The Orange Invasion Continues: Bullock's Orioles on the Tuolumne River

I'm loving the arrival of the tropical migrants in our region. Many are brightly colored, including the Black-headed Grosbeak, the Western Tanager, and the Bullock's Oriole (Icterus bulockii). For this year, I'm still looking for a Hooded Oriole and a Varied Thrush. But in the meantime, I've seen the Bullock's Orioles a couple of times in the last few days, with a small twist: the ladies were present. After scanning the bluffs and the treetops for any sign at all of these beautiful birds, I had two of them fly right in front of my face, and land on the shrubs a few yards away.

I didn't manage any pictures of the quality of my post two weeks ago, primarily because I was torn about which bird to concentrate on! Get a picture of the flashy male, like the ones I already have? Or get some shots of the only less slightly colorful female who was collecting nesting material? Thus I got so-so pictures of both in the end. But heck, that just means I'll have to spend some more time walking to get more pictures! And that thrush is out there...somewhere...