Three Common Birds and Some Swallows

Below is a male Nuttall's woodpecker (red cap) climbing up a dead tree.  An easy way of telling a Nuttall's from a Downy or Hairy woodpecker is that they have striped backs.  Downy and hairy woodpeckers have white patches in the middle of their backs.

Nuttall's Woodpecker

Below is an Anna's hummingbird sitting in a dead tree.  It was making bottle cap noises: "zzz-pop! zzz-pop!"

Anna's Hummingbird

Below is a female house finch sitting on a telephone wire.  It was looking down at me.

House Finch

There seem to be a lot of northern rough-winged swallows in my area.  In particular, they are common in the city of Vista's downtown area, especially near the Wave Waterpark.  They are often in small groups and will fly right by your head.  Below are two photos of them; one sitting on a bar overlooking a flood-control ditch (which was swarming with flying insects) and another sitting on a telephone wire above the ditch.

Northern Rough-Winged Swallow

Northern Rough-Winged Swallow