Bird Blog

Welcome to my Bird Blog: Stories from a Lifelong Birder

Welcome to my Bird Blog: Stories from a Lifelong Birder

My Bird Blog is a series of “then and now” stories that combine my experiences as a juvenile birdwatcher in Britain during the 1950s and 1960s with my knowledge of the same species in California today. Each month I publish the details of a bird 

Great Blue Herons

Great Blue Herons

Great Blue Heron Nests Photo Credit – Louisa Cammidge     The above photo arrived a few days ago with the question, “To whom do these nests belong?” The location is Puget Sound on the northwest coast of the US state of Washington. The answer is 

Etiquette at Bird Feeders

Etiquette at Bird Feeders

Lesser Goldfinch at my Tube Feeder

Photo Credit – Author

 

 

It has been a fascinating two years living in northern California, close to the Pacific Coast, observing the etiquette of birds that visit my bird feeders. Each specific species has a distinct bird behavior and attitude. A comprehensive list of visitors to California bird feeders is available on this website: https://avianreport.com/california-backyard-feeder-birds/

My more personal list is as follows.

 

 

Downy Woodpecker-male bird behavior
Downy Woodpecker

Photo Credit – Tammy Popple at OnTheFeeder.com

 

 

Nuttall's Woodpecker
Nutall’s Woodpecker

Photo Credit – Santa Clara Bird Alliance

 

 

I have added substitutions, deletions, and additions to focus on my more familiar visitors. In my yard, there is the Downy Woodpecker, not the Nutall’s Woodpecker; the American Robin arrives for berries rather than visits my bird feeders; Starlings, Golden-crowned Sparrows, and Northern Mockingbirds are absent even though they live nearby; the Black-headed Grosbeak is a rare visitor but is not on the attached list, and flocks of Band-tailed Pigeons (also not on the attached list) are unwelcome guests. They descend in groups and eat from bird feeders until the food is exhausted and frighten away everything else. Recently, I added peanuts to my offerings, only to discover a few minutes later that a mass of Band-tailed Pigeons had arrived.

 

 

Band-tailed Pigeons bird behavior
Band-tailed Pigeons

Photo Credit – Craig Kerns, Shoreline Area News

 

 

Here are some of my more frequent visitors. The Lesser Goldfinch (illustration above) is a year-round visitor, easily frightened and subordinate to larger, more aggressive birds. Its favorite food is the small, dark-colored thistle (nyjer) seed, kept in a mesh tube feeder that other birds cannot access except for the occasional Oak Titmouse. This way, it avoids competition, but its presence remains skittish.

 

 

American Goldfinch 2
American Goldfinch

Photo Credit – Better Homes and Gardens

 

 

Sometimes, Lesser Goldfinches are accompanied by the American Goldfinch, which has the distinctive black head of the breeding male. They are a little more sociable but appear to prefer regular bird feeders with various seeds.

 

 

House Finches
House Finches; red male; plain female:

Photo Credit – Birds of Quail Valley

 

 

House Finches are my most common visitors, probably every day of the year. They gather in the bushes and chatter while waiting to compete at the tube feeders. They defer to larger, more aggressive birds like the California Scrub Jay and allow smaller birds, such as the Oak Titmouse and Chestnut-backed Chickadee, to take over their perches. They are more aggressive towards each other. Sometimes mixed among them are Cassin’s Finches and Pine Siskins.

 

 

Oak Titmouse
Oak Titmouse

Photo Credit – Wild Birds Unlimited

 

 

The Oak Titmouse is a curious bird that feeds using a grab-and-run technique. It visits platform feeders, suet cages, and hanging feeders but takes its food to eat elsewhere. If being pushed to one side, expect to hear its harsh scolding call and see its raised crest.

Its close relative, the Chestnut-backed Chickadee, displays similar bird behavior. This cautious visitor prefers suet holders over tube feeders and flits quickly between food sources. It takes a mouthful at a time and promptly leaves to eat or store it elsewhere.

