Desert bird report.

In addition to having a wonderful visit with old friends, I did see birdies while visiting Palm Desert last over the weekend.

Right outside our house there were 2 palm trees on an island in a large pond on the golf course.  Every night cormorants and egrets would come and roost.   They came late and left early.  I counted at least two dozen at one point.  This is a shot from one morning as the sun was rising.

An American Kestrel visited me while I was drinking coffee one morning; he’s backlit by the rising sun.  This is the first picture I have ever gotten of one.

A blue heron made an appearance.  There were a number of mallard ducks in the ponds at the golf course.  I saw a belted kingfisher flying away from the pond every night.  We had a couple of bewick’s wrens scolding us when were out on the patio.  We had many hummingbirds buzzing around.  A flock of Canada geese flew over us on the way to the airport.  There was a flock of unidentified colorful birds that stopped in a Joshua tree while we were in the park, but I didn’t get a good look.  I also saw a verdin, and a cactus wren;  both firsts for me.