May our eye for nature improve a touch as the world spins a little slower.
Guest post by Ed Dahlberg
These birds are Oregon Dark-Eyed Juncos. They typically feed on the ground but do, as seen, come to the feeders occasionally. The Oregon Junco is prevalent in the west and, as seen in the paired photo, have color variants around the head from almost black to grey.
-Ed
On President’s Day, I had the opportunity to visit Dean, Lynn, Shane and Holly in Ventura for a walk in Harmon Canyon and backyard dinner. We had some good birding in the canyon (for another post) and were winding down for the day. I picked up one of my Dad’s cameras and began flipping through the memory card where he had photos of a male Common Yellowthroat (like this, but taken in their yard.) I said, ‘oh I’d love to see one of these!’ He told me that there had been many several weeks ago, but fewer recently. He shared that they sound a bit like hummingbirds. Sibley’s describes their call as “a short, nasal, electric buzz,” which I agree is so similar to hummingbirds. Sometimes they are buzzing so hard it seems they will burst.
We went on chatting in the backyard and saw these cuties.
Then we heard a short, nasal, electric buzz…! We followed the sound over the fence into the neighbors’. On my tip-toes peering over I caught a glimpse of a bright very-yellow bird. Standing on a stool and leaning over the fence, Dad saw it too, confirming the black stripe of the male Common Yellowthroat. I didn’t have a photo, but seeing it counted!
We settled back in our chairs on the patio. Then, I saw some movement in the yard and snapped these:
We finally called it a day and settled down for dinner.
Thanks for the help, Dad! So happy to be adding the Yellowthroat to our list. – Blair
Guest post by Ed Dahlberg
American Goldfinch are everywhere around here. They get a little more drab in the winter and the male looses the black notch on the top of its head. It appears the color is already starting to return on this one, including what looks like the black notch…I suspect it’s a male.
These Mallard ducks like to come out of the creek in our back yard and help themselves to my and my neighbors ‘scraps’ from the bird feeders. Year ‘round inhabitants due to our moderate climate they like to make themselves welcome. They face competition from wood ducks, squirrels, California quail and other ground feeding birds, but pretty much dominate when present.
It’s not uncommon to see these birds fishing in our creek. There’s a heronry up the river where, I would guess, 30 pair or better nest in the trees in April/May. I’ll see if I can get a shot this spring!
Another species around here a lot. They’ve developed a unique behavior when going to the feeder. They don’t linger. They grab a sunflower seed and fly into a neighboring tree/bush to eat. Probably wise, I’ve seen more than one bird ‘picked off the feeder’ by a Cooper’s Hawk or Kestrel! – Ed
Guest post by Ed Dahlberg
Hi Everybody,
This is a Red-Shafted race of the Common Flicker. The name comes from the red “mustache” on each side of the bill. They are members of the woodpecker family and subsist primarily of ants during the summer. Found predominantly in the west, there is a Yellow-Shafted race found mostly in the north and east all the way into the midwest. The Gilded race is found in the Southwest.
This bird was one of three attempting to get into my sunflower feeder in the back yard, which they do. Obviously a major food source in the winter, particularly with the snow we have received in the last couple days (Boise, Idaho.)
Thanks for letting me participate in your project! – Ed
Calling all Family Big Year 2021 contributors. I opened the following link from a friend just a few minuted ago and began listening while in my “office” upstairs. Within 2 minutes Dean was quickly ascending the stairs to grab his camera because he thought I had sighted an owl outside my window. He was disappointed by the realization that the makers of the calls were not here in the flesh 🙂 Never-the-less we both enjoyed these calls and hope you will too!
Lynn
This morning we got up early to arrive at our old home beach in Del Mar two hours after high tide. But today, high tide meant HIGH tide, so we couldn’t access much sand. We had a plan B and walked down to the San Dieguito Lagoon. We passed several bird nerds, and thought maybe we are bird nerds too. One lady with a nice L-lens, and a big cotton t-shirt that said VOLUNTEER San Diego Lagoon Conservancy, lamented the fog, but also said it was probably good that she wouldn’t see much, because she had 1400 photos to edit from her birding session the day before. Looks like Mike and Julia already have an Osprey recorded 😉 so we’ll share here that she did let us know that the resident Osprey has laid her eggs and in 4-6 weeks the chicks should be visible above the deep nest.
Also new for our list today: Eurasian Collared Dove, Cormorant, Willet (need confirmation), Ring-Billed and Western Gulls.
Blair still has the Sanderling to look forward to next time…
-Blair and Peter
On the south side of Lake Hodges there were many water fowl. A wonderful intro to Grebes. And also a physicist from the University of Minnesota with a way better camera than we have. He was kind enough to confirm our Osprey sighting and together we enjoyed a flyby after he’d watch it sit for two hours.
-Blair and Peter
Took this pic thru the windshield with my iPhone as this Snowy Egret made himself at home on the hood of my car – looking for a handout no doubt. He must’ve known my telephoto lens was back in the Tamron shop for a repair ‘redo’ and nice enough to pose for this close up …
Another shot of the same bird – this time when he wasn’t scratching his chin!
-Paul
Just two days ago I posted how I was briefly reacquainted with a Painted Redstart in the same section of Arroyo Verde Park where David found it for us in December 2019. The lighting was poor and the bird uncooperative leading to photos sufficient to make an identification but not much else. So… I returned less than two days later. The morning was chamber of commerce beautiful. No lighting excuses this time, if I could be fortunate enough to find it.
I headed directly for the section of “lucky” trees, but no sign nor sound of the little beauty. I walked a little further along the trail coming to a small flat area before the trail dives down into the park below. Both Blair and Alison have run cross-country races on this very trail, so maybe they can picture it. I moved to a fence to look over the park below and the tall trees that dominate it, to see some Acorn Woodpeckers working the high branches. Within a few seconds this small black bird flies across my view and lands on the fence just six feet away from me. It has the white markings on it wings! It has a red belly! IT’S THE PAINTED REDSTART. I am struggling to get my camera aimed and focused as the bird hops on the ground and moves continuously in random directions within ten feet of me. Then it turns and starts coming directly at me. My camera won’t focus. It keeps coming. I start backing up but nothing is helping the bird come into focus in my viewfinder. It finally turns back and goes behind a small tree just a few feet away, but when I move around the tree it is gone.
I am stoked. I found it. Correction, it found me. I’m bummed, because I didn’t get good photos. Pushing my luck, I waited right there hoping it might come back and to my surprise it did! It made its way to a tree about twenty feet away and stayed for a few moments then flew to the fence and flitted off. The camera focused, at least for a few pics.
Some obvious questions remain; Is this the same bird from 2019? If so, did it ever leave the area? Are there more than one of these beauties here in the park? Now that we are reintroduced I’ll have to visit the park more often and see what happens.
Dean
Greetings from the heights of winter in Scandia.
My friends, the chickadees, are nothing if not reliable. The feeder tribune I pay is a small price.
But I do find them impatient in all things. They join me for coffee, frantic conversations lost to me.
I pass this window many times. I spot a grouse – despite my best efforts – under the tree. It is the selfsame stump every time. But my hackles are up, trigger finger atwitter.
A lone turkey’s tracks are solace. Some hope of success – glory! – versus the bounteous Florida swails and breezy California valleys.
Even in January, eminence is the Sun’s. They fade in but a morning and not longer.
Then he appears. I give you his first name only: Pileated. For you know the rest. He gulps as greedily as his name.
His nature, fixed by God, inescapable. – Jason
The Big Year 2021 