 

 

Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Photo Credit – Author

 


California Scrub Jay bird behavior
California Scrub Jay

Photo Credit – National Wildlife Federation

 

 

The species I find the most fascinating is the rather drab-looking California Towhee. It has some interesting bird behavior — appearing to have no fear of humans as it persistently pecks away at the ground for food. The California Towhee neither bullies other birds nor will it be bullied. It is a ground feeder, but occasionally, it visits platform and suet feeders. It seems to know what’s up there. I watched a California Towee repeatedly fly to a suet basket to peck at the suet balls while still in flight. It then dropped to the ground to eat what it had pecked. Over the weeks, it discovered a platform in the center of the suet feeder and eventually realized by occupying it, the bird could happily peck away at the food and consume it undisturbed.

 

 

 

California Towhee
California Towhee

Photo Credit – Marin Independent Journal

 

 

Dark-eyed Junco
Dark-eyed Junco

Photo Credit – r/Birding

 

 

Finally, my most industrious visitor is the Dark-eyed Junco. I observe them year-round as they hop, search, and peck for food on the ground, often spilt by other birds.  It is not easily frightened.

On a peaceful day, nothing is more satisfying than sitting outside watching birds feed. In addition to the species I have covered, there are other visitors, such as the American Crow, Mourning Dove, Nuthatches, and Spotted Towhee.

If you have or are thinking of installing a bird feeder, please consider the following:

  • Limit the food you provide to last one to two days
  • Avoid contamination of the bird food
  • Keep your bird feeders clean
  • Avoid locations close to windows; the ideal is within three feet, so the bird is still in lift-off or 30+ feet away, so the window’s reflection does not attract it.

Enjoy your backyard birdwatching. You’ll see some interesting bird behavior. It’s been a hobby of mine since the 1950s when, on my family’s farm home in England, I would see Blue Tits, Great Tits, House Sparrows, European Robins, Starlings and Chaffinches. Today, in the same area, you can include European Goldfinches, Long-tailed Tits, and Nuthatches.

 

 

Phoebe Birds of America

Phoebe Birds of America

Black Phoebe Photo Credit – Cornell Lab of Ornithology     Phoebes are smallish (6 inches/16 cm), insect-eating, perching songbirds native to the Americas. Black Phoebe – United States, Mexico, Central America, parts of South America Eastern Phoebe – Eastern North America Say’s Phoebe – 

Mistle Thrush and Other Turdidae Family Members

Mistle Thrush and Other Turdidae Family Members

Mistle Thrush Photo Credit – British Trust for Ornithology   This month, I am focusing on a bird I observed during my childhood in northern England: the Mistle Thrush. In the late 1950s, my ornithological colleagues at Bootham School reported that the Mistle Thrush was 

Migrant Birds, Featuring the Barn Swallow

Migrant Birds, Featuring the Barn Swallow

Barn Swallow

Photo Credit – Birds and Blooms Magazine

 

 

My local Barn Swallows have arrived and have been constructing mud nests and feeding their offspring under the roof eaves of houses along the Corte Madera Creek near San Francisco. These avians make an annual pilgrimage, often in large groups, during early spring from as far away as Argentina, a journey spanning approximately 5,000 miles (8,000 km). They travel up to 600 miles (1,000 km) daily during daylight, indulging in a mid-air feast as they dart across the sky. Barn swallows eat only insects. Most other migrant birds travel under darkness, resting and feeding during the daytime so as not to be seen by predators. Barn swallows can quickly alter their course and altitude, accelerate when necessary and often soar too high to be pursued by raptors.

