BACKYARD BIRD OBSERVATIONS
FROM OUR MEMBERS AND FRIENDS
Happy new year, backyard birders! Here’s our round-up of your backyard and neighborhood birding observations from the end of 2022 and the start of 2023, as well as some of your birding highlights from the last year.
Recently, you’ve enjoyed the return of winter birds to your neighborhoods, like Red-breasted Sapsuckers, Merlins, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Townsend’s Warblers, as well as birds that are more present in our neighborhoods during the winter, like Northern Flickers, Cedar Waxwings, and American Goldfinches.
Rain and water were a notable feature of the past few months, and you observed birds swimming, wading, bathing, foraging, and just getting by on some very wet and gloomy days, including Mourning Doves, Great Blue Herons, European Starlings, Hermit Thrushes, Red-winged Blackbirds, and Wilson’s Warblers. Birds like Northern Mockingbirds, Western Bluebirds, American Robins, and Lesser Goldfinches foraged on an abundance of winter fruits, berries, and seeds (and in some cases, left behind some interesting results for you to investigate).
You also reported some special sightings of more unusual backyard and neighborhood birds, like the Long-billed Curlew, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Bald Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk, Scaly-breasted Munia, and Black-throated Gray Warbler. And don’t miss the California Condor sighting reported below (spoiler alert: nope, not really, but it’s a fun story!).
Each January, we ask you to tell us about your birding highlights of the previous year. A number of you shared your favorite birding moments and reflections on birding in 2022, and you’ll find those below too.
If you’d like to go right to observations, skip the next section and jump in!
Otherwise, here’s a review of our collective backyard bird list, and an introduction to the species that you added to our list at the end of 2022.
In 2022, the All Around Town bird list just kept growing!
A year ago, there were 91 species of birds on our collective backyard bird list, and we wondered if we would break 100 in 2022. We’re excited to report that we closed the year with 119 species of birds on our list, which means that you reported 28 new species to All Around Town in 2022, far exceeding expectations.
Six of these species were observed in the last few months of the year:
The Fox Sparrow, one of our winter sparrows, was spotted in Sunnyvale and Menlo Park yards in November and January. Look for this shy, quiet bird, often seen in ones or twos, scratching on the ground near bushes where it can take cover. It’s a rich dark brown on top, with dark smudges and sprinkles on a white breast, which may remind you of a Hermit Thrush.
The Song Sparrow, a year-round resident, is more often found in open spaces like the shores of the bay, and in parks and preserves, than in backyards. However, it was observed in a Half Moon Bay parking lot in November, allowing our local songster to finally join our list. We also added the Brewer’s Blackbird, a bird that enjoys city life and often forages at the feet of outdoor diners - one bird was observed exploring a San Jose parking lot in December.
As you expanded your birding to neighborhood parks and trails, you observed more birds that live near water. Long-billed Curlews were found foraging in a Sunnyvale park during October. In our area, these birds are almost exclusively found at the bay, but curlews also forage in grassy areas, and perhaps this spot wasn’t too far from the water (as the curlew flies!). A Belted Kingfisher was observed chattering along an urban creek trail in Santa Clara in November. These birds are skilled aquatic hunters, diving into water to spear fish and shellfish - you’ll find them along creeks and at the bay.
Finally, not to be outdone by our regulars, a Black-throated Gray Warbler showed up at a Santa Clara office complex in late November. These warblers are present in our county as both summer residents and migrants. Some of the birds nest here, usually at higher elevations; others pass through our area in the spring and fall, heading to their breeding and wintering grounds. While these birds can sometimes be spotted in the winter, it’s unusual - most Black-throated Grays spend the winter months in Mexico.
The complete list of the 119 species on the All Around Town bird list is at the end of this article.
Here are your recent backyard bird observations, together with your reflections on backyard birding in 2022:
A Pygmy Nuthatch (left) and a Townsend’s Warbler (right) have a moment at Deanne’s suet feeder.
Deanne Tucker (Los Altos) writes: “We are just completing a landscaping project which replaced our lawns with native and flowering plants. We have already seen new bird species, including the Townsend's Warbler and a Red-breasted Sapsucker.”
Deanne observed a Red-breasted Sapsucker in her yard for the first time in fall 2022. Sapsuckers, a type of woodpecker, are only in our area during the winter non-breeding season.
Mourning Doves inspect Deanne’s landscaping project.
