Five Morning Birds

This morning I saw many birds in my backyard.  They started coming out a little after eight, or maybe earlier.  It was cloudy all day; good weather for birds and for going outside.  One unusual sight was a small flock of mallard ducks flying low over my house.  Below are photos of a few of the birds I saw.  All of the photos were taken today.

Below is a photo of a black phoebe silhouetted against the morning sky.

Black Phoebe

Below is a Bewick's wren that was in the philodendron plant.

Bewick's Wren

Below is a female Nuttall's woodpecker.

Nuttall's Woodpecker

Below is a female bushtit.

Bushtit

I finally got a photo of a Cassin's kingbird!  Cassin's kingbirds summer in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, and winter in Baja California and southern Mexico.  In the coastal area of southern California (like where I live) and part of central Mexico they are around all year long.  They are often found in open areas with some trees or other high places, where they like to perch.  They are flycatchers, so they often fly from their perch to catch insects in midair and then return to the same perch.  Kingbirds often mob birds of prey, and even land on hawks' backs as they are flying to peck them on the head.  Cassin's kingbirds are very similar to western kingbirds.  Cassin's kingbirds have darker heads and chests and have paler wings.  Also, they have tails with white tips, not white sides like the western.  They both, however, have bright yellow bellies.  Below is a photo of a Cassin's kingbird with an insect in its beak.

Cassin's Kingbird