BACKYARD BIRD OBSERVATIONS
FROM OUR MEMBERS AND FRIENDS
This edition of All Around Town is a feast of stories, sights, and sounds!
Delve in to find out what birds our members and friends observed in January and February. The Great Backyard Bird Count was held from February 17 through February 20, and many of you made a special effort to bird your yards and neighborhoods during these four days and report what you found. Enjoy these stories, photos, videos, and audio clips of the birds that live among us.
The winter months have brought a great abundance and variety of birds to your feeders, yards, and neighborhoods. Most of our common backyard birds have made an appearance and are too numerous to mention, so here’s a partial family list: you’ve observed doves, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, corvids (crows and jays), parids (chickadees and titmice), and nuthatches. You’ve also seen thrushes, finches, sparrows, blackbirds, and our two winter warblers, the Yellow-rumped Warbler and the Townsend’s Warbler! Some less-common winter visitors have also shown up, much to your delight, like the Red-breasted Sapsucker, the Northern Flicker, the Merlin, and soaring high in the sky, the Golden Eagle.
Of special note are two birds in the thrush family which are more visible in neighborhoods at this time of the year: the American Robin and the Hermit Thrush. You’ve found robins feasting on berries like toyon and ivy, sometimes in very large flocks. Hermit Thrushes, inherently shy birds, are only here in the winter, but seem to be popping up frequently in your yards. (These birds, and Cedar Waxwings, have different and competitive foraging strategies.)
The recent rains have also brought more water to our neighborhoods, including normally dry places, and our local water birds - like Mallards, Great Blue Herons, and Great Egrets - have taken advantage of this.
Some of you have reported hearing Great Horned Owls. These large nocturnal predators are heard more often in the winter months, as they court one another and establish nesting territories. Great Horned Owls nest earlier than many other birds in Santa Clara County - eggs have been recorded by naturalists as early as January. Listen for the calls of these birds, which seem like they must be the prototype for owls on TV and in the movies: “hoo-hoo-HOO-hooo-hooo!”
This month, the Hooded Merganser makes its debut on our collective backyard bird list - a group was spotted in Stevens Creek right outside the SCVAS office in Cupertino! This small duck spends the winter in the Bay Area and is typically found in shallow water, where it dives for fish, crustaceans, and water bugs. Mergansers have serrated bills, allowing them to better grab and hold prey. Male and female Hoodeds are both crested, but look different - the male has a black-and-white crest, the female, an orange-brown one.
Here are your backyard and neighborhood bird observations for the past two months:
Airdrie Kincaid (Santa Clara) writes: “I’ve spent much of January and February watching birds in my backyard. There were the usual flocks of finches and sparrows, several Chestnut-backed Chickadees, a few California Towhees and Mourning Doves, two White-breasted Nuthatches, and at least one Bewick’s Wren and Yellow-rumped Warbler. A Cooper’s Hawk perched twice very briefly on the persimmon tree. One day a Turkey Vulture, which we hadn’t seen here before, circled overhead.”
“I’ve seen male House Finches that were orange rather than red but also photographed this yellow one (below).”
Male House Finches usually have red markings, but they may also have orange or yellow ones. Their color depends on the presence of certain carotenoid pigments - which are red, orange, or yellow - in their diet. Besides having an unusual color, this bird has either a broken or deformed bill.
Airdrie continues: “During the winter, a big sycamore tree in the neighborhood is often visited by a Merlin and observing this bird’s behavior has been very special. Sometimes we didn’t spot it for five days and once we saw it four times in one day. Although there is a usual perch, we’ve seen it on two other branches recently.”
The Merlin that Airdrie has documented for three winters in a row.
She adds: “Flocks of American Robins and American Crows often perch on the sycamore tree. During the Great Backyard Bird Count, I also spotted a Black Phoebe, a California Scrub-Jay, and a Northern Flicker up there. One surprise was watching a pair of House Finches land on the branch where the Merlin had just left after eating a House Finch.”
An American Robin visits Valerie’s yard.