She adds: “I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens as the plants grow and flower in the spring. We will also be getting a fountain which I hope will attract even more birds.”
Curt Bianchi (Saratoga) says: “November brought numerous American Robins to our yard, as well as at least one Hermit Thrush. All enjoyed regular visits to the small bird bath in our backyard, along with the year-round residents.”
“Here’s one of the videos from my bird bath cam, in which an American Robin thoroughly bathes itself. As soon as it left, a Hermit Thrush flew in and did the same thing. I have many videos of these birds bathing, but this is the only one in which these two species were captured in the same clip.”
Francesca Kukralová (Ricci-Tam) of Santa Clara tells us: “In November, I was happy to see the return of the Yellow-rumped Warblers and also two Hermit Thrushes in the hedges near my office building. There had also been two Hermit Thrushes living in the same hedge last winter; I'm not sure if these could be the same ones. I also managed to come across a Belted Kingfisher on the San Tomas Aquino Creek Trail, rattling away.”
“One surprising observation for me at the end of November was a warbler that I could have sworn was a Black-throated Gray Warbler, hopping about on a tree in the office building courtyard. I thought that they would have all migrated out of the Santa Clara area by that time of year. Unfortunately I couldn't get a photo, but the bird had a black cap, black eyestripe/"eye mask,” black throat patch, and white belly with black/gray streaking on the sides. To me, it kind of looked like a Townsend's Warbler, except with all the yellow removed.”
Airdrie Kincaid (Santa Clara) writes: “In December, our old persimmon tree was full of American Robins, Cedar Waxwings, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, House Finches, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and a hummingbird. There were California Towhees and both White-crowned Sparrows and Golden-crowned Sparrows on the ground.”
A Merlin perches on a sycamore tree in Airdrie’s neighborhood. Airdrie has observed a Merlin on this exact tree branch three winters in a row. Could it be the same bird, returning each year?
“The highlight for me was having a Merlin perch on a high branch of a neighboring sycamore tree for the third winter in a row. The first time I spotted it, the Merlin was chased away by a big flock of crows but returned on two other occasions.”
(See pictures of the Merlin that visited this same sycamore tree in February 2022, January 2022 and February 2021.)
A Northern Flicker in Airdrie’s neighborhood. This bird has a red “mustache,” marking it as a male. Flickers in the western U.S. are “red-shafted,” referring to the burnished orange-red color of their tail and flight feathers. Eastern flickers, in contrast, have sunny yellow feathers in these places and are referred to as “yellow-shafted.”
She adds: “I also saw a robin and a Black Phoebe perched on the same branch. The last time I thought the Merlin had returned, I discovered a Northern Flicker instead.”
Sudip photographed this Yellow-rumped Warbler in January.
Sudip Hore (Pleasanton) sent us this picture, “a beautiful Yellow-rumped Warbler foraging on the ground,” he writes.
A Wilson’s Warbler in Priya’s bird bath this fall. The bird’s glossy black cap marks him as an adult male. Adult females and immature birds usually have an olive-colored crown.
Priya B. (Cupertino) says: “I love watching the bird bath in my very small backyard. I can sit in my living room and watch the bath. I always have the camera handy with me to capture anything I see for the first time.”
A very wet and fluffy Wilson’s Warbler dries itself in Priya’s yard. While some Wilson’s Warblers nest in Santa Clara County, many of the birds that we see are migrants, passing through our area in the spring and fall months.
“This fall I was delighted to find a Wilson’s Warbler enjoying the bird bath. The bird would get completely wet and then dry itself and then dive right back into the bath; this went on for a good fifteen minutes. I have never seen a bird get itself so wet and so often in the bird bath. Prior to this I have seen only the Yellow-rumped Warblers and Townsend’s Warblers in my backyard for several years. Loved seeing Wilson’s. (I am trying to check off all the birds Matthew taught us in SCVAS’s warbler class).”
“Two other birds I have enjoyed seeing in my backyard are Nuttall’s Woodpecker and Red-breasted Nuthatch.”
A Red-breasted Nuthatch in Priya’s yard. Red-breasted Nuthatches have a strong preference for coniferous trees, so they are not a common backyard bird for many people in our area.
Jennifer Oliver (San Jose) tells us: “The birdwatching that started in my backyard and neighborhood park in late 2020/early 2021 turned into more active birding for me in 2022. At first it started out just visiting local parks here and there, but then I got hooked, and I started going out most weekends. I tried to see and learn about as many birds as I could. It was also my first year keeping a list - and I logged just over 200 species in Santa Clara County. Hooray!”
