I'm putting all my cards on the table and identifying this bird as a male Scarlet Tanager. The females and immatures are greenish/yellow with olive wings. Apparently, as fall approaches, the males shed their red plumage and take on a similar appearance to the females who are yellow. So in any event, this bird has some changes coming possibly!

I was thrilled this morning when I saw this tanager eyeing the pokeweed berries and when he hovered mid-air to secure one, I did capture his wings up and there, right where our armpits would be (I'm sure there is a technical name!) a small hint of red!

I do feel pretty darn confident it is a tanager but would always be glad to hear from people who know more about this than me!

Good weekend to all and thank you so much for your visits!

his beautiful blue eyes give me clues to his young age.

I have been off for quite awhile and have truly missed ALL my flickr friends....I will continue to be off and on throughout the summer and hope to slowly catch up with the collective vision of the flickr universe! Hope you are all having a wonderful summer!!!!!

Many thanks to those that take the time to visit and/or comment and fav...it is sincerely appreciated!

thank you for your visits...always appreciate the conversations!

Early spring above the meadow and all the birds are busy mating and nest building. I spotted one of our local resident birds, the Red-bellied woodpecker female, on a beautiful morning flying in and out of the wooded area that borders the meadow.

Thank you for your visits and conversation!

very excited to have finally captured this sweet little bird...I have seen many Kinglets whom they closely resemble, but never managed a good enough capture of the Hutton's. If you look closely in the brush, you can see the defining characteristics of the blue-gray legs, stocky build with larger head and stubby bill

many thanks for stopping by to visit and share....risa

many thanks for stopping by to visit and share....risa

These are the three from yesterday. Not a great comp and I worked hard to get them all in the frame with my fixed lens but I really wanted you to see the interplay. The male has the mustache and he is flashing his tail feathers.

Thank you for your visits and inspiration!

Now that the winds are gusting and the leaves are departing, the hawks show up more in the landscape....I watched this fellow usurp the throne and take this particular branch from another juvenile raptor...I believe a red shouldered hawk, and I could not help thinking of how important the best hunting locations must be.

...and although I have not seen the play Hamilton, I do like the lyrics from this one song as I think about the survival rates of young raptors.

"My Shot" :

[HAMILTON]

I am not throwing away my shot!

I am not throwing away my shot!

Hey yo, I’m just like my country

I’m young, scrappy and hungry

And I’m not throwing away my shot!

I’m ‘a get a scholarship to King’s College

I prob’ly shouldn’t brag, but dag, I amaze and astonish

The problem is I got a lot of brains but no polish

I gotta holler just to be heard

With every word, I drop knowledge!

I’m a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal

Tryin’ to reach my goal. My power of speech: unimpeachable

Only nineteen but my mind is older

These New York City streets get colder, I shoulder

Ev’ry burden, ev’ry disadvantage

I have learned to manage, I don’t have a gun to brandish

I walk these streets famished

The plan is to fan this spark into a flame

But damn, it’s getting dark, so let me spell out the name..."

Thank you so much for your visits and inspiration!

early morning in the buckeye

thanks always for stopping by to visit and share....risa

Thank you for your visits and conversation!

They've come back to winter in California....their melancholy song always tells me the season has changed.

such a sweet sad song to this beautiful sparrow

When I last saw them on the hillside in the late fall, seven out of the 13 quail that were born last July were still alive. During the winter they travel out of this area. Months have gone by without any quail sightings and then last week they all reappeared as robust young adults. I am happy to see so many surviving in this unique open space/ suburban setting. With so many feral cats, coyotes and various predators their numbers in this location have been impacted.

This is a beautiful female in our native California ceanothus on the hillside

Many thanks to those that take the time to visit and/or comment and fav...it is sincerely appreciated!

Red-tailed Hawk in the Buckeye

Thank you for your visits!

thanks always for stopping by to visit and share....risa

foggy morning in the buckeye tree

Magnolia Little Gem

...and if you don't know what that looks like, the image before will give you a good idea!

Thanks for the visits!

Woke up to a wonderful surprise! Thank you all for your part in this being Explored!

Willamette River

beautiful male Band-tail

Many thanks to those that take the time to visit and/or comment and fav...it is sincerely appreciated!

so happy to have you stopping by and sharing your views! -r

a sweet female Red-bellied Woodpecker pauses from her spring drumming on the dead Ash tree

Thank you for your visits and inspiration!

thank you so much for your visits and inspiration!

winter creek abstract

this young red tail took a great deal of time figuring out what to do next with this squirrel.

Thank you for your visits and conversation!

thank you so much for your visits and inspiration!

Thank you for your visits, thoughts and inspiration!!

Many thanks to those that take the time to visit and/or comment and fav...it is sincerely appreciated!

"A gorget is a patch of colored feathers found on the throat or upper breast of some species of birds. It is a feature found on many male hummingbirds."

many thanks for stopping by to visit and share....risa

Many thanks to those that take the time to visit and/or comment and fav...it is sincerely appreciated!

dusk in the buckeye glade

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Great Egret hunting his way through the garden...

Anna's Hummingbird watching over his territory from the plum tree

down in the glade are many wild plum trees which the birds feast on through the summer....we've had a warm spell and every bud that could burst has....

Thanks to everyone for the lovely feedback and ongoing support here on flickr!

Accipiter striatus

Yesterday morning swooping out of the trees, two juvenile sharp-shinned hawks flew through the buckeye glade. Two of the resident crows were nearby warming up in the early morning sun and immediately began to try to drive them out of their area. The sharp-shinned hawks are such agile fliers and so fast as they maneuvered in and out of the tangle of buckeye branches. The crows seemed to be able to follow and drive one out easily but the other sibling quickly eluded them, circled back and landed on a tree and started to survey the possibilities for food. I had an opportunity and was happy to at least get one of the two before he was on his way.

thanks always for stopping by to visit and share....risa

Thank you so much for your visits and inspiration!

the ever lovable Porthos

thanks always for stopping by to visit and share....risa

Haven't heard the coyotes for many weeks. Wondered if they would return this year.

Early this morning the resident crows were yelling their hard edged cries and I knew something was up. Out on the hillside near our raspberries I saw the two pups from last year. Their fur still had the lingering traces of winter's heavier cloak. The more curious of the two was off exploring and the one I call Ferdinand - after Ferdinand the Bull - had sat down under the persimmon tree and surveyed his brother's explorations....then I had to drive my daughter to school!....only time for one shot ! arghhhh....

If you are interested, check out Project Coyote to learn more about coexisting with these amazing creatures. www.projectcoyote.org

To all my friends on flickr...