-rumped Warbler displays the reason for its name.
A male Bufflehead tries to get airborne by pushing off the water with its pink feet.
The American Dipper (previously the Water Ouzel) was John Muir’s favorite bird. If you hike in the Sierra and take a break near a forested stream, you can watch this bird as it flies upstream and downstream near the water surface. It may dive into the water and re-emerge in another spot. When it lands on a rock, it bobs up and down as if it was doing squats. My favorite Dipper encounter was in Shinumo Creek in the Grand Canyon. I was wading down the creek bed; the clear water was about a foot deep, placidly flowing over a bottom of rock and sand. I watched a dipper that was walking about underwater searching for bugs. In the photo below, the Dipper was looking for food where the Owens River flows into the reservoir.
Miscellaneous places
Across the street from my house, a flock of male Brewer’s Blackbirds mingled with female Red-winged Blackbirds.
On Brockman Lane, a Red-shouldered Hawk was sounding off.
On Warm Springs Road, a Red-tailed Hawk was yelling.
A quartet of European Starlings rehearses with their conductor along the Bishop Creek Canal.
In January a couple of Sandhill Cranes spent three days feeding in a mowed alfalfa field north of the Bishop-Sunland Landfill. These Cranes are common on the West side of the Sierra. These two must have made a wrong turn.
A male American Kestrel perches on a power line near the Bishop Landfill.
A Great Blue Heron in a tree near Dixon Lane.
Another Great Blue Heron flies away from me at Klondike Lake, south of Bishop. Note missing feathers on right wing.
A male Bufflehead tries to take off from a pond near Klondike Lake.
Three Ruddy Ducks launching at Owens Lake.
Finally one of the Ruddy Ducks is in the air, its wing-tip dipping into the smooth water.
The Bald Eagle is low-hanging fruit for a photographer. These big birds (10 pounds, wingspan 6.5 feet) often perch on a bare limb. With just a smartphone you can capture a classic pose: the fierce bird surveying its realm. The distinct white head makes it simple for the casual observer to spot and identify this bird. Even when flying, getting a photo is not hard due to the bird’s large size and straight path.
Bald Eagles show up at the Buckley Ponds near Bishop in November and depart in February. People get excited if they spot an eagle. When they see me walking with my camera, they love to tell me about this bird. I try to cheerfully thank them, suppressing a grumpy urge to say that I’ve been photographing the bird for weeks. Eagles so excite the public that I own five guidebooks that feature a Bald or Golden Eagle on the cover: The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds, Smithsonian Birds of North America, National Geographic Complete Birds of North America, The Crossley ID Guide Raptors, and Birds of the Great Basin: A Natural History. Publishers know that eagles sell.
In winter, Bald Eagles can be found in several areas close to Bishop: Airport Road, Warm Springs Road, north of Dixon Lane, the alfalfa fields near the dump. I’ve seen them year-round at the Pleasant Valley Reservoir. They show up near Big Pine, Tinemaha Reservoir, and Mono Lake. In summer they can be found at Sabrina Lake (9200 feet) and Convict Lake (7900 feet).
Classic Poses of Mature Eagles
I’ll start with photos that show mature Bald Eagles in a classic perched pose. These birds are impressive. They look muscular and fierce. You can think of them as gangsters of the avian world. The first eight photos were taken at the Buckley Ponds and were selected because they also show some of the surrounding landscape.
Take another look at the last two photos. They show the same bird. Did you notice the scattered white blotches on the back of the bird? This bird has excrement on its back, undoubtedly from another Eagle that was flying above it. This majestic bird needs a bath.
The next 6 photos show Eagles at the Pleasant Valley Reservoir. They dine on fish and sometimes other birds. The first photo, showing an eagle surrounded by tree branches, is one of my favorites.
The Eagle below is at Sabrina Lake in August. A nice fishing spot for Eagles and people.
Eagle below checks out the electrical grid north of Bishop.
The next five photos are all Eagle portraits taken at the Buckley Ponds. It is often possible to get fairly close to these birds. Of course a telephoto lens helps.
Bald Eagles Have White Heads, Right?
In February of 2022, I saw a mature Bald Eagle near the Bishop Creek Canal. Then Roberta spotted a dark-colored eagle nearby. I examined my photos and realized that the second bird was a juvenile Bald Eagle, with a pale belly and scattered white feathers on the neck. Until that encounter, I thought all Bald Eagles had white heads.
Bald Eagles take about 5 years to develop their dramatic white head and tail. In their first year, they have dark brown heads and bills that are black. This change with age was worked out by bird artist Charles Wilson Peale in 1797; by the 1820s this was well-known to bird experts. Two centuries passed before I got the message. I lived in Seattle for over a decade and saw many Bald Eagles. Not once did I notice a juvenile Bald Eagle; this shows that you see only what you look for. Young Bald Eagles can be distinguished from Golden Eagles by several features; a pale belly, no golden feathers on the neck, white wing pits, lots of white color under the wings, a tail with messy-white feathers, lower legs free of feathers, brown eyes that become yellow with age, dark beaks that become bicolored and then yellow, massive beaks with a sharp hook at the end. Bald Eagles hang out with other Bald Eagles. Bald Eagles favor water and prefer to eat fish. Golden Eagles like cliffs and rabbits. In 2022, looked through my photo library and realized every “Golden” eagle in my collection was a young Bald Eagle.
Below I show photos of Bald Eagles ordered, approximately, from age one year to age 4 years. If you are a birding expert and think my age estimates are off, let me know.
One year old
The massive, hooked beak, below, tells you this is a Bald Eagle.
Alfalfa fields near the Bishop dump, below.
Age two years
Age 3 years
Age 4 years. By now the head is almost white, the eyes yellow, the beak nearly all yellow.
Flight
Below, an Eagle over Convict Lake, October, looking for fish. This was one of my first eagle photos: 2018. I did not even need a telephoto lens.
White Mountain in the background below:
Below, a young eagle hunting at the Buckley Ponds. When the Eagle takes off, dozens of American Coots go wild trying to fly or swim away from the Eagle’s path.
