Hutton’s Vireo: Life Bird 257

Hutton's Vireo, O'Neill Forebay, San Luis Reservoir. Life Bird 257=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+This image is free to use and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivative Works license. This allows you to use this image in a non-commercial way as long as you give proper attribution of the author and source. This license does not allow you to re-publish it for commercial use.

During my trip out to Merced, I took a couple of mid-day hours and went off to the O’Neill Forebay, which is near the San Luis Reservoir and a good winter birding spot, especially for ducks. It was a nice break, and is near Santa Nella where I grabbed lunch. Birding was nice but not astounding, and I didn’t get many interesting pictures, but here’s one of them.

I initially thought it was a ruby-crowned kinglet, but on watching it a bit, it was clear it wasn’t. Then I realized it was a Vireo, but I wasn’t sure how to ID it past that. This was the only usable shot of it I got. When I got home, I hauled out the field guides and the image, and finally decided it was a Hutton’s Vireo. I then went to eBird to sanity check, and sure enough, that’s a Vireo that’s seen in that area in the listings for this time of year. Good enough for me. This is my first life bird for the year, and not a bad start, especially since I’m weak with Vireos in general…

O’Neill is a great place for flight shots of Canvasbacks and Buffleheads, if you’re patient.

Canvasbacks in Flight, O'Neill Forebay, San Luis Reservoir=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+This image is free to use and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivative Works license. This allows you to use this image in a non-commercial way as long as you give proper attribution of the author and source. This license does not allow you to re-publish it for commercial use.

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