A Coyote and Many Birds

Last week, my parents and I were walking around the neighborhood when a coyote walked up a driveway in front of us.  When it saw us, it hurried back down and hid behind a fence.  As soon as we passed the driveway, it came back up, crossed the street and walked quickly away.  As it was going, two mockingbirds came down and started mobbing it.  It must have been walking by their nest.  Below are two photos.  The first is of the coyote looking at us, and the second of it with one of the mockingbirds (the bird is the black and white blur).

Recently, an Anna's hummingbird was feeling pretty bold.  When I took my cat out in the backyard, the hummingbird flew right up to about two feet away from my cat's face and hovered there looking at him.  Fortunately it flew away after a few seconds.  My cat had watched it, but hadn't done anything.  Below are two different hummingbirds.  The first is an Anna's hummingbird and the second is an Allen's.  Both are females.  The one that flew up to my cat had also been a female.

Anna's Hummingbird

Allen's Hummingbird

I think that the Eurasian collared-doves have a nest in a tree in my front yard.  I don't know for sure, because I can't see into the tree.  The doves have been flying into it very often, though.  They always wait until I'm not looking at them before they do.  Below is one of the Eurasian collared-doves sitting on a lamppost in my yard.

Eurasian Collared-Dove

The finches seem to be done with nesting for now, because they are forming flocks again.  Below is a flock of seven house finches and a northern mockingbird.  The mockingbird is the one on the top right (it's larger and gray).  The mockingbird hung around with the house finches all day.

House Finches and Northern Mockingbird

I don't know when the bushtits had their chicks.  They're almost always in flocks and their nests are always well hidden, so I can't tell.  A few days ago, a flock landed in a dead tree and spent a couple minutes just sitting and preening.  Below is a male bushtit.

Bushtit

My parents have been seeing three young red-tailed hawks together, which means there must have been a nest.  They like to hang around a football field at a middle school.  Below is an adult on the field's lights.

Red-Tailed Hawk

The mallard ducks have had chicks.  Below is a mother duck with her five ducklings in the flood-control ditch.  The ducklings are not very little anymore, but they are still smaller than their mother.  She is the larger, paler one in the back.

Mallards

The hooded orioles have also had more chicks.  This is the first time I've seen a very young oriole.  It follows its parents everywhere.  When it calls for its parents, it sounds like a hummingbird whistling.  It doesn't look much at all like an oriole.  It is brown and looks more like a finch, except for the beak.  I've seen it being fed by its parents as well as a young male oriole that doesn't have its adult colors yet.  I think that the third oriole might be an older sibling or other relative.  Below are two photos of the oriole chick.

Hooded Oriole

Hooded Oriole