In December of 2022, I was walking on Warm Springs Road. I saw two birds flying toward me and I started shooting. These were two young Eagles. As they flew past, one Eagle braked and slowed, while the other bird did a barrel-role and displayed its talons. This behavior is sometimes described as a mating ritual. Or were they were just having fun? These are some of my favorite photos. How I wish I could see something like this again.
Below are 4 photos that show a young Eagle landing in a Cottonwood at the Buckely Ponds. It overshoots a bit, failing to stick the landing; then it balances properly. In the last photo you can see the bird’s tongue.
A young Bald Eagle takes off at the Buckley Ponds and swoops low over the ground.
A young Bald Eagle soars above the Pleasant Valley Reservoir.
In January of 2025, a 4-year old Eagle takes off at the Buckley Ponds. One of my favorite Eagle photos.
Eating
Double-crested Cormorants catch fish at the Pleasant Valley Reservoir. The Eagle below caught a Cormorant. You can see the Eagle is tearing apart its prey.
The Eagle below was perched at the Buckley Ponds on Dec 18, 2021:
A few days later, on Dec 22, I walked alone at the Ponds. It was 26 degrees and the Ponds were mostly frozen. I rounded a corner and found a Snow Goose on the road. I was surprised and so was the Goose; it flew off before I could get a photo. An hour later I came back to my car and saw an Eagle eating on the frozen lake; the fluffy stuff on the ice is white down, the remains of the Snow Goose. Blood, flesh, and bones were mixed with the down.
The Eagle flew off. You can see it below and even make out blood on the beak and feet. Some snow is on the ground.
The next photo, below, shows the Eagle perched, with blood on beak and toes. Compare with the picture shown above for Dec 18. This is the same perch and probably the same Eagle.
A Northern Harrier then arrived and tried to steal some of the remaining flesh; the Eagle chased the Harrier off. Later in the day, I came back to the Ponds and found a Red-tailed Hawk had managed to get some of the Goose meat. So three raptors dined on Goose that day. I wondered if my sudden appearance caused the Goose to carelessly fly into the path of the Eagle?
Below are 2 photos of the Red-tail, with Goose feathers on its beak:
The next picture shows a young Eagle flying near the Buckley Ponds. The bird is clutching something and seems to be pecking or biting whatever was in its talons.
Miscellaneous
The photo below shows a group of Crows harassing a Bald Eagle near Airport Road. The Eagle looks downcast.
The next two photos show a Crow chasing a Bald Eagle.
The next 4 photos show a Bald Eagle cleaning its beak on a branch near the Buckley Ponds. The bird cries out in the last two pictures.
The final photo shows the talons of a young Eagle.
A Fictional Eagle
Kenn Kaufman’s new (2024) book, The Birds that Audubon Missed: Discovery and Desire in the American Wilderness, describes how John James Audubon created a fictitious bird which he called the “Bird of Washington, Falco washingtonii.” Audubon claimed that this was a newly discovered species of eagle, 25% larger than a Bald Eagle, with a wingspan over ten feet. He did this to sell subscriptions for his expensive book series, Birds of America, which was printed in Britain starting in 1827. Audubon knew that Eagles sell. Recently, historians discovered that Audubon’s painting of this counterfeit bird was plagiarized from an illustration of a generic raptor in a book by Abraham Rees.
In late December, 2024, Roberta and I were driving home after a bird walk. I was bemoaning how the Owens Valley had changed in ways that birds cannot control. Airports, canals, cars, cattle, highways, homes, and telephone lines have all appeared in the last two centuries. Birds, here for millennia, have no say in these changes.
But for the Red-shouldered Hawk (RSHA), my lament is mistaken. They are newcomers. These birds live east of the Great Plains. They are absent from the Plains, the Rockies, and the Intermountain West. But they reappear on the west side of the Sierra, inhabiting forests near rivers in California’s Central Valley. So there is a giant territory, from the Sierra crest almost to the Mississippi, where you will not find these birds.
They were absent from Inyo County until 1968, when the dead body of a Red-shouldered Hawk was found in Death Valley. During the 1970s, they moved into the Bishop area. Now they live here year-round, nesting and raising their young. They are on tree branches and power lines all over Bishop and the surrounding fields. They control the land along West Line Street from downtown to Riata Road. One of these hawks hunts patiently from a Line Street telephone cable; I drive past this bird 50 times a year.
I graduated from medical school and moved to California in 1970 to start my internship at Stanford. In June I drove over Tioga Pass and down Highway 395 for the first time. In 2002, I settled in Bishop. So I feel some kinship with our local Red-shouldered Hawks; I imitated their move to this area.
Size
Red-shouldered Hawks are a medium-sized raptor. Smaller than a Red-tail, larger than a Cooper’s. Here is a table of size and weight (numbers from Sibley’s guide) for some local raptors:
Length (inches) Weight (pounds)
Bald Eagle 31 9.5
Ferruginous Hawk 23 3.5
Red-tailed Hawk 19 2.4
Swainson’s Hawk 19 1.9
Peregrine Falcon 16 1.6
Red-shouldered Hawk 17 1.4
Northern Harrier 18 1
Cooper’s Hawk 16.5 1
Prairie Falcon 16 1.6
Sharp-shinned Hawk 11 0.3
American Kestrel 9 0.3
Appearance
The first photo below shows a mature Red-shouldered Hawk near the Bishop Creek Canal. I had recently purchased a telephoto lens and was excited to find this bird. These hawks are not that skittish; I was able to approach within a 100 feet or so and the bird let me take a hundred pictures. The red color of the chest continues onto the wing, giving the bird its name. Lower on the body the red feathers form horizonal lines. The characteristic that stands out most to me are the white markings on the black feathers, visible on the side and back. These white spots contribute to the bird’s Latin name: Buteo lineatus = lined hawk. If it were up to me, this would be called the “Spotted Hawk,” for the white spots or blotches on the back.
Above, the right eye looks like a black marble, while the left eye shows a brown iris around the black pupil. The eyes of many raptors look fierce, but the eyes of this hawk look like those of a harmless kitten.
Birds have a nictitating membrane, a translucent “third eyelid” that arises near the nose and can be drawn across the eye to clean, moisten, and protect it. There are other creatures with this membrane, such as sharks, beavers, and cats. See photo below.
