Western Kingbird

I remember seeing a very distant Western Kingbird quite a few years ago, but wasn’t able to get a shot of it. Today’s photo is still not a close shot, and not good quality, but I was happy to see and photograph this bird. Thanks, Greg, for your effort to find a new bird or two for me : ) Greatly appreciated – and I’m so glad you were successful in finding a Gray Partridge (seen many times before by you) for your extensive records.

Two days ago, on 10 July 2014, I checked the weather forecast before dashing down to the Frank Lake area, SE of the city. Pretty much a spur of the moment thing. The temperature had gone down a few degrees from the unbearably hot day before, and the sun was shining. On the Weather Network, I discovered that there was a weather Alert in effect, possibly huge hailstones and also the possibility of a tornado. Thinking I might get a chance to see some interesting clouds, I decided that I would still go.

My destination was Frank Lake and the surrounding area, where I bumped into friend, Greg Wagner, who is extremely knowledgeable about the area and its wildlife, and does an amazing job of recording all his sightings. I saw Eared Grebes with their young ones (quite big now), a few White-faced Ibis and Black-crowned Night Herons (no photos). Did manage to get a few shots of a Sora (thanks for telling me to watch out for them, Greg!).

After I'd finished at the blind, Greg took me to various spots around the lake, pointing out places where he had seen interesting things, hoping that they might still be there for me to see. Thanks so much, Greg - I enjoyed this and really appreciated it! One of these was this Western Kingbird - our more common Kingbird is the Eastern, so I was very happy to see a Western. We also passed by a male Great Horned Owl (posted yesterday), who was perched on one of the huge pylons. He and his family seem to be doing well. Photo was quickly taken from inside the car, using 48x zoom and then cropped. Of course, more natural surroundings would have been nicer, but this family of owls likes to use this pylon : )

The clouds were building up as the hours went by (see next photo) and it did rain just a little when I was driving home. Fortunately, no hail or tornado!

"An eye-catching bird with ashy gray and lemon-yellow plumage, the Western Kingbird is a familiar summertime sight in open habitats across western North America. This large flycatcher sallies out to capture flying insects from conspicuous perches on trees or utility lines, flashing a black tail with white edges. Western Kingbirds are aggressive and will scold and chase intruders (including Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels) with a snapping bill and flared crimson feathers they normally keep hidden under their gray crowns." From AllAboutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Kingbird/id

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_kingbird