BACKYARD BIRD OBSERVATIONS
FROM OUR MEMBERS AND FRIENDS
Summer is here, and it’s been hot! Birds need water to drink, to cool themselves, and to clean and maintain their feathers. Our backyard birds seem to appreciate the water that you’ve been leaving out, and some of you have documented birds enjoying your bird baths as well as your feeders.
We are still in the breeding season, and in the past month, many of you observed nests, fledglings, and older juveniles of a number of species in your yards, including Mourning Dove, Red-tailed Hawk, Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Western Bluebird, House Finch, Spotted Towhee, Hooded Oriole, and Bullock’s Oriole.
You also observed a range of behaviors: an Anna’s Hummingbird dominating a backyard, acting aggressively towards much larger species; a Cooper’s Hawk taking possession of a bird bath on a hot day (don’t miss the video below); and a Mourning Dove that had sadly lost its mate.
This month, we added one new species to our cumulative backyard bird list: the Song Sparrow - one was seen splashing around a bird bath in San Jose. Often found near the bay and in other open spaces, the Song Sparrow has a scientific name that doubles down on its vocal abilities: Melospiza melodia, meaning in essence “the singing songbird.” And although they aren’t new to our list, you also had some less-common visitors: Vaux’s Swifts in flight (San Jose), an Allen’s Hummingbird at a feeder (San Jose), and a Barn Owl heard flying at night (Menlo Park).
Here are your backyard and neighborhood observations for the end of May and the month of June:
Feathers scattered in Mary Ann’s backyard
Mary Ann Robertson (Los Altos) writes: “On June 3, I spotted a pile of feathers in my backyard. Using the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Feather Atlas to identify them, it looks like they are from an adult Mourning Dove. I did a little Internet research and discovered that it is likely that a hawk caught and de-feathered the bird. I left the feathers in my yard and within several days they disappeared.”
Please note: It is illegal to possess the feathers of most birds without a permit. You may study and photograph feathers in nature, but you must leave them where you found them, as Mary Ann did. For more information, see Feathers and the law and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Mary Ann measured one of the feathers and compared it to Mourning Dove feathers in the Feather Atlas. This feather is from the bird’s tail.
Steven Rice (Palo Alto) says: “A couple feathered friends visited at the start of the month - I think they felt sorry for me. Almost nothing since.”
A Chestnut-backed Chickadee displays its chestnut back at Steven’s feeder. Note also the iridescence in the bird’s wing and tail feathers.
An Oak Titmouse going in for a bite at Steven’s feeder. The bird’s feet and grip can be closely observed in this photo.
John K. Edwards (Sunnyvale) tells us: “One big highlight was the day that an Anna's Hummingbird decided to claim hegemony over the backyard, allowing a bit over an hour of pictures with the various finches and a male Nuttall’s Woodpecker.”
The House Finches at John’s feeder seem unperturbed by this aggressive Anna’s Hummingbird.
A Nuttall’s Woodpecker at John’s suet feeder is bemused by the hummingbird. Anna’s Hummingbirds are known to be aggressive towards all sorts of birds that enter their territory, including much larger ones.
He continues: “Aside from that, a Nuttall's Woodpecker family has been in the yard all month, with a fledgling that’s becoming fairly independent. The parents were doing much of the feeding at the beginning of the month.”
Here are some of the photos that John took of the family:
Nuttall’s Woodpeckers, a father (left) and his young one, in John’s yard at the end of May. Adult male Nuttall’s Woodpeckers have a red spot on the back of their head and on their nape. Young Nuttall’s Woodpeckers, males and some females, have red feathers on the front half of their heads.
A mother Nuttall’s Woodpecker (left) feeds her young one at John’s suet feeder. Adult female Nuttall’s have only black and white feathers on their heads.
A Nuttall’s Woodpecker forages on a tree in John’s yard - note its tongue!
John says: “Other pleasant surprises this year were the family of Western Bluebirds that have been frequent visitors and the small family of Pygmy Nuthatches that are a little more unusual of a bird for our backyard.”
An adult male Western Bluebird (right) feeds a young bluebird in John’s yard.
A Pygmy Nuthatch appears to be caching a seed in John’s tree.