Red-shouldered Hawks are “still-hunters” or “perch-hunters.” They sit on a branch or wire and look down, patiently watching for prey. While they do this, they look hunched over; see photo below. When they spot a rodent or insect, they will swoop down and grab it. Instead of flying down, they may just topple forward (or backward) and drop, falling quickly with little movement. Their folded wings snap open just before they hit the ground. I’ve seen this twice; it looks as if the bird just fainted and fell off the wire. See the hunting posture below.
The next two pictures show a Hawk on Line Street near Barlow Lane. In the second photo a breeze lifted up the feathers on the neck.
The photo below shows a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks on Barlow Lane, near Line Street.
The bird in the next picture was on Dixon Lane near the Green Gate road; this is where Great Horned Owls raise their young.
Just north of Line Street is the Conservation Open Space Area (COSA), run by the Bishop Paiute Tribe. The following 3 photos show a Red-shouldered Hawk that was present during the Christmas Bird Count. The first photo shows the spotted or linear pattern on the back. In the second and third pictures, look for a red spot on the left foot; blood from a recent victim.
A few days later I returned to the COSA and again saw a Red-shouldered Hawk. Same one? First I show a frontal view. Then a view of the back. The tip of the tail is white, most of the tail is black with thin white bands. The primary feather tips lie on top of the tail, but fail to reach the tail-tip. A curtain of white feathers lies on top of the primaries. From the back, the red-shoulders and breast are often invisible, but the feather pattern I’ve just described helps identify this bird.
The next photo shows the back of a bird at the Buckley Ponds. I can make out 4, possibly 5, white bands on the tail. The long primary feathers overlap the tail and above them is a horizontal “skirt” of feathers.
Another view of a bird on Dixon Lane. You cannot see the red shoulders, but the white-black patterns are a giveaway.
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks look rougher, the upper chest has red streaks, the lines across the body are less distinct. The next four photos show birds that I think are juveniles.
These hawks love telephone lines. If you see a raptor on a line, think of this bird first. The first photo below was taken near the Bishop dump, the next four pictures on Line Street near Barlow Lane. The bird in the last 3 photos is there almost every week, searching for food; if it is not the same bird, they must be related. The last picture shows two of these hawks.
Preening
An immature Hawk at the Buckley Ponds was preening; It was licking feathers, trying to tear them out, and generally contorting itself. Why is the lower eyelid so swollen in some images?
A week later I saw another immature Hawk, or perhaps the same one, imitating Linda Blair in the Exorcist.
Flight
Unlike some raptors, these birds do not usually engage in long flights. I have photographed them covering short distances, moving from one perch to another.
In courtship displays, the male bird is willing to soar upwards for hundreds of feet, then plunge to earth with wings folded, pulling up just before cratering. I hope to see this someday.
The picture below shows a RSHA landing on a post near the Bishop Creek Canal. At the end of each wing are long, dark, primary feathers. At the base of the primary feathers is a band of white; this is sometimes described as a translucent window, crescent, or comma. This feature can help identify the bird in flight. This translucent band can be seen below.
The following two photos show a RSHA taking off on Warm Springs Road. Both photos show the band of whiter feathers near the ends of the wings.
A Red-shouldered Hawk takes off on the Bishop Creek Canal. Left wing shows the band of light color.
Two more pictures show a RSHA landing at the Buckley Ponds.
On Barlow Lane, one Hawk takes off while its mate looks on.
The next two photos show a bird flying away in the forest of the Conservation Open Space Area.
Feeding
The United Methodist Church is in downtown Bishop. Roberta was finishing up a chore in the Soup Kitchen and I was waiting in the car. I noticed a hawk in a nearby tree and stepped out to get some pictures. It was a RSHA tearing apart a rodent; perhaps a Norway Rat? Birds have no teeth. Raptors rip their food apart, choking down the pieces. They have no manners. The bird looks like a fierce gargoyle in some images. These pictures were taken within a 7 minute interval; no leisurely dining for this bird. The bird kept thrashing the rodent about, changing position, and flying short distances. If you ever wished to be reincarnated as a bird, consider having to eat like this.
Fun fact
Red-shouldered Hawks are not the only raptors new to Inyo County. Bald Eagles were not recorded in the County until 1967. Now we see them every winter at the Buckley Ponds, Pleasant Valley Reservoir, and other locations. So Red-shouldered Hawks, Bald Eagles, and Peter are all fairly new to Inyo County. Other new arrivals are Great-tailed Grackles (1970) and Eurasian Collared Doves (2002).
Two seconds of action
Roberta and I walked north on Barlow, then turned west onto Line Street. Across the road, I saw a Red-shouldered Hawk fall backwards off a telephone pole. Just before it smashed on the ground, the wings popped out. This converted the falling momentum to horizontal flight and the bird shot across Line Street, a foot above the pavement. There was a mouse in grass near the road edge; it saw the Hawk, but too late. All over in two seconds.
November’s blog was a bit technical, with few photos. This month, December, will have more photos, fewer words. I selected pictures from 2022; 38 show birds or other creatures, 10 show landscapes.
Some Water Birds
Mallards are usually found at Bishop City Park. They sleep in my backyard and they float on our local ponds and canals. During breeding season the males have bright green heads, but the light angle can make the head look purple, blue, or black. For years, I thought there were two species of Mallards until I saw a duck that seemed to change its color right in front of me. The male below has a head that seems to be half black and half green.
Mallards, Airport Road, Bishop
The male below posed at the Bishop City Park, letting me photograph detail in the feathers.
Mallard, Bishop City Park
Mallards take off with explosive force; their wings boost them up by pushing down on the water. At Airport Road, Roberta and I have been startled when 100 ducks take off at once. The picture below shows a quacking Mallard that just took off from the Buckley Ponds.
Mallard, Buckley Ponds
Buffleheads are easy to identify; the male below was in breeding plumage at the Buckley Ponds in March.
Bufflehead, Buckley Ponds, Bishop
American Wigeons are often at the City Park.
American Wigeon. Bishop City Park.