Valerie Hau (Menlo Park) sent us two pictures that she took in her neighborhood. She writes: “We had a flock of American Robins descend on our yard the other day, close enough to get some great portrait shots! And as Lake Lagunita at Stanford now has water, it's been wonderful watching the ducks during an evening walk!”
A Mallard at the normally dry Lake Lagunita at Stanford, photographed by Valerie
Kristin Lynn (San Jose) says: "On the balcony, we're back to the usual rotation of Anna's Hummingbirds, House Finches, Lesser Goldfinches, and Dark-eyed Juncos, with fleeting visits by California Scrub-Jays and Yellow-rumped Warblers.”
Red-winged Blackbirds, a Brown-headed Cowbird, and a Brewer’s Blackbird filmed by Kristin in January and February
"Across the way, the Red-winged Blackbirds have been out in force - I can even hear them from home (especially in the morning).”
Editor’s note: Most of the birds in Kristin’s video are Red-winged Blackbirds. There is a female Brown-headed Cowbird alone in a tree, starting at 0:27, and a female Brewer’s Blackbird on the ground, starting at 0:42.
These latter two birds look a lot alike, but one of the ways you can tell them apart is by the shape of their bills. Brewer’s Blackbirds (and Red-winged Blackbirds) have thinner bills; cowbirds have stubbier, conical ones. The female Brewer’s in this video can also be distinguished by her pale eyes. The females of all three of these species normally have dark eyes; only the female Brewer’s sometimes has pale eyes.
A Great Blue Heron (top left) and Great Egret (all four photos) visit a park near Kristin.
Kristin says: "Lastly, a first…I saw a Great Egret and a Great Blue Heron in my local park at the same time in mid-January (I was just barely able to get them in the same frame). The last time I'd seen a Great Egret there was two years prior (almost to the day)."
Steven photographed this Western Bluebird in the parking lot of a shopping center in early February.
Steven Rice (Palo Alto) writes: “A recent favorite is a Western Bluebird photo. This is interesting because it shows that birds can be found even in a grocery parking lot. But there's more about photography to mention!”
“The photo was taken with my oldest camera and an inexpensive lens. I walked around finding a good angle and waited. When I saw a good bird, I adjusted my position so that the background was interesting but not distracting, and the bird appears to be in a totally natural environment. Then the image was edited for composition, and brightness, contrast, and sharpness were all adjusted.”
A Chestnut-backed Chickadee at Steven’s feeder
On another day in early February, he said: “I put out new birdseed, which caused quite a commotion. Five or six finches at once a few times, plus an Oak Titmouse and a Chestnut-backed Chickadee. Out front, the American Robins have massed and are swarming the ripe ivy berries.”
A Lesser Goldfinch photographed by Steven on a rainy day
And towards the rainy end of February, Steven wrote: “I found that the storm brought not only fierce competition for feeder access, but good photo opportunities for birds in the wings, as it were.”
A Red-breasted Sapsucker spotted by Steven near his home. Note the deep red pigmentation on the head, neck, and breast, and the yellow wash below.
February also brought some surprise visitors to Steven’s neighborhood, including a Red-breasted Sapsucker and a Golden Eagle.
A Golden Eagle soars high above Steven’s neighborhood.
Joyce Zhang (Palo Alto) enjoyed counting and photographing birds during the Great Backyard Bird Count. Here are some of the birds that she spotted during the event.
An Anna’s Hummingbird explores Joyce’s yard. It appears to be searching for and collecting nesting material.
Joyce says: “On the first day of the GBBC, on the street in front of my house, I saw an Anna’s Hummingbird flying. It had a small body and tried in vain to take a long stick to build a nest. It is said that the hummingbird is the only bird that can fly backwards. I saw it flying backwards and forwards, it was very beautiful.”
A Pygmy Nuthatch explores the nooks and crannies of a palm tree in Joyce’s neighborhood. Pygmy Nuthatches are cavity nesters. Could it be looking for a nest site?
“Pygmy Nuthatches like to jump and hide at the top of palm tree trunks as there are many small holes. They are very cute elves.”
An Oak Titmouse spotted by Joyce in her neighborhood.