 

 

Barn Swallow Range Map
Barn Swallow Range Map

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Green – breeding; dark green – resident; light blue – migration; blue – non-breeding

 

 

The Barn Swallow, a truly cosmopolitan bird, also breeds in northern Europe, northeastern Asia, the Middle East, and northern Africa. As a young bird enthusiast, I would eagerly anticipate their annual arrival at the Yorkshire farm, where they would promptly construct their mud nests in barns, sheds, and under the eaves of buildings. I would call them “the swallows “. They are the world’s most populous and widely dispersed swallow species. Other members of the Hirundinidae family seen during my childhood were the Sand Martins and House Martins. In California, there are these additional representatives:

  • Cliff Swallow: Species nests in small colonies among coastal cliffs and highway bridges. It is the legendary swallow mentioned in the Mission San Juan Capistrano.
  • Tree Swallow: nests in isolated pairs or small groups in natural and artificial cavities.
  • Bank Swallow: This species is the Sand Martin in Eurasia. It excavates nests in burrows along the banks of rivers and streams and lives in large colonies.
  • Violet-green Swallow: a fast-flying bird found near open water. Not very social and does not nest in colonies.
  • Northern Rough-winged Swallow: common in coastal hills of southern California; nests in burrows excavated by other birds and animals, either singly or in small groups.
  • Purple Martin: largest member of the swallow family; restricted to the mountains of California; nests in colonies.

There are approximately 90 Hirundinidae species worldwide. Swifts are unrelated and classified in a separate family, the Apodidae.

 

Migration
Photo Credit – A Way to Garden.com

 

 

WHY DO BIRDS MIGRATE?

  1. It’s in the genes of migrant birds. And it’s needed for new food sources and breeding locations; sometimes, they travel on ancestral routes rather than present-day ones. For example, the Northern Wheaters in eastern Canada, Alaska, and the Yukon do not fly south for winter. Those in the east cross the Atlantic to West Africa, and those in the west travel to Asia and East Africa. Not all birds relocate. Around 4,000 species migrate, about 40 percent of all birds.
  2. The Arctic Tern undertakes the longest migration, travelling 50,000 miles (80,000 km) each year between the Arctic and Antarctic. The longest “nonstop migrant” is the Bar-tailed Godwit (nearly 7,000 miles/11,000 km), and the fastest is the Great Snipe, traveling 400 miles (650 km) at speeds of up to 60 mph (95 kph). Some birds fly high (above 20,000 feet/6,000 m), including the Mallard, Whooper Swan, and Alpine Chough.
  3. Studies indicate that migration began millions of years ago and likely started in a north-south direction, maybe in response to glaciation cycles. Challenges during migration include bad weather (causing the arrival of vagrant species), predators, human hunting, human-made obstacles, and the need for food and rest on the journey.

 

 

Arctic Tern
Arctic Tern

Photo Credit – eBird

 

 

WHEN DO BIRDS MIGRATE?

  1. Species do not migrate simultaneously. Most migrant birds travel from late summer through the fall and return to their breeding grounds from late winter through the spring. Dates are not exact and influenced by weather conditions (storms and strong winds), food availability (especially insects), hormonal behavior that causes birds to build body mass before departing, and resource competition.
  2. Changes in the day’s light length (photoperiod) trigger birds’ travel restlessness and stimulate their genetic and physiological constitution. Temperature change may also influence this. Permanent residents do not migrate; short-distance migrants move from higher to lower elevations; medium-distance migrants relocate several hundred miles; and around 350 North American bird species are long-distance travelers.
  3. Most migrant birds take flight within an hour of sunset and fly through the night; some fast flyers, such as hummingbirds, finches, swallows, and swifts, travel in daylight, as do birds of prey, pelicans, and herons. Most species flock for migration to enjoy safety in numbers; a few, such as hummingbirds and some sparrows, will travel solo.

 

 

Seabird Migration
Seabird Migration

Photo Credit – World Migratory Bird Day

 

 

HOW DO BIRDS FIND THEIR MIGRATION DESTINATION?

  1. Most migrant birds follow landmasses and use specific geographic flyways. Globally, there are eight major ones. North America has four: along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, the Mississippi Valley, and the east side of the Rockies. Britain is dominated by the East Atlantic bird highway from Siberia, Canada, and Greenland, which extends to southern Africa; an estimated 90 million birds use this flyway. Three other highways are the Mediterranean and Black Sea routes, Central Asia, and Eastern Asia/Australia.
  2. Birds that migrate at night use stars and constellations; the sun is used during the day. Some species can see the earth’s magnetic field photochemically through their eyes, believed to be their navigational aid; others have magnetite-based receptors in their bills. These and in-built compasses allow birds to orient themselves according to magnetic intensity.
  3. Several species, such as terns, geese, swans, and cranes, escort their young during their first migration to prevent them from getting lost.

