A weekend visiting Merced National Wildlife Refuge near Los Banos, December 7-9, 2007, produced one unique photo sequence, of a Rock Wren exploring the undercarriage and even inside the tailpipe of a pickup truck, as well as the information kiosk near the refuge entrance. The habitat for these birds is rocky slopes, and they seek out crevices to forage and nest in; this Rock Wren is out of habitat the flat Central Valley of California, and it presumably was looking for crevices where it might find them. Photos of other more characteristic birds of Merced NWR are included; it was a good weekend for raptors, as well as the usual wonderful geese and cranes. The views were beautiful as always, and I've included a few landscape shots.