March Buena Vista Lagoon

Today's post is a long one.  Today was the monthly bird class and count at the Buena Vista Lagoon.  We saw many birds, including the first Caspian tern of spring, a Bullock's oriole, and a Wilson's warbler.  Sadly, I didn't get photos of any of these, but none of them stayed long enough for one.

Below is a view of the lagoon. The burnt cattails are still visible. Some new cattails have begun to grow, though.

Below is a common yellowthroat.  They are found throughout most of the United States and southern Canada in the summer, though in the southeastern United States nd southern California, they are around all year.  They winter in southern Arizona and Texas down into Mexico.  They are very common in marshy areas and brushy areas near water.  They are small, noisy, chattery yellow warblers.  The females are entirely yellowish-green.  The males are similar in color, though they also have a white line across the front of their head and a black mask.  There were tons of them at the lagoon today.

Common Yellowthroat

Below was a very nicely colored yellow-rumped warbler.  It's too bad the photo turned out a little dark.  There were many of these warblers around.

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Below is an Allen's hummingbird.  Although it is hard to see, it has green on its head and it had green on its back as well.

Allen's Hummingbird

Below are two northern shovelers (a female and a male) in flight.  They are found in the northern United States, Canada, and Alaska in the summer, and the southern United States dow into Mexico in the winter.  In a small part of the northwestern United States, they are around all year.  They are common on ponds and are often found in large flocks.  Females are plain brown and streaked.  Males have white chests, rufous sides, and green heads.  All northern shovelers have very large beaks, which they use to scoop up small creatures and seeds from the surface of the water.

Northern Shovelers

Below is a western kingbird.  Western kingbirds are found in the western United States and southern Canada in the summer and in southern Florida, Mexico, and Central America in the winter.  They are very similar to Cassin's kingbirds.  However, they can be distinguished by their paler head and chest, darker wings, white throat, and white edges on the tail.  They are common here in the summer, and there were quite a few of them around today.  They mostly feed on flying insects, but today, I saw one dive at the water and catch a small fish.

Western Kingbird

Below is a northern mockingbird singing atop a tree.  There usually aren't many of them at the lagoon, but today there were a bunch.

Northern Mockingbird

Below is a flock of cliff swallows.  This is only a small part of a huge flock of them.  They summer in all of North America except the very far north and winter in nothern South America.  They are common swallows that build mud nests on the sides of cliffs, buildings, bridges, and other man-made structures.  They are off-white below and around their neck with rufous and blue heads, white foreheads, black throats, and blue-gray backs and wings.  They feed on flying insects and are often found in large groups.

Cliff Swallows

Below is a male ruddy duck.  They are found all year round in the western United States, in the winter in the southeast, and in the summer in the midwest and southern Canada.  They are common diving ducks found on ponds and lakes.  Males are rufous-colored with a black cap and nape, white face, and bright blue beak.  Females are brown with white striped cheeks and grayish beaks.  Both males and females have tails that stick up, though sometimes their tails are down.

Ruddy Duck

Below is a male lesser goldfinch eating weed seeds.

Lesser Goldfinch