“But I have to say that the birds that I see regularly in my backyard year-round are still my favorites: Nuttall's Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatches, Bewick's Wrens, Oak Titmice, and Anna's Hummingbirds. We had Oak Titmice nest in our backyard for the second year, and it was such a treat to watch the fledglings actually fly out of the box on their big day! It was also fun to see three new backyard visitors this year - a Lincoln’s Sparrow, a Downy Woodpecker, and an Acorn Woodpecker.”
One of a pair of Oak Titmice that nested in Jennifer’s nest box in 2022. Could it be the same bird that nested there in 2021? And will it return in 2023?
“Here's a picture of one of the nesting Oak Titmice we had this year. We read that titmice are likely to return to the same nesting locations from year to year. Since it's missing one of its ‘toes,’ we are hoping to easily identify and see this cute little titmouse nesting again!”
Melanie Barnett (Sunnyvale) says: “For several years, we have had a pair of Fox Sparrows visit our yard in the fall. On October 27, I spotted one for the first time this season but have not seen a second one yet (at least, I have not seen two at the same time this month). I don't know if the bird is from the same pair as previous years, but I like to think so.”
A Fox Sparrow visits Melanie’s yard in the fall.
At the end of November, she wrote: “Unfortunately, the Fox Sparrow seems to have moved on. The last time we saw it was November 4. The previous two years, we had a pair the entire winter.”
Long-billed Curlews visited Melanie’s neighborhood park in October of 2021 and 2022.
She adds: “For at least two years, Long-billed Curlews have visited our neighborhood park, Fairwood, in October. I had always considered the Long-billed Curlew to be a shorebird, so our initial sighting on October 15, 2021, surprised me. I have since learned that curlews ‘spend the summers in areas of western North America with sparse, short grasses, including shortgrass and mixed-grass prairies as well as agricultural fields’ (All About Birds - Long-billed Curlew). So apparently, they are more at home on a grassy field than I initially imagined.”
A Scaly-breasted Munia visits Melanie’s yard. Native to Asia, munia are an introduced species in North America. The birds are regularly seen in south San Jose; reports from the northern part of our county are less common.
In November, Melanie told us: “We had a new (for us) bird - a Scaly-breasted Munia - and I managed to get photos through our double-paned window.”
Reflecting on her year of birding in 2022, Melanie writes:
“By feeding birds and paying attention more, we saw more different birds this year (in and from our yard) than in any other year - 39 species.”
An immature Cooper’s Hawk with its kill - a young domestic chicken - on Melanie’s block.
“I think the 2022 bird highlight for me has been seeing a juvenile Cooper's Hawk several times in our yard. On November 25, we also saw a Cooper's Hawk on our street corner with a feathered chick (the latter formerly belonging to one of our neighbors). The hawk was plucking the chick's feathers off right there on the corner.”
“In 2022, I also requested that our neighborhood park, Fairwood, be made an eBird hotspot. The request was granted and now it is the only ‘neighborhood’ park in north Sunnyvale to be a hotspot, with 47 species so far - including a Nashville Warbler and White-throated Sparrow: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L20226479. I'm happy to see Cedar Waxwings at the park since they will not visit our massive toyon because it is Northern Mockingbird territory.”
An Anna’s Hummingbird visits Kristin’s balcony.
Kristin Lynn (San Jose) writes: “For variety, December might have been the busiest month on the balcony ever: Anna’s Hummingbirds, House Finches, Lesser Goldfinches, and Dark-eyed Juncos (the regulars); Yellow-rumped Warblers (frequent - if brief - visitors); a California Scrub-Jay, a Western Bluebird, and my first-ever American Goldfinch (one visit each); and Black Phoebes (three brief visits!).”
European Starlings and at least one Red-winged Blackbird, silhouetted against a cloudy winter sky. The Red-winged Blackbird can be seen in the middle of the photo, a larger bird with its bill open.
“I've also been enjoying the sights and sounds of birds in the neighborhood, including Red-Winged Blackbirds and Brewer's Blackbirds, European Starlings, White-crowned Sparrows, and Killdeer (whose soothing sounds I enjoy at night)."
Kristin took this picture at her neighborhood park on a rainy November day. A Great Blue Heron takes flight, Canada Geese wade and fly, and a pair of Mallards swim by.
