Elissa Wall captured the close-up of a juvenile chickaree squirrel, and Heidi Stover managed to photograph a vulture landing with legs outstretched. These examples provide compelling glimpses of local wildlife that may inspire you to begin looking more closely at our wildlife neighbors of the region.
Kaitlin Backlund from Truckee won third prize in the adult category with her crisp photo of a water ouzel (American dipper) wading along the edge of a rushing stream – its favored habitat. Ouzels are amazing birds that can dive down through powerful flows to search along stream bottoms for nymphs or larvae of caddisflies, dragonflies, or stoneflies, as well as tiny fish. John, CSERC’s director, once discovered an ouzel nest of moss with babies inside, safely hidden behind an arching waterfall. Ouzels are also known as “dippers” due to their persistent bobbing up and down mannerism.