Jack Cole (San Jose) reports that he saw three Vaux’s Swifts in mid-June, after first observing swifts in his neighborhood in May. He believes the birds are feeding on insects over the grass in a nearby school yard. He also reports seeing a male Allen’s Hummingbird at his feeder on June 28.
Jack adds: “For months, two Mourning Doves have visited my bird bath in the early evening. But for the last few days (in mid-June) there has only been one. It has been calling in the neighborhood all day long, and now it’s calling while sitting on the bird bath. It’s obviously lost a mate and is calling for a new one. It’s sad.”
Nicola Serenity Kubzdela (Stanford) sent us a sketch she made of a California Scrub-Jay. The drawing is based on a photograph she took near Lake Lagunita on the Stanford campus.
A California Scrub-Jay photographed by Nicola
Nicola’s drawing based on her photograph
Carolyn Straub (San Jose) wrote in mid-June: “Our male and female Hooded Oriole have returned. They are almost daily at our orange feeders, hiding in the side bushes, reappearing, cautiously feeding on our sugar water and flying back (to a nest). The birds will likely move on in August, as always.”
Curt Bianchi (Saratoga) tells us: “I recently put a trail camera on our little bird bath again, this time in video mode. June seemed to be a particularly busy month for the bath, during which we often got sixty or more videos in a day. We don’t have any running water at the bath, so I’m not sure how the birds are finding it, but they are.”
“In addition to the usual suspects that partake of our suet feeders - Dark-eyed Juncos, Oak Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatches, and House Finches - an American Robin has been a regular visitor at the bath, and we’ve seen a Hooded Oriole on occasion.”
He continues: “Probably the most interesting visitor was this Cooper’s Hawk, which visited twice on the same day, a couple of hours apart. I like the way it stepped into the bird bath in this video, as if to announce to one and all, ‘This is my bath, and don’t you forget it!’”
Deanne Tucker (Los Altos) says: “There has been lots of activity in our yard, but I didn't capture much with the camera. There were a pair of Western Bluebirds playing in the drip sprinkler puddles near the end of June, and I don't recall seeing bluebirds in our yard before.”
A House Finch in Deanne’s yard
“The gardeners noticed a bird nest in one of our bushes and it had several good-sized white eggs in it, but a few days later it was gone. However, now there is a nest above the downspout so hopefully this is the same breeding pair of House Finches trying again.”
House Finches have started building a nest on Deanne’s house.
A Bullock’s Oriole enjoys jam at LC’s oriole feeder. Adult male Bullock’s Orioles have black feathers on the crown and nape, a black eyeline, and a black stripe on the throat, distinguishing them from adult male Hooded Orioles, which have an orange crown and nape, and a patch of black feathers on the face and throat.
LC Boros (San Jose) writes: “Here all the birds spent the month managing their nests and teaching their now-fledged young how to get about. The best news of the month is that our resident Red-tailed Hawks fledged three, plus the run on sugar water and jam has finally lessened as the half a dozen Bullock’s Oriole and Hooded Oriole pairs fledged their young. All the adult birds look a bit worse for wear compared to their plump youngsters, but they seem to like making use of the baths to freshen up or just grab a quick drink.”
A Black-headed Grosbeak visits LC’s bird bath.
“The less than stellar news is that the now resident Wild Turkeys have peppered the walkways with little ‘gifts.’ Thankfully once the stuff dries it’s pretty easy to tidy up.”
Newly installed anti-strike window tape at LC’s home.
LC continues: “More distressing than piles of guano was that we had a rash of fatal window strikes. Three Lesser Goldfinches and a House Finch were enough to goad me into renovating our anti-strike measures. It took me three days and I had to use our man-lift, but now the south windows of the great room and the north windows of my office are all striped with tape from CollidEscape.” LC reports that window strikes have all but ceased since she installed the anti-strike tape.
Editor’s Note: SCVAS recommends that you treat your windows and place your feeders at a safe distance from your house (less than 3 feet or more than 30 feet away), to reduce the likelihood of fatal window collisions. Even if a bird flies away after hitting your windows, it often dies later. See this list of window treatments that can help prevent bird strikes, and send a note to backyardbirds@scvas.org if you have questions.