 

 

flyways
Photo Credit:
Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences

 

 

WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF GLOBAL WARMING ON MIGRATION?

  1. Destination changes: Birds migrate further north as new territory becomes available and may nest at higher altitudes.
  2. Physical evolution: some long-distance migrants show signs of evolving smaller bodies, longer wings, and less weight to move further and faster.
  3. Departure times: some birds leave earlier for their breeding grounds as food supplies become available sooner. An English study of 20 species of migrant birds showed that arrival dates had advanced about eight days over 30 years for 17 of these species. Warming air and sea temperatures in the northern Pacific have a similar effect.
  4. Rise in Sea Levels: migrant waders will likely experience reduced habitat as mudflats and marshes disappear, and shore nesting sites will be lost.

In summary, there is more to learn about the effects of climate change on birds. There seem to be winners and losers, with some benefiting and increasing in numbers and others hindered and experiencing declining populations.

HOPEFULLY, THIS INFORMATION WAS USEFUL. THERE APPEARS TO BE MUCH MORE TO LEARN ABOUT BIRD MIGRATION AND HOW EACH SPECIES COPE WITH CLIMATE CHANGE.

Cory’s Shearwater and Birds of the Portuguese Azores and Madeira

Cory’s Shearwater and Birds of the Portuguese Azores and Madeira

Cory’s Shearwater off the coast of Madeira, Portugal Photo Credit – Author   Cory’s Shearwater is a large, heavy bird and a member of the seabird family Procelleridae. It breeds primarily in the Portuguese islands of the Azores and Madeira and the Canary Islands, Spain.  

To See a Mockingbird

To See a Mockingbird

Northern Mockingbird Photo Credit – the Author    Amidst a cacophony of mid-morning birdsong, a medium-sized bird, approximately 10 inches (25 cm) in length, caught my eye. Its tail, as long as its body, was a striking feature. The bird’s plumage was a mix of 

Scaup, A Confusion of Ducks and Geese

Scaup, A Confusion of Ducks and Geese

Greater Scaup (male with the white plumage)

Photo Credit – Cornell Lab: All About Birds

 

California winter visitors, the Greater Scaup, have recently left the coastal creek near my home and returned to their breeding grounds along the West Coast up to Alaska. Previously, I have written about ducks known as Buffleheads and Teal; now, it is the turn of the Scaup: Lesser and Greater. The name probably originates from the Scot’s word scalp, meaning a bed of shellfish, a favorite food of the duck. Alternatively, some suggest the word comes from the female’s scaup call. Its nickname in North America is Bluebill because of its distinctive blue bill. 

Both species of Scaup are medium-sized and similar in appearance, except for the longer, whitish band on the wings of the Greater Scaup and its rounded head, whereas the Lesser Scaup’s head is peaked. Large bodies of water, often near the coast, are home to the Greater, and the Lesser inhabits marshes and ponds. Both dive underwater for food, and while the most common dabbling duck in the United States is the Mallard, the Lesser Scaup is the most numerous diving duck.

 

Greater and Lesser Scaup comparison
Greater/Lesser Scaup (Greater is whiter)

Photo Credit – Cornell Lab, All About Birds

 

I recorded Scaup during my childhood in Yorkshire, England. After leaving their breeding grounds in Iceland, Scandinavia, and western Russia, they were winter visitors. As winters have become warmer and wetter, there are fewer Scaup, with the British population estimated to have shrunk 75 percent since the mid-1970s. Britain also hosts the “Lesser” variety as a rare vagrant, with the first recorded sighting in the 1980s. 