Male Wood Ducks have implausible colors.
Wood Ducks. Buckley Ponds, Bishop.
Years ago a friend showed us shorebirds in the Owens Valley. I was amazed and amused to learn that we have sandpipers (Least, Western, and Spotted) in our local desert.
Spotted Sandpiper. Buckley Ponds, Bishop.
Occasionally a tern will turn (pun!) up at the Buckley Ponds. When there are two of them, we always say “One good tern deserves another.” Lame, I admit! The Caspian Tern winters on the coast, breeds in the Great Basin. A spectacular bird.
Caspian Tern. Buckley Ponds, Bishop.
Some Small Birds
Rock Wrens are common at the Pleasant Valley Reservoir.
Rock Wren. Pleasant Valley Reservoir, Bishop.
The Calliope Hummingbird winters in southern Mexico, breeds in the Sierra.
Calliope Hummingbird. McGee Creek, Sierra Nevada.
Cliff Swallows build their mud nests on the side of the Mono Basin Visitor’s Center in Lee Vining. The fledglings want food in early July.
Cliff Swallow fledgling. Lee Vining.Cliff Swallow learning to fly. Lee Vining, Mono Lake.
Violet-green Swallows are found on the tufa towers of Mono Lake, where they hunt for bugs in the air.
Violet-green Swallow. South Beach, Mono Lake.
I mistake House Finches for sparrows, but the red color and fat beaks make them easy to identify in photos.
House Finches. Bishop Creek Canal.
Green-tailed Towhees are often found near Convict Lake and in McGee Creek canyon.
Green-tailed Towhee. McGee Creek, Sierra.
Ash-throated Flycatcher. An “ordinary” bird that is lovely when you look closely.
Ash-throated Flycatcher. Buckley Ponds.
A Few Bigger Birds
The Ladder-backed Woodpecker has a distinctive back.
Ladder-backed Woodpecker. Bishop Creek Canal.
The Hairy Woodpecker is common in the Owens Valley, but this one was in the Arboretum in Reno.
Hairy Woodpecker. Arboretum, Beno NV.
This Robin was putting on a show at the Arboretum in Reno.
American Robin. Arboretum, Reno NV.
A Blue Grosbeak looks unreal.
Blue Grosbeak. Buckley Ponds, Bishop.
White-faced Ibis migrant past Bishop in large flocks. They look dramatic against the mountains.
White-faced Ibis. Buckley Ponds.
A juvenile Western Bluebird poses on a post.
Western Bluebird. Bishop Creek Canal.
The Eurasian Collared Dove has become the most common dove in the Owens Valley. This bird only arrived in California about 30 years ago.
Eurasian Collared Dove. Bishop Creek Canal.
Red-winged Blackbirds show up in late February and sing incessantly for months.
Red-winged Blackbird. Buckley Ponds.
It looks as if this Bald Eagle is chatting with a Raven. I suspect the Raven is harassing the eagle.
Bald Eagle. Common Raven. Buckley Ponds.
Birds spend a lot of time preening — taking care of their feathers. This Red-shouldered Hawk was tearing out feathers, licking them, and generally going nuts at the Buckley Ponds.
Animals
American Pikas live in the high Sierra.
American Pika. Bishop Pass Trail.
Mule deer are in our mountains and in the fields and desert near Bishop. This one is partly wet because she just crossed the Rawson Canal. They are named for their ears.
Mule Deer. Buckley Ponds.
The Coast at Fort Bragg
Roberta and I visit Fort Bragg about once a year. Recently Fort Bragg built the Noyo Headlands trail on the bluffs between the ocean and a defunct lumber mill. Snails cross this trail.
Brown Garden Snail. Fort Bragg, CA
Below a Black Oystercatcher seems to be wearing nail polish.
Black Oystercatcher. Fort Bragg, CA.
The Common Raven is common around Bishop. But they are hard to approach. At the coast, where people sometimes feed them, they are easier to photograph.
Common Raven. Fort Bragg, CA.
Brown Pelicans are easy to photograph because they are big and they fly in predictable lines.
Scenes Without Birds
If you drive 2.5 hours south of Bishop, you can camp amid the Trona Pinnacles. These are tufa (calcium carbonate) formations from an ancient lake. They were featured in a Star Trek episode.
Trona Pinnacles. Trona, CA.
Bryce Canyon National Park in February.
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah.
The Painted Desert seen from Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. Creek in foreground is Lithodendron Wash. Pilot Rock is the distant butte against the sky.
Petrified trees litter Petrified Forest National Park.
In February, the Airport Fire started near Bishop’s airport. It jumped to the cottonwoods along the Owens River. High winds pushed the flames south along the stream for over 15 miles, threatening Big Pine. I took photos looking across Klondike Lake.
Roberta and I drove east of 395 on Aberdeen Road to photograph the sunrise on the Sierra. The first photo shows Cardinal Mountain in twilight at 6:49am. Six minutes later the sun cleared the Inyo Mountains behind me and the same scene was lit by red alpenglow. Both photos show a dark band of rock on the top of the ridge. This is a roof pendant. The dark rock on top is older volcanic or sedimentary rock. Molten granite rose up under this dark layer and cooled. The dark older rock eroded away across most of the Sierra. But in some places, such as here, the old rocks remained as a layer on top of the younger granite.
McGee Creek (and nearby Convict Creek) both have colorful twisted layers of sedimentary rock. The telephoto shot below shows ridges of different rock types that cover the north wall of the canyon.
In October, the aspens change colors. This panorama shot was taken up the canyon from the Bishop Creek Lodge.
The ancient Greek myths tell us that the First Bird, Archaeopteryx, bargained with the Gods. In a swap for the gift of flight, the Bird gave up his arms, hands, and fingers in exchange for feathered wings. But Zeus let the Bird keep his legs, feet, toes, and talons, which the Bird could use for carrying, climbing, diving, eating, fighting, hopping, hovering, jumping, landing, mating, paddling, perching, preening, running, scratching, swimming, taking off, wading, and walking.
Ok, I made up that Greek myth. But that was, in effect, the bargain that birds made when they evolved from dinosaurs. They exchanged their arms for wings, but kept feet which they later modified. This essay shows pictures of bird feet, a feature of birds that I’ve come to notice through photography.
