Marsh Wren

This little Marsh Wren begged for its picture to be taken, striking different poses in a small wetland in Marion County, Illinois. Typically, they seem to stay more concealed.

Great Basin Birds

Red-breasted Nuthatches were very common and friendly in the forest above 10,000 feet on Sunday morning. Several landed right next to me as they passed through the area feeding.

Yellow-headed Blackbirds got to Comins Lake just a little before I did this year. Here the sunset lights up a male near the lake.

Bushtits act like and hang out with Ruby-crowned Kinglets, combing the shrubs along Cleve Creek. It is very hard to get one to sit still for a photo.

Nestling Horned Larks beg for food out in the valley.

Again this year I spotted an Osprey in Spring Valley. Must be passing on through...

A Pied-billed Grebe patrols his part of the marsh at Comins Lake.

Marsh Wrens will sing incessantly from deep inside the bulrushes. This guy stepped out into the open for a brief second.

Western Meadowlarks didn't seem to prefer the open valley, instead they were usually on the edge of the valley where there were scattered trees.

Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge

A Northern Harrier watches the sunrise from his roost in the marsh.

Greater Roadrunner on top of a bluff.

Western Kingbirds were everywhere, and fairly noisy as well. Cassin's Kingbirds show up at the refuge, so I had to keep my eye on them.

A gorgeous Bullock's Oriole shows off briefly. I could hear orioles in several different trees, but I had very little luck catching glimpses of them. Of course I was also looking for Hooded Orioles.

Rock Wren

Black Phoebe

Taking my siesta in the shade beside Upper Pahranagat Lake. The day got up into the nineties, and I had gotten on the road by three, so it was nice to relax.

Last Saturday I visited Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge near Alamo, Nevada. The refuge is located in a valley on the edge of the Great Basin and Mohave Desert. The variety of habitats, including lake and wetlands attract many birds. I struck out on several birds (Verdin, Phainopepla, several different Thrashers), so I might have to go again if I get a chance.

Rock Wren

The most vocal bird at the Cathedral Gorge State Park was the Rock Wren. There were multiple pairs, and they seemed to be singing wherever it was rocky.

Carolina Wren

Carolina Wrens are one of my favorite winter residents. They are right up there with Chickadees and Nuthatches for me. Part of their attraction has to be that they are accessible, yet not gregarious. They don't sit at the tops of trees, they crawl through brush piles, offering nice glimpses. A pair will come to a feeder, but there is never a flock of wrens. You don't see them from your car, but they are never hard to find in a woodlot. They also seem to cheerfully stick out the cold weather. It is pretty amazing to me that four quarters weighs more than an adult Carolina Wren (21g). Carolina Wrens have a wide variety of calls, besides their 'tea kettle' song. Learning these solves a lot of mystery noises.

Marsh Wren

The clouds reflecting off an open pool in the marsh.
As long as I have a compass, or some other reference point, I love to plunge into marsh vegetation. The cattails and Phragmites at this site were well over 12 feet in places.

Marsh Wren - Cistothorus palustris
I was helping to monitor a wetland mitigation bank in Gary, Indiana last week. Besides being in Gary and surrounded by vast swaths of invasive plants, I love to see the flora and fauna. Sandhill Cranes were passing overhead. A Harrier was cruising over the wetlands and prairie. A Red-tailed Hawk circled on thermals. An American Kestrel hunted from a perch on a telephone wire. I flushed multiple Soras as I moved through the vegetation. Many White-throated and Savannah Sparrows fed on the grass seeds. As I approached a stand of Cattails later in the afternoon, I noticed a little bird watching me from the thicket. I could tell that it was a wren. He responded with high curiosity to my pishing, allowing me to get pretty close. Eventually, he melted back into the Cattails and sang for me his musical trill, letting me know that it definitely was a Marsh Wren.

House Wren

You do have to hand it to House Wren's, they do have an uplifting song. I was being severely scolded when this picture was being taken.

Sedge Wrens at Lake Station, IN

It was fun to see numerous sedge wrens while monitoring a wetland in Lake Station, Indiana. They would creep up pretty close while we were working. On several occasions they came within three feet, although they would never leave the thick grass.