After a long work week of rainy commutes I got out for about an hour of neighborhood birding tonight. I love these gaps between rainstorms -- the air is so clear and the clouds are so interesting. On the new partially finished hike and bike trail through the T&C playing fields I saw this female House Sparrow. Two things I noticed were its lack of a tail and the relatively large grasshopper it was trying to eat. The grasshopper was so big that the sparrow had to grab it and shake pieces off to swallow. The missing tail could be from molting or from a close call with a predator.
Last Saturday I estimated 385 Purple Martins in this area but tonight I could only find 1. I got there a little later, so they might have already passed through for the day.
I can't resist taking pictures of the sun when it's low in the sky.
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