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Yellow-billed Magpie
5 Feb 2005 along Page Road, n.w. STA |
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 Stanislaus
County is a slim sliver in the middle of the Central Valley, although
it has foothill habitat in its western third. There, Del Puerto Canyon
Road is a famed birding route through dry arroyos and oak woodlands. Much
of the rest of the county is agricultural but the Modesto wastewater ponds
attract waterfowl and waders, as do flooded fields that appear randomly
with agricultural practices. Orchards and riparian along the Stanislaus
River provide additional habitats.
County statistics and links are on Joe Morlan's site. A tremendous amount of information on birding in this county, including sites, local birders, and records, is on the Stanislaus Aububon website. |
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For Stainslaus County, I chose this evocative
shot of a Yellow-billed Magpie, taken out the car window during a chase
of a vagrant Harris's Sparrow (below right). I loved the old post on which
the magpie was perched, with its yellowish lichen, and the clean shot of
the bird in profile. Unfortunately, there was barbed wire fence behind
the magpie (below left), which I have removed via PhotoShop. With that
adjustment, the background highlights the bird perfectly. In my experience,
it is not easy to photograph magpies. They are exceptional tame at some
locales but there they are usually on manicured grass or other unattractive
substrates. Out in the 'wild' oak woodlands, they have proven to be very
camera shy. So I was very happy to snap this shot before the bird flew
off!
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| All photos & text © 2006 Don Roberson; all rights reserved. | ||
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