Down in the valley, now, somewhere out in the desert. Bat country, perhaps.
Despite being only 20 miles away or so, the conditions couldn't be any different. It's 20 degrees warmer, for a start, but the clouds clinging to the mountains are nowhere in evidence here so we actually have some sunlight for a change.
This is one of my favorite shots of the outing. In fact, I like this one so much I'll even give you the full size version.
The Bullock's Oriole, Icterus bullockii, is a very yellow birb. Certainly the males are, at any rate. The females are as usual more dowdy:
In the trees they're quite a bit harder to spot. You'll probably also find that they're causing much less of a ruckus.
This one also provided us with yet another bird photographer's delight, to wit:
Hup.
Just as soon as you get zoomed and focused in, too. It's like they know.
