Autumn Colors

by John Rakestraw, posted in reptiles & amphibians, seasonal movements

Trees may get all the credit for creating pretty colors in autumn, but I think the birds do their part.

Spotted Towhee flashing his rusty sides and red eye
American Pipit on the rocks along the Columbia River
It is seldom that a Lincoln’s Sparrow will pose out in the open.
Yellow-rumped Warblers are not nearly as colorful in autumn as they are in spring, but they are still quite striking.
This Downy Woodpecker added some bold black and white and a little pop of red to a murky green thicket.
American Kestrel is our most colorful raptor.
Merlins are not really colorful at all, but they are much harder to find and should be celebrated whenever they appear.
The male ducks, like this Northern Pintail, are finally molting out of their drab summer plumage.
Common Merganser
I got to do very little herping this past spring and summer, thanks to the incessant needs of a certain puppy, so I was delighted to find this Western Skink out and about. The blue tail indicates a young individual.

Happy autumn.

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