The Four-toed Foot
The Red-winged Blackbird demonstrates the prototype of an avian foot; three toes point forward, one toe points backward. Each toe has a long claw or talon. Falconers wear gloves to protect their arms from sharp talons; but even a tiny blackbird has claws that look sharp and long.
The photo below shows the three forward toes and single backward toe of both feet. The backwards toe, the hallux, is equivalent to our big toe.
The next photo reveals the sharpness of the talons of the left foot. Talons, or claws, grow constantly; they are kept to a reasonable length by wear and tear. The bird’s position in the photo looks stressful, clinging to an upright limb. It looks like a pole dancer at a nightclub. [Full disclosure: I have never seen a pole dancer, aside from movie scenes.] But birds use this type of side-perch all the time, so it must be easy for them. Bird toes have a clever design. The tendon in each toe has bumps on its surface. Once the bird grips something, the tendon bumps mesh with corresponding notches in the surrounding tendon sheath. Sibley writes that this locks off the tendon much like a plastic zip tie. The bird can maintain its grip with little muscular effort.
The bird below is a female Red-winged Blackbird. We can see the first joint in her leg. Is that her knee? If so, her knee seems to bend backwards compared with our knees. This impression is wrong. The long bone from the first joint down to the toes is actually the tarsus, equivalent to the mid-bones of the human foot. What we call the foot of a bird is just the toes. The first joint that we see in the photo is the heel, not the knee. Birds literally walk and perch on tip-toe. The actual knee and femur are usually hidden by feathers and flesh.
There are variations on this prototypical bird foot. Some birds have two toes or three, some have webbing, some have lobes, some have two toes forward and two backwards, and so on. A few of these variations will appear later.
Foot portraits
Raptors
I’ll start with raptors, because their toes and talons are so big and dramatic. The raptor-foot photos all show that yellow is the fashion choice for these carnivores.
The talons of a Bald Eagle are fearsome. These should not be legal.
A juvenile Cooper’s Hawk uses a powerline in my backyard to hunt for birds.
Juvenile Cooper’s Hawk. Bishop CA.
A Red-shouldered Hawk shows off its talons.
Red-shouldered Hawk. Buckley Ponds.
A Peregrine Falcon brings its reign of terror to the Bishop Creek Canal. These hunters kill birds by either grabbing them in the air or by slamming into them with their big feet. Their feet must be tough as they use them like boxing gloves with daggers.
Peregrine Falcon. Bishop Creek Canal.
A Prairie Falcon poses next.
Prairie Falcon. Warm Springs Road, Bishop.
The next few photos show Red-tailed Hawks. First, a classic pose shows how the feet grab a branch. The bird seems to let part of the branch rest in its “palm.” You will later see a Western Meadowlark use a similar pose.
Red-tailed Hawk. Bishop Creek Canal.
Then a nice view of talons.
Red-tailed Hawk. Bishop Creek Canal.
The photo below shows a common habit of Red-tails and some other birds. The bird perches on one foot, then hides the other foot in its belly feathers. It looks as if it is growing a foot out of a belly-button. Except birds don’t have belly buttons.
Red-tailed Hawk. Bishop Creek Canal.
The next 3 photos show a young Red-tail that lifts its left foot and hides it in its feathers. Why do this? Their feet have little blood flow and are very resistant to cold. Still, perhaps it has to do with minimizing heat lose. Or perhaps this just feels comfortable for the bird.
Young Red-tailed Hawk. Buckley Ponds.
Songbirds
Let’s move on to the feet of songbirds. Their feet look similar from one bird to the next, although the color varies. The first two pictures show a female Brewer’s Blackbird. She lifts her foot and turns herself around on a strand of barbed wire. Bird’s have terrific balance. It used to be thought that birds could perch on a branch because they had a very tight grip. But in fact their grip is often loose and the key is superb balance. Birds have one balance center in their brain and another in the pelvis. They are all miniature Simone Biles.
A male Brewer’s Blackbird is feeding on alkali flies at Mono Lake. The yellow eye gives him an angry look.
How does a Black-billed Magpie manage that long tail?
Black-billed Magpie. Bishop Creek Canal.Logger-head Shrike. Bishop Creek Canal.
Western Meadowlark. The position shown here is used by many birds. One foot rests right on the end of a branch; it is as if the branch is covered by the palm of a hand. The other foot holds on below. For another example, see the first photo of a Red-tailed Hawk, shown above.
Western Meadowlark. Bishop Creek Canal.Yellow-rumped Warbler. Bishop Creek Canal.
Fun fact about Towhees. Apparently the origin of the word “Towhee” is unknown.
Spotted Towhee. Bishop Creek Canal.Green-tailed Towhee. Convict Lake.
Northern Mockingbird. This spread-legged stance is common, even though it looks awkward. When they perch, birds are constantly balancing over their feet, with little effort. They can sleep all night on a branch, even in a wind.
Northern Mocking Bird. Airport Road.House Sparrow. Line St, Bishop.Lazuli Bunting. Near Airport Road, Bishop.Blue Grosbeak, male. Bishop Creek Canal.
Bewick’s Wren. These little guys hide in bushes and sing and sing; really noisy.
Bewick’s Wren. Gus Cashbaugh Lane, Bishop.
Rock Wren, trying to eat a grasshopper.
Rock Wren. Pleasant Valley Reservoir, Bishop.
A Violet-green Swallow. For some reason, she let me get very close.
Violet-green Swallow. Mono Lake.
European Starlings. These birds are famous for flying in large flocks; murmurations. Their toes seem strangely long.
European Starling. Bishop Creek Canal.
Water Birds
Birds that swim and wade have distinctive feet. A female Mallard has large webbed feet for swimming and wading. She has three forward toes, joined by webbing. And a rear-facing toe that is very small.
Female Mallard. Bishop City Park. Male in background.
Mallard ducklings already have big feet. Instead of a large rear-pointing toe, they have a short pointed toe. This is their remnant of the big toe, the hallux. You can see this toe in the duckling on the left.
