Wes Aslin's photostream  

The Anna's aren't rare here, but I don't often run into them. This little guy would leave his perch to chase other birds out of the area and then return to the perch. There wasn't enough light to catch him landing, but I did get a couple nice poses.

I posted this shot strictly for its behavioral value
It wasn't until I got home that I realized that this bushtit was hawking small insects. I've never heard of them doing this. He would circle out off his perch, hover, and return to the same perch. I should have realized it in the field. Next time I'll try to get something mid-air.

I was focused on getting a long distance shot of a Pied-billed Grebe, when a loud and familiar chatter pierced the air. This beautiful male Belted Kingfisher landed about 20M from where I was standing. He was right over the water, so I only took a few portraits while I waited for him to dive in for a fish. Unfortunately, he decided to take-off to higher ground without one dive into the water. It was still a very nice surprise to see him, since I see males far less often than the females.

As raptor season winds down, I decided to post one from back in November. I remember being struck by how the colour, texture and shape of the bird seemed to be a near perfect blend for this tree. No wonder the sparrows can't see her posed there.