Photos and videos

A Great Blue Heron is chased by a couple of red winged blackbirds - one on its wing, and one above (Tana Tesdall, 7/26/26)

Blink and you miss it — but birds don’t. That cloudy look in this Red-winged Blackbird’s eye is its translucent nictitating membrane mid‑blink, a see‑through third eyelid. Top panel shows the blink; bottom panels zoom in on the eye blinking (left) and wide open (right). Grasslands adjacent to Pond M, (Raji Joseph, 07/19/26).

A pair of Monarch butterflies doing “what comes naturally” along the Upland Trail. (Paul Domoto, 8/1/26)

A female Mallard is accompanied by 10 older ducklings.

Wolf. Oesterreich (08/03/26)

Green Heron at Pond J. Note that this is the same individual, but the right image shows it “stretching” its neck… maybe to get a better view of potential prey? (Greg Courtney, 1 August 2026).

A survival story! This Song Sparrow is missing its tail but definitely not its spirit. It likely ditched those feathers in a quick‑escape ‘predator molt’, and a fresh tail should be back in about a month. Main trail, West of the bridge (Raji Joseph, 07/25/26).

A Lark sparrow perched on the Upland Trail. (Paul Domoto, 8/2/26)

Morning sun over Pond M (Robin Sinn, 8/8/26)

Three Eastern Kingbirds kept dive-bombing this Red-tailed Hawk.  The photo includes one of the kingbirds after the dive.

Wolf. Oesterreich (08/06/26)

One of our summer “resident” Blue Grosbeak (the male) along the Upland Trail (Greg Courtney, 1 August 2026)

Viceroy Butterfly found along South Lake shore. Mark Hayes, 8/6/2026.

A Least Bittern in mid take-off after fishing at the wetland area at Pond A. They are famously secretive marsh birds — tiny, camouflaged, and often hidden in dense reeds. (Raji Joseph, 08/03/26).

Sedge Wren perched in a patch of bee balm along the Upland Trail (Greg Courtney, 1 August 2026)

A Carolina Wren was first heard before being sighted.

Wolf. Oesterreich (08/06/26)

Towel, anyone? This Baltimore Oriole was drenched after the morning rain, looking like a soggy little sunset. Orioles aren’t waterproof like ducks, so a strong rain can leave them looking scruffy until they preen and dry out. Wooded area by Pond J, (Raji Joseph, 08/04/26).

Great Blue Heron perched along the northwest shoreline of North Lake (Greg Courtney, 1 August 2026).

A Killdeer stands in the remnants of a recent rainfall.

Wolf. Oesterreich (08/06/26)

This male Indigo Bunting has a mottled look because he’s in nonbreeding plumage — a sharp contrast to the uniform, vivid blue of breeding males. Upland trail, (Raji Joseph, 07/23/26).