When we first arrived at the lagoon, we were surprised to see a huge number of Vaux's Swifts flying around. There were hundreds of them. There were also White-throated Swifts, but not very many. Then, as we walked by the lagoon, we saw an even greater number of swallows, over a thousand, flying over the water. There were hundreds of each of the species we normally see; there were Cliff, Northern Rough-winged, Tree, and Barn Swallows. It was incredible to see so many birds. I don't think I've ever seen so many swifts or swallows before. Below are six photos of the swifts and swallows. The fifth one is a Vaux's Swift and the sixth is a Barn Swallow.
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| Vaux's Swift |
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| Barn Swallow |
There weren't very many hawks at the lagoon, probably because of the weather. Early in the morning, a Red-shouldered Hawk swooped low over the lagoon, then landed on a telephone pole. It only stayed for a minute before flying off again. Later on, a Red-tailed Hawk flew right above us. Below are two photos. The first is of the Red-shouldered Hawk. The second is of the Red-tailed Hawk.
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| Red-shouldered Hawk |
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| Red-tailed Hawk |
The Eared Grebes are in their summer plumage now. Rather than being white and gray, they are dark reddish-brown and have their little crests and fluffy yellow "ears." We saw a few of them at the lagoon. Below are two photos of them.
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| Eared Grebe |
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| Eared Grebe |
Besides birds, there were also numerous California Ground Squirrels and Western Fence-Lizards. They liked the warm weather and became more active when the sun was shining. Below are photos of each.
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| California Ground Squirrel |
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| Western Fence-Lizard |
As always, there were many House Finches around, singing at the tops of trees. Below is a male perched in a sycamore tree.
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| House Finch |
There were a few Allen's Hummingbirds zipping around. Below are two male Allen's Hummingbirds.
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| Allen's Hummingbird |
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| Allen's Hummingbird |
In February we saw a Western and a Clark's Grebe swimming together, and this time we saw them again. They were likely the same two. It's possible that they're a pair, since two species, especially very closely related ones, do occasionally interbreed. They were behaving like a pair last month, such as bobbing their heads at each other, and the Clark's Grebe begged for food from the Western Grebe when it caught a fish. I'm not certain, though. Below are five photos of them. The first two are the Clark's Grebe, the third is the Western Grebe, and the last two are of the two together.
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| Clark's Grebe |
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| Clark's Grebe |
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| Western Grebe |
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| Western and Clark's Grebes |
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| Clark's and Western Grebes |
Usually when we see cormorants, they are on the water, sitting on a perch, or flying very low over the water. This bird count, however, a Double-crested Cormorant was flying high above us, soaring around in a wide circles. It may have been stuck up there, or maybe it just wanted to fly around. Below is a photo of it.
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| Double-crested Cormorant |
There were quite a few Common Yellowthroats around. One very pretty male came out of the reeds and sat out in the open for everyone to see. Below is a photo of it.
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| Common Yellowthroat |
It's spring, and there are quite a few young birds around. Below is a young House Sparrow (notice the yellow corners of its beak).
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| House Sparrow |
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