Six Birds and a Snake

My backyard has been fairly active with wildlife recently.  Last Sunday, I discovered the first snake that my family has ever seen in our yard.  I had noticed a California towhee and western scrub-jay acting oddly.  They were both hopping up into the air over and over.  Then I saw a large thing like a rope suddenly whip up in the grass.  I immediately knew it was a snake and hurried over to see it up close.  It was a California kingsnake, which are harmless to humans and very pretty.  It was black and white and about three feet long.  Below is a photo of part of it.  It was trying to hide alongside a shed.

California Kingsnake

The mockingbirds are very active.  Their chicks can now fly, but not very well.  The chicks are fuzzy with shorter tails and yellow mouths.  I haven't been able to take a photo of one, but I hope that I can before they grow up.  Below is an adult northern mockingbird.

Northern Mockingbird

My mom has put up a bunch of colorful solar-powered lights everywhere in the yard.  They light up at night and are shaped like dragonflies and flowers.  One time a hummingbird mistook one of the flower lights for a real flower and stuck its beak into it.  A lot of birds like to perch on the lights.  Below is a mockingbird standing on one of them.

Northern Mockingbird

Last week, I saw a mourning dove with a small piece of a plant in its beak, probably for a nest.  All of the birds around my yard seem to nest at different times.  Below is the mourning dove.

Mourning Dove

I don't know whether the red-tailed hawks in my neighborhood have nested or not.  I still see they flying around.  Below is one of them.

Red-tailed Hawk

Below is an Allen's hummingbird that was looking down at me.

Allen's Hummingbird

Another bird that often stands on the lights in my yard is the hooded oriole.  They don't often stand on the light, but sideways on the pole.  They usually stand there and look around before landing on the ground to take a bath.  Below are two photos.  The first is a female hooded oriole that is perched on the pole, and the second photo is of the same oriole in the water.

Hooded Oriole

Hooded Oriole

Recently we moved one of the catfood bowls out from under the eves into the middle of the grass.  The cats, scrub-jays, and towhees all like that, because they can see the yard better.  Below is a western scrub-jay taking some catfood.

Western Scrub-Jay