Some Birds and a House Finch Video

I haven't posted in a long time because I've been very, very busy.  However, I have seen many birds.

 

Below is a yellow-rumped warbler that was sitting very high up in a tree.

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

 

Below is a Cassin's kingbird sitting on a telephone wire looking for insects.

Cassin's Kingbird

 

The birds in my yard have all started to get ready for spring.  The house finches, like the male below, were looking for places to make nests.  I know that's what they're doing because they only hop around on top of the windows (like the one below) during spring.

House Finch

 

Below is a pair of northern mockingbirds that were hopping around together on the roof.

Northern Mockingbirds

 

Below is a murder of American crows (just in case you didn't know, a group of crows is called a murder; a group of ravens is called an unkindness or a conspiracy).

American Crows

 

Below is a video of a male house finch singing.  The video is not very loud, so might have to turn up the volume a little.



The Buena Vista Lagoon Again

Today was the monthly bird count at the Buena Vista Lagoon, though there were fewer people there than last time.  It was strange because today was bright and sunny, but last time it was rainy.  There was also a birdhouse auction at the nature center.  I didn't go to the auction, but I saw the birdhouses in the nature center, and they were very beautiful.

A few weeks ago there was a fire at the lagoon that burned very near the nature center.  Below is a photo in which you can see the burned cattails.  However, for the first time we could see the lagoon from the nature center and the clearer area seems to have attracted red-winged blackbirds.  There were far more blackbirds by the nature center today than I've ever seen at the lagoon before.

The rest of the lagoon was unaffected though, and very beautiful.  Below is a photo of a view of the other side of the lagoon.

We saw many birds.  I even saw a California quail, which we don't usually see at the lagoon.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to get many photos of any bird because my camera ran out of memory and battery.  I did get some photos.

Below is a song sparrow.  There were many of them around.  They were all singing.

Song Sparrow

Below is an Anna's hummingbird.  There were many of these as well.

Anna's Hummingbird

There was also a surprisinly large number of great blue herons around.  Great blue herons are very common in many open spaces such as fields and marshes.  They are found throughout the United States, Mexico, and southern Canada.  They summer in the northern United States and Canada and winter in Mexico.  In the rest of the United States, they are around all year.  They eat not only fish, but small mammals, large insects, and even small birds if they can catch them.  I once saw a great blue heron catch a gopher and swallow it whole.  They are very large herons.  They are about four feet tall and blue-gray overall.  All together today I saw seven great blue herons.  Six of them were all in a row on an island in the middle of the lagoon.  Below is a photo of the one that wasn't with the other six.

Great Blue Heron

There were also many red-tailed hawks.  Altogether there were about six or seven.  Below are two photos of a few of them.  The first is of three hawks that were flying together.  The second is a hawk that was alone in a palm tree.

Red-Tailed Hawk

Red-Tailed Hawk

A Ring-Billed Gull and a Savannah Sparrow

It's rained quite a bit this week.  The water pooled up at school in large, deep puddles, which kept most of the birds away.  However, there were still American crows and ring-billed gulls, like the one pictured below.  I took the photo below at the Vista Courthouse parking lot.

Ring-Billed Gull

This week I have also seen many American kestrels, a white-tailed kite, and a few red-shouldered hawks.  I saw a red-shouldered hawk today that was being mobbed by about twenty crows.  Large numbers of crows often gang up on one hawk, even if the hawk is not much bigger than them.

Today I also got my first photo of a savannah sparrow.  Savannah sparrows are found throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.  They summer in the northern United States and Canada, and winter in the southern United States and Mexico.  In coastal California, central Mexico, and some areas where the summer and winter ranges meet, they are around all year.  They are found in open grassy areas such as marshes and fields.  They are streaked all over except for their chins and bellies, which are white.  They have pink beaks and often have yellow lores (the area above the eye near the beak).  Below is a savannah sparrow that was sitting in a tree next to the library at school.  (They are not always so pale as the one below.  They can be pale, reddish, or darker brown.)

Savannah Sparrow

Hawks, a Hutton's Vireo, and Other Birds

Yesterday I looked for birds in my backyard and at the Vista Courthouse parking lot.

In my backyard, I saw a pair of mourning doves and a pair of California towhees.  The towhees were picking up sticks; possibly getting ready for spring.  Below are a photo of the doves and a photo of one of the towhees.

Mourning Doves

California Towhee

The Vista Courthouse parking lot is actually a very good place to look for birds when nobody is there.  There is a field next to it, so many birds of prey can be seen flying over.  The parking lot also has many small trees scattered through it and larger trees around the edge where warblers, woodpeckers, and other small birds can be found.

First is not a bird but a little California ground squirrel.

Below is a red-shouldered hawk.

Red-Shouldered Hawk

Below is a Cooper's hawk.  They hunt for birds by diving quickly at them in a surprise attack.

Cooper's Hawk

Below is a bushtit hanging upside-down.

Bushtit

Below is a Hutton's vireo.  They are found all year round on the far west coast and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Central Mexico.  They are common, but can be hard to find because they are very small and you have to look in just the right place.  There were three of them in the parking lot among other little birds.  It was very hard to photograph because it kept moving around.