 

Greater Scaup Global Range Map
Greater Scaup Global Range

Photo Credit – WWT Slimbridge Wetland Center

Blue: breeding; Red: winter and migration

 

 

Lesser Scaup Range Map
Lesser Scaup Range

Photo Credit – Cornell Lab, All About Birds

 

What makes a Scaup a duck and not a goose since both are in the same waterfowl family, Anatidae? Experts identify the number of bones the bird has in its neck. Ducks have 16 or fewer, while geese have between 17 and 24. Other differences include ducks with broader and longer beaks, geese typically larger, and ducks with more colorful plumage, especially males. 

For now, I must be patient. The Greater Scaup will return in October. In the meantime, I can look for the widespread Mallard found virtually on all bodies of water or search in California for breeding Gadwalls and Cinnamon Teals.

 

Gadwall
Gadwall

Photo Credit – National Audubon Society

 

 

Cinnamon Teal Pair Wading
Cinnamon Teal

Photo Credit – Ducks Unlimited
American Kestrel, Small Falcon with a Large Appetite

American Kestrel, Small Falcon with a Large Appetite

Eurasian or Common Kestrel: Photo Credit – Wikipedia   American Kestrel Photo Credit – Cornell Lab of Ornithology   Thank you, Sonoma Land Trust, for connecting me with the beautiful American Kestrel, the smallest raptor in North America, during a recent visit to the Sonoma 

Hummingbirds That Live In California

Hummingbirds That Live In California

Humming-bird Hawk-moth Photo Credit – Graeham Mounteney, Butterfly Conservation   Hummingbirds are small, often migratory birds that inhabit the Americas. They have compact bodies, long, narrow beaks, and relatively long blade-like wings. The latter allows them to fly in every direction and to hover. Typically, 

Belted Kingfisher: What You Need To Know

Belted Kingfisher: What You Need To Know

Belted Kingfisher

Photo Credit – I-naturalist (Birds of San Diego County)

 

I usually hear the Belted Kingfisher rather than see one when walking alongside the Corte Madera Creek near San Francisco. Occasionally, you might observe one perched above the water or hovering on rapidly beating wings. The Belted Kingfisher is a member of about 120 species worldwide, with the most prominent being the Kookaburra, native to Australia and New Guinea. Kingfishers have big heads, dagger bills, and tiny feet. Only the Belted Kingfisher and two other species are resident in the United States. Neither of the other two, the Green Kingfisher and the Ringed Kingfisher, is present in California. 

 

  

Green KingfisherGreen Kingfisher

Photo Credit – National Audubon Society 

 

 

Ringed KingfisherRinged Kingfisher

Photo Credit – National Audubon Society

 

The global population of the Belted Kingfisher is approximately two million, of which two-thirds inhabit North America. It is abundant and widespread near lakes, streams, and estuaries, and is of Least Concern under the United States classification of Birds of Conservation Concern.

 

 

Here is some information on kingfishers in general and Belted Kingfishers in particular:

  1. Belted Kingfishers appear as fossils in several southwestern states and date back at least 600,000 years. Fossils of other kingfisher species go back two million years.
  2.   

  3. Greek mythology explains the derivation of the name kingfisher: A time long ago, a happily married couple named Alcyone (Halcyon in Greek), daughter of Aeolus, God of the winds, and Ceyx, King of Trachis in central Greece, annoyed the God Zeus by comparing their marriage to his with Hera. Legend is that, in a fit of rage, he cast a thunderbolt at Alcyone’s husband’s ship as he was sailing his vessel to Ionia to consult the Oracle over his brother’s death. It sank and Ceyx perished. Hera was so profoundly saddened by the fate of Ceyx that she arranged for Morpheus, God of Apparitions, to create a life-like specter of Ceyx, revealing to Alcyone the circumstances of her husband’s death. Upset by what she saw, she threw herself into the sea and perished.
      
    The Gods of Olympia were so impressed by the couple’s devotion to each other that they had Zeus atone for his deed by transforming the couple into flashing blue Halcyon birds. Halcyon is the Greek word for kingfisher. The story ends with the Gods creating each January for two weeks, a calm and tranquil sea that allows Alcyone to lay her eggs and teach her chicks to fly. Hence, the word “halcyon” has become established in our vocabulary as meaning a happy and peaceful time. Our Greek species of kingfisher is the Eurasian or Common Kingfisher.
  4.  

