המועדפים של gregslak

BUTTERFLY RESCUE AND REHABILITATION.
While birding the Old Zoo, I was staking out a large puddle on an old cement zoo foundation. When the birds were chased off, I approached to see if I could determine the source of the water. No luck. However, I noticed a tiny rippling on the surface, which turned out to be a floating butterfly, one of the blues. Completely waterlogged, trying to flap. Took this photo, then wondered if I could save this tiny bug. I slid a nearby leaf beneath it and it was able to hold on, so I dragged it to dry land. It now seemed stuck to the surface of the leaf, so I propped it on a rock and gently blew on the wings to evaporate the water. Amazingly, it seemed to work, as the fragile flutterer was able to pull one wing loose. I propped up the leaf to expose the wings to more air and soon it was free. It immediately fluttered up to a nearby bush to dry out. Not certain about the ID.

I had seen this jet black male Phainopepla high in a distant tree where it was being followed around by a large House Finch. After attempting to shoo off the pesky finch, he eventually flew down into the canyon. To my surprise, I spotted him again, feeding on berries in a large bush just off the trail.

As I was taking a picture of this female Common Merganser (Gänsesäger) in the channel at the entry of Nymphenburg Palace, she suddenly raced away with her bill and eyes under water. I first thought she was chasing Black-headed Gulls, but she surfaced with a Chub that was so large and heavy that she lost her grip on it. She must have stunned the fish, because she pulled it out again after searching for it under water. This time, she didn’t only struggle with the weight of the fish, she was also surrounded by excited Gulls who wanted to get a bite. The Merganser tried in vein to get airborne with the heavy load, and eventually had to drop her prey… She seemed pumped up and excited after this catch and shook her feathers and flapped her wings for a bit. And then she continued her search.
For the Chub: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/34861851