Mallards. Bishop City Park.
A Common Merganser is shouting at a male Mallard. Both of them have a stubby hallux pointing to the rear. Why do both have orange-red feet?
Common Merganser, Mallards. Bishop City Park.
A Wood Duck is a strange sight up in tree. They are called Wood Ducks because they have adapted to living in trees; but it still looks funny. The webbed feet wrap partly around the branch.
Wood Duck, male. Gus Cashbaugh Lane, Bishop.
The American Coot has lobes on the side of its toes, instead of webbing. These lobes help with paddling. Big green feet.
American Coot. Buckley Ponds.American Coot. Buckley Ponds.
The webbed foot of a Tundra Swan is enormous.
Tundra Swan. Klondike Lake, near Big Pine CA. (Foreground bird is a Greater White-fronted Goose.)
A Great Blue Heron lifts its giant foot and then hides it in its belly feathers. You can still see a little bit of a toe in the second photo. Roberta and I were walking in the early morning; so dark that we almost walked into this bird.
Great Blue Heron. Bishop Creek Canal.
The foot of a Great Egret is gigantic.
Great Egret. Bishop Creek Canal.
The Black-Crowned Night Heron is a wading bird with big feet. I think these lovely birds look like a colorful football. I wish I could see them more often, but they hunt at night; our schedules do not overlap much.
Black Crowned Night Heron. Buckley Ponds.
The American Avocet has nearly translucent legs and feet. This bird looks very full of itself.
American Avocet. Owens Lake.
The Black-necked Stilt looks like a cartoon bird. Seriously, pink legs? Remember, everything below the backwards “knee” is actually the foot.
Black-necked Stilt. Airport Road.
A young California Gull perches at the Bishop City Park. Note the short, spiky toe at the back of the “foot.”
Young California Gull. Bishop City Park.
A Snowy Egret wears yellow socks.
Snowy Egret. Owens Lake.
Miscellaneous Birds
A Mexican Jay in Big Bend National Park, Texas, grasps the sharp spine of a Harvard Agave. These spines are seriously dangerous — very sharp and strong. But the Jay can deal with it.
Mexican Jay. Big Bend National Park, Texas.
This Blue-footed Booby (yes, real name) was photographed in the Galapagos Islands by my friend Bart O’Brien in 2023. Nice photo of a great bird! I’ve seen these birds when kayaking in Baja, but I have no photos of them.
Bart brought home a Booby as a present for me. I was going to let it free at the Buckley Ponds near Bishop. But Bart had to hide this gift from customs and sadly it was strangled by a pair of socks in his luggage. I had it stuffed and mounted in my yard.
Blue-footed Booby, stuffed. Bishop.
Feet in Flight
In the air, the legs of a bird are less than useless. They add weight and create air resistance. For a bird trying to travel, it makes sense to abandon its feet and rent a new pair when it lands. In flight, birds copy the approach of a jet airplane. They fold up their landing gear into an aerodynamic position, then lower it on return to earth.
The Bald Eagle shows the strategy most used by raptors; fold up the feet and stow them out of the way, under the tail feathers.
Bald Eagle. Buckley Ponds.
The Red-tailed Hawk uses the same method, although the stowage below the tail is a bit sloppy in the photo below.
Red-tailed Hawk. Airport Road, Bishop.
A Northern Harrier will often let its feet hang down a bit. This bird flies low, finds its victims, and suddenly drops. So high speed is often not important and having the feet ready to grasp an unsuspecting mouse is handy.
Northern Harrier, female. Buckley Ponds.
A House Finch shows perfect technique, quickly stowing the landing gear for flight.
House Finch. Airport Road, Bishop
A Western Meadowlark brings up its feet quickly after take-off.
Western Meadowlark. Gus Cashbaugh Lane, Bishop.
A Great Blue Heron has no place to hide its legs and feet. They are just too long. So it lifts the legs up and hold the toes out to minimize drag in the air. Sort of like an airplane dragging the luggage behind.
Great Blue Heron. Bishop Creek Canal.
Several other wading/swimming birds also drag their feet behind them, raised up as best they can.
White-faced Ibis. Owens Lake. Sierra in background.American Avocet. Owens Lake.American Coot. Buckley Ponds.
American White Pelicans can stow their big orange feet under their tail feathers. The ones shown below were part of a large flock flying in front of the White Mountains. These birds have 9-foot wingspans and weigh 16 pounds. They are the biggest North American bird, after the California Condor. Watching them cruise through the Owens Valley is a terrific sight.
American White Pelicans. Buckley Ponds.
A Greater White-fronted Goose does a fine job of hiding its webbed feet under the tail.
Greater White-Fronted Goose. Klondike Lake, Big Pine.
A Common Merganser has bright orange-red at both ends.
Common Merganser. Pleasant Valley Reservoir, Bishop.
Mallards tuck up their webbed feet.
Mallards. Male on left, female right. Bishop Creek Canal.
The feet of a Common Tern are tiny — you can barely see them in the photo below.
Common Tern. Buckley Ponds.
Landing
Bird toes have to be tough. They contact rough wood, barbed wire, dirt, and rock. Every day they absorb the shock of landing, over and over. Here are some landing photos.
Great Egret. Bishop Creek Canal.American Coot. Buckley Ponds.Red-tailed Hawk. Airport Road.Ferruginous Hawk. Gus Cashbaugh Lane.Bald Eagle, juvenile. Buckley Ponds.
An Osprey lands on a nest at Mono Lake. Note that both legs have bands on them. They look like handcuffs.
Osprey. Mono Lake.
Preening and Scratching
Birds use their feet to manage their feathers and to scratch themselves. The first photo shows a Bald Eagle that had dirt and vegetation on its beak and head. She is trying to clean up.
Bald Eagle. Buckley Ponds.
Violet-green Swallow scratching itself.
Violet-green Swallow. Mono Lake.
Prairie Falcon scratching. Putting those talons right near an eye looks hazardous.
Prairie Falcon. Gus Cashbaugh Lane.
Northern Mockingbird scratching and going nuts. Why?
Northern Mockingbird. Airport Road.
Owl scratches near its face.
Great Horned Owl. Green Gate Road.