    Painting by Herbert James Draper, 1915: “Halcyone”Painting by Herbert James Draper, 1915: “Halcyone”

      

  5. A kingfisher is supposed to have been a bird to have flown from Noah’s ark, receiving on its breast the orange of the setting sun and on its back, the blue of the sky.
  6.   

  7. My early days spotting kingfishers occurred in the 1950s, along the sides of the Ouse and River Nidd in Yorkshire. Presumably, these were the birds that originated in Greek mythology. They were known to me simply as the Kingfisher, Common Kingfisher, or the River Kingfisher. They were dumpy, short-tailed, about the size of a sparrow, and passed me by in a splash of blue as they moved fast and low over the water. My 1958 Bird List mentions this bird as observed in 1905, fishing among the ice on the Ouse. Most are resident birds except when there are prolonged freezing conditions in winter.
  8.   

     

    Common/Eurasian KingfisherCommon/Eurasian Kingfisher

    Photo Credit – Wikipedia

     

  9. The Belted Kingfisher belongs to a distinct group of kingfishers known as water kingfishers, sometimes hovering over the water before diving after their prey. The Kookaburra belongs to a sub-family known as tree kingfishers, and the Common or Eurasian kingfisher is a member of a third category known as river kingfishers. All species in the Americas are water kingfishers. Belted ones mainly eat fish in shallow water or swim near the surface. The bird is medium-sized, has a large, squarish head, dagger-shaped bill, shaggy crest, and blue and white plumage. Unlike many other birds the female is more brightly colored than the male and includes a rust-colored belly band.
  10.   

  11. The Belted Kingfisher builds its nest in tunnels. It has a flat toe with sharp, pointed claws that assist with the digging. Nests usually are excavated along a body of water, sloping upwards, and can be as long as eight feet. The clutch size is typically five to eight eggs, and both parents share in the incubation and feeding of the young. Sometimes, they host tenants in their tunnels. Swallows occasionally share their burrows, digging out small cavities. The pair will defend their territory against other kingfishers.
  12.   

    Belted Kingfisher, NestBelted Kingfisher, Nest

    Photo Credit – BirdNote

     

  13. And you are likely to hear Belted Kingfishers because of their three to four-second repeated chattering, a piercing rattle that they make when disturbed.
  14.   

  15. They wander widely and have appeared in the Galapagos Islands, Hawaii, the Azores, Iceland, Greenland, and occasionally in Europe, where they are usually “twitched” because of their rarity.
  16.   

  17. Some Native Americans believe that the kingfisher signals wealth, prosperity, and love for the one who sees it. The bird also features in native art.

 

Belted Kingfisher Native American Art

Belted Kingfisher Native American Art

Credit-Glen Rabena, Hornby Island, B.C.

It is a bird that I love to hear as much as to see.

Eurasian Collared Doves – Invaders or Colonizers?

Eurasian Collared Doves – Invaders or Colonizers?

Eurasian Collared Doves Photo Credit – Cornell Lab of Ornithology   Recently, I was walking alongside my local creek-side in Northern California when I heard the purring sound of goo-Goo-goo, and strove to find out what it was. I discovered a pair of Eurasian Collared 

Western Bluebirds, an Example of Natal Philopatry

Western Bluebirds, an Example of Natal Philopatry

Western Bluebirds Male & Female Photo Credit – National Geographic   The number of Western Bluebirds fluttering and dropping to the ground in search of insects appears to have dramatically increased this fall around the golf course I use here in northern California. What is 

Backyard Tales of a Black-headed Grosbeak and a Western Tanager

Backyard Tales of a Black-headed Grosbeak and a Western Tanager

Black-Headed Grosbeak

Photo Credit – Author

 

The fall migration is underway. There are birds appearing in my Northern California backyard which I have not identified before. First there was the Black-Headed Grosbeak, a member of the Cardinal family, inspecting my bird feeder, probably looking for its favorite seed, the sunflower, and then there was a terrible accident involving a Western Tanager. These are not rare birds in California, just unusual in my backyard.

