I was in SoCal last weekend to visit family and hop around to familiar birding sights. It was a super hot weekend, so many of our birding trips were spent sitting under the shade and watching the birds from a single spot.

My brother-in-law gave me a replacement lens for my camera, so I was back to shooting again (yay!). After reviewing the images, I noticed things about the bird subjects that I wished I would have noticed in person.

This White-faced Ibis (non-breeding/immature plumage) has a stunning array of feather colors. From the white and brown tones in its face, with the chocolate dripping down its neck into the splatter of cinnamon feathers, and replaced with metallic tan and shiny green. It also has a bold red eye, and almost seems to be smirking in this picture.

I did get pictures of this Anna’s Hummingbird’s face, but I enjoyed this picture in particular because it highlighted the individual shiny green feathers down its back. Also evident is a fluff of white downy feathers that I typically don’t notice in hummers. The spiky bill made this hummer look like it was holding a weapon!

As the sun was setting, the birds were flying about to their roosting locations. This Black-crowned Night Heron took brief refuge in a tree. It glowed golden in the fading sun. The red eye captured my attention, as well as the way its feet wrapped awkwardly around the thin branch.

A big treat this trip was seeing not one, not two, but THREE Reddish Egrets. They are a joy to watch as they frantically dance about as part of their goofy foraging technique. I typically see them from afar, but this particular individual was kind enough to remain posed for a closer portrait. The reddish/purplish head and neck contrasts with the grey blue back, but it was the yellowish eye that caught my attention.

It was a fun trip, and I’m happy to have a working lens again.