Hutton's Vireo

Four Birds and Another Mockingbird Video

Today I saw a lot of birds in my backyard, and around town as well.  Outside of my yard, I saw a common yellowthroat hopping around a fast food drive-thru, two red-tailed hawks, and three red-shouldered hawks.  All five of the hawks were flying around the same place.  All of the photos and the video below are in my backyard.

Below is a white-crowned sparrow that was singing.

White-Crowned Sparrow

Below is a California towhee.  Towhees aren't usually perched in high places such as telephone poles, but this one was, though not for very long.

California Towhee

Below is a bushtit that was foraging in a group.  Bushtits are almost always in groups, except in mating season.

Bushtit

Below is an Anna's hummingbird hovering above a dead tree.  It was looking for insects.

Anna's Hummingbird

Below is another video of a singing northern mockingbird.  I think this video is a little quieter than the last one, so you might have to turn up the volume.

Doves, Lizards, Hawks, and a Phoebe

Today I saw many birds.  I also saw two little western fence lizards running around after each other and jumping down the stairs.  The birds and lizards are very active in the warmer weather.  I think they're getting ready for spring already, because my parents saw a dove with a twig in its beak.

Below is a mourning dove that was sitting on a power line early in the morning.

Mourning Dove

Below is one of the active little lizards that was peeking over a stair at me.

Below is one of the red-tailed hawks from yesterday.

Red-Tailed Hawk

Below are both of the hawks flying below an airplane.

Red-Tailed Hawks

Below is a black phoebe that was catching flies hovering around.

Black Phoebe

Valentine's Birds and a Hunting Hummingbird

Though it is the day after Valentine's Day, and a while before spring, many birds were paired up today.  Below is a pair of northern mockingbirds.

Northern Mockingbirds

 

Today I was lucky enough to see the red-tailed hawks' amazing mating ritual.  The two hawks grab each other talons and dive down towards the ground, only to separate at the last minute.  Other birds of prey have the same ritual.  Below is a photo of one of the two (probably the male) trying to get the other to grab its talons.  It eventually succeeded, and the two fell faster than my camera could take a photo.

Red-Tailed Hawks

 

The two hawks eventually came back to soar together.  Below is their picture.

Red-Tailed Hawks

 

Not all of the birds were paired up, though.  Below is a bushtit that was foraging with a group.

Bushtit

A yellow-rumped warbler was content to be by itself.

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

An Allen's hummingbird was trying to catch some flies in the afternoon.  It didn't succeed, but it tried.

Allen's Hummingbird

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Today at school this morning, I saw an immature yellow-rumped warbler, though not much else.  Below are two photos of the little warbler.

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Two School Birds

This morning I got my first photos of birds at my school.

First, below is a photo of one of the beautiful views from the school.

Below is a photo of a song sparrow that was in the bushes next to the library.

Song Sparrow

Below is a male Anna's hummingbird that was whizzing around the school after other hummingbirds.  It's my first photo of a male Anna's.

Anna's Hummingbird

Birds, Bees, and Lizards

Sorry I didn't post all weekend.  I was really busy.

Below is a white-crowned sparrow sitting on a bird of paradise plant.  It looks pretty different from the other photos of white-crowned sparrows I've posted because it is not fully mature.  Immature white-crowned sparrows have brown striped heads instead of black and white.

White-Crowned Sparrow

Below are two photos of animals that are not birds.  The first is of a honey bee on a flower (because if you have flowers for the hummingbirds, you'll get bees as well).  The second is of a western fence lizard that was sunning itself.

Honey Bee

 

Western Fence Lizard

Below are two photos of a California towhee.  The first is of the towhee before it's bath in a clay bowl, and the second is of it taking a bath.  So far, birdbaths on the ground (like trays, trashcan lids, or bowls) have been safer for birds than real birdbaths.  In a real birdbath, cats have come up underneath where the birds can't see them and jumped up to catch the birds.  On the ground, birds can see cats that are sneaking up on them.  This towhee had nothing to worry about though; there were no cats around.

California Towhee

California Towhee

A Pair of Mourning Doves

Today is rained a lot, so there weren't a lot of birds out.  I saw crows, ring-billed gulls, a raven at school.  Coming home, I saw a red-shouldered hawk and two turkey vultures.

In my backyard this afternoon, there was a pair of mourning doves that just walked and sat around in my backyard for a few hours.  Below are a few of photos of them.  Mourning doves are very pretty doves.

Mourning Dove

Mourning Dove

Mourning Doves

Another White-Crowned Sparrow

This morning I saw two killdeer running around school this morning.  They were running across the sidewalk to different patches of grass to get away from people walking by.  The whole time both of them were calling out half of their 'killdeer' call, "kiii! kiii! kiii!"

Also at school today I saw a very large flock of crows and ring-billed gulls sitting on the roof of the theatre building, and a turkey vulture flying around.

In my backyard, I saw white-crowned sparrows.  Below is a photo of one.

White-Crowned Sparrow