Mating and Courtship
A male bird mounts the back of the female, so of course the feet are involved. Below we see a pair of Cooper’s Hawks. She has her right foot wrapped around a dead bird, probably an Eurasian Collared-Dove. The male Hawk has to take care not to hurt her with his talons.
Cooper’s hawks. Line St, Bishop.
California Gulls mating at Owens Lake. Get a room!
A male (grey color) and female (brown) Northern Harrier were hunting back and forth over the Buckley Ponds. Suddenly they flew up, displaying their talons toward each other. This looks like aggression, but it is actually a form of courtship display. A split-second later they flew apart and resumed the hunt.
Northern Harriers. Female above, male below. Buckley Ponds.
I saw two Bald Eagles high up and started shooting pictures. They were juveniles, maybe three years old. At first they flew side by side, but then one flew upward, rolled on its back, displayed its talons, and then completed the roll to an upright position. The other Eagle braked, hovered, and held out its talons. This is a courtship display. I was lucky to see this.
Ice and Snow
Birds can get frostbite, but that is rare. Their toes contain bone, tendons, only a few nerves and blood vessels, no muscles, and a tough outer sheath. Apparently their feet tolerate cold and heat well. Below we see Coots on ice. When the Buckley Ponds freeze, Coots lose their watery protection and they are cut off from food. Fortunately for Coots, the freezes are usually short.
American Coot. Buckley Ponds.American Coots. Buckley Ponds.
A male California Quail hunts for food in the snow near Dixon Lane, north of Bishop.
California Quail, male. Dixon Lane, Bishop.
Hovering
When a bird hovers, its feet can be useful in the air. The bird lets the feet hang down to catch the wind and slow their forward speed. Birds often hover to hunt.
White-tailed Kites at the California coast, hunting over the headlands. The first photo shows a creature that looks like a white demon.
White-trailed Kite. Fort Bragg, CA.White-tailed Kite. Fort Bragg, CA
Northern Harrier (male) at the coast near Fort Bragg. The coastal meadows have lots of squirrels, highly valued by these hawks.
Northern Harrier, male. Fort Bragg, CA
A Swainson’s Hawk hunting over a meadow in Yellowstone National Park.
Swainson’s Hawk. Yellowstone National Park.
Red-tailed Hawk hovers over a field near Bishop.
Red-tailed Hawk. Airport Road.
A Black-throated Hummingbird takes off near Bishop. This is true hovering; all the other photos show birds that can only “hover” by flying into a breeze.
Black-throated Hummingbird. Green Gate Road.
A Belted Kingfisher hovers at the Buckley Ponds The bird had just dived into the water and I think the hovering, which involved a lot of wing-flapping, was mostly to get rid of water on its feathers.
Belted Kingfisher. Buckley Ponds.
Aggression
Birds can attack with beaks or feet. First we see a Red-winged Blackbird using its feet to attack a Red-tailed Hawk.
Below, a Red-winged Blackbird attacks a Swainson’s Hawk. The Hawk’s eye looks strangely blue because it is covered by the nictitating membrane. The Hawk can see through this membrane, but it helps protect the eye.
Last, a Blackbird attacks a Raven. The Blackbird is using its feet. Why can’t birds be friends?
Common Raven, Red-winged Blackbird. Buckley Ponds.
Eating and Hunting
A Hairy Woodpecker uses its feet to climb and hang on to a tree limb, while hunting for bugs.
Hairy Woodpecker. Gus Cashbaugh Lane.
A Bald Eagle uses its feet to hold down a Double-crested Cormorant, while the beak tears apart the victim.
Bald Eagle eating Double-crested Cormorant. Pleasant Valley Reservoir, Bishop.
A Bald Eagle in the air bites into something it is holding. The bird may be snacking on the go. Or using its beak to kill a victim that is still struggling. Earlier I mentioned that bird toes use a mechanism similar to a zip tie, so the bird can easily hold prey that may be struggling or slippery.
Bald Eagle, juvenile. Buckley Ponds.
A Bald Eagle in a tree, shown below, has blood on both the beak and the toes. The Eagle killed a Snow Goose at the Buckley Ponds. Then it tore the Goose apart and ate most of it in less than an hour, leaving a pile of feathers and bones. A Northern Harrier stole part of the meat, as did the Red-tailed Hawk shown in the next photo.
Bald Eagle. Buckley Ponds.
Red-tailed Hawk with part of a Snow Goose clutched in its talons. Note feathers on beak. And blood.
Red-tailed Hawk. Buckley Ponds.
In the next three photos, a Red-shouldered Hawk tears apart a rodent (Norway Rat?) near the Methodist Church in Bishop.
A female Cooper’s Hawk is in a tree in downtown Bishop. She is clutching her kill, probably a Eurasian Collared-Dove. She is calling out to her mate, who soon will arrive for sex and a meal.
Cooper’s hawk, female. Line St, Bishop.
A Northern Harrier is carrying a rodent. You can see the tail.
Northern Harrier. Bishop Creek Canal.
The Osprey below plunged into the Pleasant Valley Reservoir and caught a trout. The bird then rocketed along the shore. Osprey’s have spiked scales on their toes to help them hold a slippery fish. They carry the fish with the head pointed forward, to reduce air resistance.
Osprey and trout. Pleasant Valley Reservoir.
(There is a technical aspect to the Osprey photo that I will describe. The lake was still in morning shadow and I was using a shutter speed of 1/2000 second, to prevent blurring due to motion. The low light resulted in a high ISO (6400) which produced a grainy (noisy) looking photo. But modern Lightroom software allowed me to reduce the noise in the photo by smoothing out the color changes from one pixel to the next. The result is a better picture. Digital cameras and software keep making clever improvements to produce better images.)
A story about bird feet: In 1965 I helped start a weekly newspaper, The Southern Courier, in Alabama. We covered news about civil rights and the Black community, stories that were not in the local press. Part of my job was to help with distribution, which led me Andalusia where William Shakespeare (yes, that was his name) was our local distributor. He was born to poor Black farmers around 1930 and grew up with his siblings in a small home with a dirt floor. His family could not afford to waste food, so when he was the youngest, he was given the chicken feet. He recalled, with a smile, that he was probably three years-old before he realized there were chicken parts other than feet. Mr. Shakespeare now owned an excellent fried chicken restaurant with a small dining room. He vowed to never eat chicken feet again.
