Day 18.187: Thursday birding

Our Thursday morning group was back on the regular side of our regular river - albeit a mile or so further upstream than our normal place. We visited Diamond Riverside Park where we've been a couple of times before - both before and after its major remodeling.

It's doing great and the planting has matured in the intervening years. We should go more often.

Here's some of what we saw - starting with a new (tiny) life bird for my list:

Blue-gray gnatcatcher

Blue-gray gnatcatcher

Blue-gray gnatcatcher (action shot)

There were lots of grackles - here's some family time

A young grackle

Another young grackle

Great blue heron

Song sparrow (had been singing)

Spotted sandpiper (spotted)

Red-winged blackbird

Eastern kingbird (eyeing a snack)

Eastern kingbird (distant)

Eastern kingbird (closer)

Northern flicker (twisted)

American goldfinch

Mallards (young ones are now nearly adult size)

Northern mockingbirds

American robin (who's watching whom?)

Young robin (not quite sure whether to be red or spotty)

As we were about to leave we saw a couple of turkey vultures, then a few more, then a load more. At least 30 in the end.