Kristin also photographed birds at her neighborhood park on a day of heavy rains.
Anjali Mallya (Cupertino) sent us a recent picture of Mourning Doves in her backyard. She writes: “I took interest in birding during the pandemic in 2020. With the stormy weather this is the maximum number of doves I have seen at a given time in my backyard.” Anjali has fruit trees, and tells us that birds visit her yard to forage on seasonal fruits like figs, persimmons, and loquats.
A tree full of Mourning Doves in Anjali’s yard
A Chestnut-backed Chickadee visited Steven’s balcony in November.
In November, Steven Rice (Palo Alto) told us: “I’ve been seeing small numbers of the usual birds. I had my first-ever Red-breasted Sapsucker sighting, the first Bushtit in my neighborhood, plus a showy Bewick's Wren. The bird feeders aren't getting much attention, but I'm seeing birds in the surrounding trees.”
A brightly-colored male Western Bluebird, photographed by Steven
In early December, Steven observed birds in the pistache trees in front of the post office on California Avenue in Palo Alto. He writes: “I spotted lots of Western Bluebirds picking berries to airmail to their Eastern relatives and a Yellow-rumped Warbler.”
Find the bluebird!
The following week, he discovered the Northern Mockingbird below, “snacking along the road between Shoreline Lake and the office park.”
Steven observed a Bewick's Wren (below) right outside his apartment at the beginning of 2023. He reports that it was “less shy than usual, and he or she was singing enthusiastically, too.”
Also in early January, he photographed these “Lesser (in name only) Goldfinches, right outside my apartment in the pistache tree.”
An adult female or immature Lesser Goldfinch forages on pistache seeds on a rainy day. Adult females and immatures are an olive-yellow color on top and a dull yellow color underneath.
A male Lesser Goldfinch, foraging on the same tree. Males have a black crown and are more brightly yellow than females.
Emma Shelton (Menlo Park) writes: “We’ve all seen millions of American Robins, right? Well, while on a Midpen docent-led hike in early December, along one section of trail we were on the lookout for fungus, and saw this orange stuff, a lot of it. Those of us into birds AND fungus were puzzled.”
The unusual objects observed by Emma
“Examination of the small orange piles revealed they had to be digested madrone berries. We heard and saw many flocks of robins, and there were madrone trees nearby. I suspect they are regurgitated as opposed to defecated, but I am not sure. Since then I have seen this evidence in many places around here, and the same sort of phenomenon with toyon berries.”
[Editor’s note: According to Birds of the World, robins often regurgitate seeds (and often eat them again). They also defecate frequently while foraging. These actions rid them of seeds that they can't digest and have ecosystem benefits too.]
Here are some moments with birds that Emma enjoyed in the past few months:
“In a parking lot in November, a Song Sparrow jumped out of the bushes and landed on the hood of my car and started dancing!”
A Fox Sparrow (center) scratches at the ground in Emma’s yard, while a White-crowned Sparrow does similarly in the foreground.
In early January, Emma had a couple of Fox Sparrows visit her yard for the first time ever. “When we saw the Fox Sparrow in the backyard, it started up a dance party each time, and all the birds joined in. They do have a cute little dance.”
Other highlights from Emma’s yard and neighborhood in the past few months were three Acorn Woodpeckers, spotted in a valley oak, and a Northern Flicker, which swooped through her yard. In December, she saw her first Ruby-crowned Kinglet and first Hermit Thrush of the season.
She writes: “On the Christmas Bird Count, I saw several dozen Cedar Waxwings at Flood Park, and locally on persimmon trees and large privets. Finally a flock came through our backyard and landed on the flowering pear tree (it has small fruit). They are very cool-looking birds, I think.”
The first California Condors reported to All Around Town :)
Emma adds: “Bonus California Condors! Seen at Pinnacles National Park….in the gift shop. Ha ha! I bought a few as Christmas presents.”
On January 3, Jack Cole (San Jose) reported: “My string of at least one Western Bluebird a month continues this morning.” He tells us that he’s been seeing the birds monthly since at least the spring of 2022. On November 17, he reported his first-of-the-season Hermit Thrush at his bird bath.
A Sharp-shinned Hawk visits Jack’s neighborhood.
In mid-November, Jack spotted a Sharp-shinned Hawk in his neighborhood: “I was sitting outside and was startled when eight or nine Mourning Doves took off at once. Soon the expected hawk arrived and landed on a power pole. The first American Crow showed up in about a minute, followed by four more. After the usual dive-bombing, they all left the neighborhood.”
