Top picture: broad-winged hawk
Bottom two pictures: crested caracara (the Mexican eagle).
House (top) and marsh (bottom) wrens. They are elusive, fast moving guys.
Swamp sparrow
Heron’s have to be the curmudgeons of the bird world.
Below, watched a group of white pelicans work their way along a shore, forming a circle to catch fish. They did this over and over, swimming a few feet, then forming the circle. Reminded me of an old dance movie.
I came to Eureka to see the Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge. Noticed a lot of egrets and saw that there was a rookery across the road from the refuge on private property in a grove of tall trees. The egrets are going to the refuge for food and water and then flying back to the trees with one twig. It will take a lot of trips to make a nest at that rate. There was constant traffic to and from the rookery. I walked up to the trees, but you can’t see much, the egrets are so high up. You can hear a lot of activity going on. While they are safe from ground predators, there are eagles, hawks, crows and vultures circling above the trees.
Barn swallow at the refuge visitor center.
Song sparrow
Went to visit the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary that is part of their wastewater treatment system. The marsh wren above was singing away. Did not seem to mind my presence.
