ML619311662

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

This is a minimum count of birds seen at one time, leaving the marsh and foraging very short distances in wet grassland to the west and across Hwy 33 to the grassland there. The marsh is elevated so that it is not easily seen from the highway. This is immediately along highway 166 and immediately east of the farm on the east edge of the Caliente Wetland. Some unknown number of Red-winged Blackbirds are mixed in, but my count certainly misses some TrBl. Tricoloreds singing, and at first I’m not hearing any Red-winged Blackbird song. Though I cannot see into the marsh very far, it seems to be sparsely vegetated by Typha. Marsh may be 60 m x 80 m, maybe smaller. It appears that cattle have access to all of it. Both male and female blackbirds are making forays (apparently gathering food) in the three different directions shown on the aerial photo. This pond is at 34.98556, -119.79157. Activity among the birds gathering food was furious when I arrived, but it slowly diminished the longer I was present. Many tire tracks through the grass between the fence and the road edge suggests that people have pulled off the road between Hwy 166 and the fenced property line, perhaps to visit this pond informally. I finally hear one Red-winged Blackbird song. Only 1 other breeding population is currently known in the county (at Sedgwick Reserve).

Technical information

Model

Canon PowerShot SX740 HS

Lens

4.3-172mm

ISO

100

Focal length

4.3 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/4.0

Shutter speed

1/1250 sec

Dimensions

5184 pixels x 3456 pixels

Original file size

8.84 MB