The long tail is part of the breeding plumage of the males of this species. Pin-tail Whydahs are nest parasites of other estrildid finches. In this park they probably of parasitizing the Scaly-breasted Munia and North Red Bishops. All three are introduced species.
The Raccoon had just wading through the shallow water of this portion of Talbert Lake to a fallen Willow Tree.