A Northern Flicker perches in a redwood tree in Milpitas.
An All Around Town contributor in Milpitas shared with us: “This winter the Northern Flickers in my neighborhood are getting harder to photograph, even though they are as loud as ever. I was delighted when one day a flicker perched on the tall redwood right in front of my house and I was able to get some photos.”
“That redwood tree is some kind of an exciting bird tree, as all types of birds, big and small, like to come hang out there, from Mourning Doves, Band-tailed Pigeons, hummingbirds, finches, European Starlings, American Robins, and Cedar Waxwings to Cooper’s Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, and Red-tailed Hawks.
A Ferruginous Hawk visits a redwood tree in a Milpitas neighborhood.
“The tree has hosted the winter hawk - the Ferruginous Hawk - at least twice now, once in winter 2020 and just last December 2022. We were outside doing yard work when my husband noticed the ‘white’ hawk perching on top. That must’ve been our most exciting yard birding experience of 2022 since we haven’t seen a Ferruginous Hawk in two years. The hawk then flew to the hills, perched there for a while, then disappeared.”
The same hawk takes flight. Ferruginous Hawks are winter residents of Santa Clara County, usually found in open spaces near the bay or in the hills and mountains.
Carolyn Straub and Steve McHenry (San Jose) wrote in November: “A modest little note about two Chestnut-backed Chickadees. The two of them one morning were trying very hard to use our hummingbird feeder but they just didn't have the knack or the beaks. After a few attempts, they went back to the suet. It was an adventure for them. We haven't observed this before..has anyone?”
Good question! According to the National Audubon Society, there are at least 53 species of North American birds that drink nectar. In addition to these, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that other species will sometimes visit hummingbird feeders too, chickadees among them.
Tim spotted this young Bald Eagle while walking in south San Jose.
Tim D. (Campbell) enjoys watching and photographing birds. He sent us some photos he took at a favorite walking spot in south San Jose.
A Great Blue Heron surveys the scene.
A close-up of a Red-tailed Hawk, photographed by Tim
Eve Meier (San Jose) told us on November 10: “My Red-breasted Sapsucker is back - same tree. I was doing some light yard work and could hear its quiet tapping. I was able to find it easily this time.”
Each winter for the past three years, Eve has had a sapsucker visit her yard. The previous winter, she had her first sighting of the bird on October 29, 2021, and on December 7, 2020, she spotted a sapsucker in her yard for the first time. Could it be the same bird each year?
Happy backyard birding in 2023! May it be a year filled with birds - old and new acquaintances alike - and happy discoveries.
Bird species reported to All Around Town
from October 2020 onwards
(species in bold are new this month)
Greater White-fronted Goose
Canada Goose
Mallard
Bufflehead
California Quail
Wild Turkey
Indian Peafowl (feral)
Rock Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Vaux’s Swift
White-throated Swift
Anna’s Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Allen’s Hummingbird
Killdeer
Long-billed Curlew
California Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Turkey Vulture
White-tailed Kite
Golden Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ferruginous Hawk
Barn Owl
Western Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Acorn Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Nuttall’s Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Western Wood-Pewee
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Say’s Phoebe
Western Kingbird
Hutton’s Vireo
Cassin’s Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Steller’s Jay
California Scrub-Jay
Yellow-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Oak Titmouse
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Barn Swallow
Bushtit
Wrentit
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
House Wren
Bewick’s Wren
European Starling
California Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Western Bluebird
Varied Thrush
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
Scaly-breasted Munia
House Sparrow
House Finch
Purple Finch
Pine Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch
Lawrence’s Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Western Meadowlark
Hooded Oriole
Bullock’s Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Brewer’s Blackbird
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Canada Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Western Tanager
Black-headed Grosbeak
Lazuli Bunting
Hybrid ducks, domestic ducks, unidentified gull species, and Rufous/Allen’s Hummingbirds have also been reported to All Around Town.
All Around Town is compiled by SCVAS Member Julie Amato.
Banner Photo: Chestnut-backed Chickadee by Steven Rice
References
All About Birds website, www.allaboutbirds.org. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Birds of the World. Edited by S. M. Billerman, B. K. Keeney, P. G. Rodewald, and T. S. Schulenberg. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/home
Bousman, William G. (2007). Breeding Bird Atlas of Santa Clara County, California. Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society.
eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application]. eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. http://www.ebird.org