A Song Sparrow bathes in LC’s bird bath. Note the brown stripes on the head and face, dark streaks on the breast, and the angle of the tail to the body.
A California Quail visits LC’s home.
Emma Shelton (Menlo Park) says: “It’s been a fairly active month here, with a few extras seen and heard. Having the June 4 Summer Bird Count was also fun.”
“We still have so many Oak Titmice, Lesser Goldfinches, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, House Finches, Dark-eyed Juncos and Mourning Doves. We have more Lesser Goldfinches than anything else I think.”
“The White-breasted Nuthatches seem to be pretty constant, and our multitude of Pygmy Nuthatches is back to normal. The Spotted Towhees are SO noisy! A few more birds got added to the list for the month - a Red-shouldered Hawk, a Barn Owl, and a Northern Mockingbird.”
She continues: “We have had SO MANY Spotted Towhees lately. Sometimes we see the juveniles, which look like black-and-white versions. We hear a lot of them early in the morning from our window. There’s a drawer that is sticky and opens and closes with the same sound! Maybe that’s what attracts them to that side of the house?”
A Spotted Towhee parent (left) shows its young one how to forage for food in Emma’s yard. Young Spotted Towhees look quite different from adults. Juveniles are varying shades of brown overall, with some black and white markings. Their eyes are brown, not red like the adults’ eyes.
“You’re on your own, kid,” Emma captions this photo.
Emma also documented her first female Brown-headed Cowbird at her feeders.
A female Brown-headed Cowbird visits Emma’s feeders. Female cowbirds are an overall brown color, whereas the males have black feathers on the body and a brown-colored head.
Here is Emma’s species list for June in her neighborhood:
Canada Goose - got a couple of flyovers
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove - Every day all the time in the yard and on roofs and power lines. So many! Lots of smaller ones too - might be youngsters?
Anna’s Hummingbird - Still seeing one or two almost every day on any red flower or salvia. I’ve been seeing others at nearby houses, so maybe we have several on our street. For them I keep the plants hydrated.
Gull species - flyovers
Red-shouldered Hawk
Barn Owl - in the evening while sitting outside
Acorn Woodpecker - a female on the backyard feeder on June 1
Downy Woodpecker
Nuttall’s Woodpecker
California Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Violet-green Swallow - seeing several almost every day now
Chestnut-backed Chickadee - lots
Oak Titmouse - lots
White-breasted Nuthatch - lots, and lots of squawks
Pygmy Nuthatch
Bewick’s Wren
Northern Mockingbird - finally saw one on the wires in front of our house!
House Finch - LOTS
Lesser Goldfinch - LOTS and lots
Dark-eyed Junco - LOTS
California Towhee - since the middle of June we’ve seen a LOT more every day than before
Spotted Towhee - seeing several every day, and hearing them almost all the time
Brown-headed Cowbird - saw a male on the feeder 5/13/22, then what I think is a female on June 24! Everyone else was seeing them and I was feeling left out!
Emma spotted this Brown Creeper blending perfectly into a tree at a city park in Menlo Park.
Towards the end of June, Eve Meier (San Jose) wrote: “My Western Bluebirds have been busy delivering food to their nest box. I’m expecting fledglings any day now.” She adds: “This morning, at 4:00 a.m., a Northern Mockingbird was imitating a car alarm, then a Spotted Towhee, then a Hooded Oriole.”
A week later, she reports: “Finally! I just had two juvenile bluebirds at my bird bath. The birds had fledged from my nest box but I hadn’t seen them yet. I had been waiting.”
Happy backyard birding in July, everyone!
What birds are you seeing and hearing in your yard and neighborhood?
Send your stories, lists, photos, sketches, and videos to backyardbirds@scvas.org. We’ll feature them in our next edition of All Around Town.
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
California Gull
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
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
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
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Western Tanager
Black-headed Grosbeak
Lazuli Bunting
Hybrid ducks, domestic ducks, unidentified gull species, and Allen’s/Rufous Hummingbirds have also been reported to All Around Town.
All Around Town is compiled by SCVAS Member Julie Amato.
Banner Photo: Nuttall’s Woodpeckers - adult male (left) and juvenile, John K. Edwards, May 2022