May 19, Lee Metcalf Wildlife Preserve

 

We had such a wonderful morning! We left our apartment early and drove to Lee Metcalf Wildlife Reserve. We left early for two reasons: 1. a good time to see birds. 2. heat which was supposed to hit 87 today. Unfortunately, it is still hazy with smoke, so the photos won't be as beautiful as if there was a bright blue sky.

We visited Lee Metcalf several years ago, but this time, with the new birding tools at our fingertips, we saw so many birds we had never seen before and also  birds we had seen before. 

New birds:  Cinnamon teal, California quail, Spotted Sandpiper, Western wood pewee. 

Other birds that we enjoyed seeing: yellow-headed black bird, osprey, killdeer, great blue heron, kingfisher, house wren, yellow warbler, red-wing blackbirds.

  We drove home for lunch.

  Later, we visited Jen Olson's house. The last time we were here, we didn't get to see her because she had been exposed to Covid. She made us a wonderful dinner at her charming rented house that is accessed via a gate that goes over a bridge. It feels quite private and removed from her neighbors. She has also planted flowers and vegetable which are already coming up. We saw on her porch and Mark saw two types of grosbeaks while sitting there - evening and black-headed, a type we have never seen before. 

We had brats, sweet potato fries and a wonderful wilted kale salad. Beforehand, we had olives and cheeses and crackers. She had Italian Tallegio cheese, a type we had never had, but really liked. For dessert - brownies and strawberries. It was great, but even better was the conversation which was wide-ranging.