 

Black-headed Grosbeak RangeBlack-Headed Grosbeak Range

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

 

The Black-Headed Grosbeak is a medium sized bird, about the size of a Starling, and is widespread and common in most parts of California, with its numbers appearing stable. It breeds as far north as southwest British Columbia. The average life span is approximately seven years. It chooses oak and mixed woodland for its summer habitat, but as it starts to migrate during September, to spend up to seven months wintering in central Mexico, it tends to choose open woodland, trees alongside streams, and suburban areas, as its preferred environment. 

  

Black-Headed Grosbeak male and femaleBlack-Headed Grosbeak, Both Sexes

Photo Credit – US National Park Service

 

The plumage of the male and female is somewhat different, but both genders possess a deep, conical beak, which gives the bird its name. The male has a black head, black speckled white back and tail, and an orangish neck, breast, and sides. The female is browner, with a whitish belly and streaking on the sides.

Their diet is mainly insects, snails, and spiders during summer, but they switch to seeds, berries, and fruit in winter. They are one of the few birds that eat monarch butterflies, despite the noxious chemicals these insects contain after eating milkweed during their larval stage. 

 

Spotted TowheeSpotted Towhee

Photo Credit – Sacramento Audubon Society

 

Beware of confusing the Black-Headed Grosbeak with a Spotted Towhee. The latter can be distinguished by its smaller bill and longer tail, and the orange coloring is restricted to its sides.

 

Evening GrosbeakEvening Grosbeak

Photo Credit – American Bird Conservancy

 

Blue GrosbeakBlue Grosbeak

Photo Credit – American Bird Conservancy

 

Rose-breasted GrosbeakRose-breasted Grosbeak

Photo Credit – American Bird Conservancy

 

There are other species of Grosbeak to be found in California, such as the Evening Grosbeak, so-named because, at first, it was thought only to sing at dusk, the Blue Grosbeak, and the occasional Pine Grosbeak, which is widespread across northern Europe and Asia as well as North America. The Rose-Breasted Grosbeak breeds primarily in the forests of the eastern United States, and winters in central and southern Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and northern South America.

 

Western TanagerWestern Tanager, Male and Female

Photo Credit – Rocky Mountain National Park Service

 

The Western Tanager that made it to my backyard unfortunately never left. It flew into a house window during the daytime, and died on impact. I hoped it was only stunned but that was not the case. I need to do something about my window! 

 

Western TanagerFatal Accident

Photo Credit – Author

 

Glass windows are worse than invisible. They either reflect foliage and the sky, or face off against another window, and appear not to exist. Up to an estimated one billion birds die annually from window strikes in the United States. I am considering what I should do. Should I place decals or stickers on the window despite its large size? The alternatives include installing shutters, using a mosquito screen or netting, adding a series of rope bird-savers, or inside, maybe I could add blinds, the simplest solution. 

                                                                                                                                                

Western Tanager Range MapWestern Tanager Range Map:

Photo Credit – Terry Sohl, NatureServe

 

Western Tanagers breed in the mountains of California, and as far north as Alaska, and winter in north-west Mexico, and as far south as central Costa Rica.  Despite their name, the species is a member of the Cardinal family. They eat insects, fruit, and berries. Males are readily recognized by their bright red head, lemon-yellow breast and back, and black wings, shoulders, and tail. Both sexes possess a relatively small, light-colored beak. They are a couple of inches shorter than an American Robin and slightly smaller than a Black-Headed Grosbeak. Their typical life span, excluding accidents, is around eight years.

I await the arrival of my next unusual species of bird. 

The Success of the Bald Eagle

The Success of the Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle in Marin County (Photo Credit – Elyse Omernick, Marin Living Magazine)   A friend of mine recently sighted a Bald Eagle near Fairfax, CA. an event that was inconceivable a few years ago. The Bald Eagle returned to Marin County, CA. in 2008