In their book about Sierra Nevada birds, Beedy and Pandolfino wrote: “Eagles may get all the press, but Great Horned Owls are really the top predator of the North American bird world. They feed primarily on rodents and rabbits but will kill almost any animal they can carry, including birds, snakes, fish, and even animals other predators avoid completely, like porcupines and skunks. They can fly away with prey as much as three times their own weight and are known to kill house cats, small dogs, geese, and Great Blue Herons on occasion.”
Roberta and I have seen Great Horned Owls near Bishop at the Bishop Creek Canal, Airport Road, and the Buckley Ponds. One reliable location is a dirt road that branches off Dixon Lane. The road is lined with cottonwoods and owls sometimes raise their young there. In January or February, a pair of owls will occupy a nest that was built by Red-tailed Hawks. Eggs arrive in March and babies appear in April. Two months later the fledglings are learning to fly. We have seen from 1 to 4 baby owls in the spring. Dozens of people walk this road every day, often with dogs, but the owls still like the location. This year there were 4 fledglings and I was able to collect some photos.
An adult Great Horned Owl is almost 2 feet long, has a wing-span of 3.5 feet, and weighs 3 pounds; a little bigger than a Red-tailed Hawk. In daytime, the owls sit on the ground or branches and blend in with surrounding trees. At night they use incredible hearing and eye-sight to hunt.
When a bird flies through the air, the feathers create turbulence that produces sound. You can sometimes hear a whooshing noise when a large flock of Phalaropes or Blackbirds flies past. When a Common Raven flies nearby, up to 100 feet away, I often hear the sound of each wing-beat. The bird is constantly surrounded by this noise when flying. Most owls, however, use their ears to locate prey in the dark. These night hunters have evolved special feathers that smooth the airflow and muffle the sound of the wing slicing the air. Silent flight enables an owl to locate faint sounds that give away the victim’s position. The other night creatures do not hear the danger until it is too late.
Adult Owl Portraits
Below are photos of a typical owl, hiding in shadow behind branches. This is frustrating; it makes me want to carry hedge clippers so I can get a good photo. To find an owl, Roberta and I use camera or binoculars to study shaded areas. Often we spot an “owl” that turns out to be a stump or branch. One day we could not find an owl that we were sure was there; until we looked up and realized it was sitting on a branch just 4 feet above Roberta’s head.
There are two owls in this picture. Can you find them?Owl hiding near the Buckley Ponds
Sometimes adults are easy to spot. This seems to be especially true in early morning, when they are sitting with fledglings. Here are a few adult portraits.
The feathers are the same color as the tree bark.
Look closely at the “horns” in the picture above. They are just feathers. They have nothing to do with hearing. Some authors suggest they help with camouflage.
Adult owl on nest. Why does she appear to have red eye-shadow?
Fledgling Owl Photos
The youngest fledglings look ridiculous. They have white feathers and no “horns.” In just a few months they start to look like adults. By fall they go off to live on their own. Here are pictures of babies, starting with the youngest:
The white-feathered fledgling has blood on its mouth from a recent meal.Two babies look out from their nest.“Horns” start to appear. Feathers on legs and toes.No “horns” yet. White feathers still on head and feet.Learning to fly.Left foot seems to show 3 toes in forward position.Siblings. The owl in shadow looks older.Siblings hanging out.Good view of “horn” feathers.Looking very grown up.
The “X” feet
Most birds have 4 toes; 3 point forwards, 1 points back. This is true of hawks, herons, sparrows, etc. But owls have one toe that can point forwards or backwards. When that toe points to the rear, their feet look like a large “X.” See the photos below. Having a powerful grip and sharp talons is useful for grabbing squirming prey. But other predator birds do not have this “X” formation; birds with this kind of “X” foot include cuckoos, woodpeckers, and parrots.
Fledgling owl shows its “X” foot.Same owl shows two toes pointing forward on both feet. Sharp talons.
Outdoor dining
The next section is R rated for violence, blood, and atrocious table manners. When owls catch prey, they carry it back to their daytime hiding area, so they can eat in peace. They dismember the body, often decapitating the victim. Next they choke down large chunks. Photos below show a fledgling that cuts a mouse in half and swallows the headless body. You can see the feet and tail sticking out of owl’s mouth. The faint-of-heart should skip these photos.
Siblings. The lower owl is having breakfast.Rodent tartare, a favorite.Half a mouse in one swallow.Mouse tail and feet visible.What a pig!Birds have no teeth. Just gulp it down.Almost finished.Burp!
Sometimes I like to daydream about being born-again as a bird and having the power of flight. Photos like those above just kill those dreams.
Three short owl anecdotes:
1. Just after Christmas 2009, I did a loop hike in Death Valley with three friends. One morning we were walking on a dirt road which had a few inches of snow. Dan Ward, who sees things that I miss, pointed out that every 100 feet or so, there were rodent tracks and nearby feather marks. An owl had been hunting mice and it probably missed a few kills. Then Dan found a spot with similar markings and drops of blood in the snow; a mouse did not live to see the sunrise.
2. In 1985 I was leaving Kings Canyon National Park to get home to Visalia. It was late, the narrow paved road was pitch black. As my headlights came around a curve, the beams illuminated a Great Horned Owl descending over a mouse. The mouse changed direction at the last moment and the owl missed. This was a 2-second Nature Channel moment. The only thing missing was David Attenborough saying “The owl went hungry, but the mouse lived to see another day.”
3. Roberta and I like to walk; I carry a camera and often she spots a bird. We still haven’t learned to communicate well, partly because we both get too excited. We are not yet a well-oiled machine. In February of 2024, we were walking on the grassy headlands above the ocean near Fort Bragg, California. Roberta spotted a small owl in the grass just a dozen feet in front of us and she started yelling: “Owl! Owl!” I started yelling “What? Where?” The photo below was the result. We need to step up our game.
Birds of Bishop 