Surprisingly this was one of my favourite passerines of the trip. La Merced was amongst the best places to see this pipit up close as several showed very well right next to the car. I was determined to get photos of an American Pipit this time around and this guy performed admirally.
California - November 2009
Passerines: page 1
Northern Mockingbird
American Buff-bellied Pipit
Loggerhead Shrike
Marsh Wren
Hermit Thrush
Western Bluebird
Cedar Waxwing
Mountain Bluebird
Phainopepla
Pygmy Nuthatch
Oak Titmouse
Say's Phoebe
Clarke's Nutcracker
American Crow
Yellow-billed Magpie
Brewers Blackbird
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsends Warbler
Song Sparrow
Sage Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
House Finch
Only a handful of Northern Mockingbirds were seen the whole trip with this bird at Finney Lake shortly after first light being the most obliging.
Common and widespread Loggerhead Shrike were seen most places visited with the exception of the beaches and the mountains, common in the lowlands and deserts and particularly common at La Merced where these pictures were taken.
La Merced was the best place to see Marsh Wrens well and was bar the best place to even attempt getting any photos with this bird being the best that I could do from the car.
Fairly uncommon only a handful of Hermit Thrushes were seen with this bird running around the path at Elkhorn Slough being the most obliging, the rest were skulkers.
Western Bluebirds were fairly widespread and numerous but the only place I even came close to getting any decent pictures was Big Morongo Canyon Reserve were a group of birds were using the fencing not far from the car park for flycatching. They were non the less difficult to approach thus once they flew off I had to wait patiently for them to get used to me me being there and return.
The areas was very dry thus the backgrounds have provided a rather rich orange tone to the images.
All the birds pictured here are of females with the exception of the first which is a rather smart male.
Black-throated Sparrow