She adds: “On the first day of the GBBC, we were birding in Palo Alto. There were many little birds flying around the trees, singing to Spring. The Oak Titmouse was one of them.”
An Anna’s Hummingbird visits Linden’s yard.
Linden Skjeie (San Jose) says: “Here’s a shot I got of a pretty Anna’s Hummingbird. We now also have a nest right outside our back door, under the eaves on our deck. I hope they do okay.”
Eve Meier (San Jose) tells us that in mid-February, “in the middle of the night, I could hear a Great Horned Owl calling from somewhere in my yard. This happens every once in a while. Sometimes, if I've heard it calling during the night, I will look for it the next morning but I've never been able to find it.”
On February 23, Jack Cole (San Jose) reported that the Western Bluebirds were “cutting it close”: “Just in time, a Western Bluebird had a drink of water, to keep my streak of at least one bluebird every month for at least a year.”
Sue Pelmulder (San Jose) told us at the end of February: “I had a Hermit Thrush come drink from my bird bath in my tiny backyard.”
Mary Ann Robertson (Los Altos) writes: “On February 22, I was looking through my glass patio door and watching birds in the backyard. I spotted a Northern Flicker and took several photos. The bird had a red malar ‘mustache’ but also a slight red crescent on the nape of the neck.”
An intergrade Northern Flicker in Mary Ann’s yard. Intergrade birds have characteristics of both the red-shafted and yellow-shafted subspecies of flickers. Red-shafted flickers are found in western North America, Mexico, and Central America. The yellow-shafted subspecies is found in eastern North America, including parts of the Caribbean, and in the far north of the continent.
She continues: “I had an intergrade Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted x Red-Shafted) in my yard! I verified it on the Sibley bird ID app then checked eBird photos. Very exciting!”
Can you find the Mourning Doves in Anjali’s tree?
Anjali Mallya (Cupertino) tells us: “Mourning Doves like to perch in my front yard tree. I always look up and try to find them as they are always perfectly camouflaged. One sunny afternoon I found six of them and I liked this pair in particular perched beautifully in nature’s perfect frame.”
Two of the Mourning Doves in Anjali’s yard
“I love my mid-afternoon neighborhood walks, during which I happen to hear and see hummingbirds, and interestingly find them at the very same spots every day. This Anna’s Hummingbird at a glance gives us an impression of ‘is it a bud, is it a leaf, is it a bird?’, sitting on that beautiful bare tree (below).”
An Anna’s Hummingbird seen by Anjali on an afternoon walk.
In mid-February, Anjali wrote to us: “I watched these three Hooded Mergansers glide down the creek today at McClellan Ranch. It was a delightful sight.”
Anjali watched these Hooded Mergansers as they were carried by the current, swam, and dove in Stevens Creek. A Mallard also makes an appearance.
LC Boros (San Jose) says: “I made a video for my Great Backyard Bird Count birding day! We had three new species appear at the ranch: a lone House Sparrow, a group of Cedar Waxwings, and a large flock of Brewer’s Blackbirds. This brings our total number of birds that have been sighted here to 83 (84 if you count homing pigeons!).”
“I wandered around the ranch recording from various spots. Then I put together a ten-minute video of the highlights with some images and videos of the various locations.”
LC made this video of her day birding for the Great Backyard Bird Count. She edited the audio to remove mechanical sounds, keeping the focus on the birds.
She continues: “The highlight was when I was standing in the back of the old barn having just spotted the Brewer’s Blackbirds when one of our resident hawks came streaking by and promptly crashed into the cypress trees up on the hillside at the well tank. I managed to capture the audio of the crash clearly as I was using the Merlin app.” The hawk was chasing some Eurasian Collared-Doves.
Curt writes: “A male Nuttall’s Woodpecker hangs on a tree near our backyard feeder.”
Curt Bianchi says: “Here in suburban Saratoga our suet feeders and bird bath have had a lot of activity the past couple of months. Seasonal visitors to the feeders include Yellow-rumped Warblers and Golden-crowned Sparrows. Hermit Thrushes are busy on the ground below the feeders and make regular visits to the bird bath. American Robins have been plentiful and I’ve seen four of them crowd into our small bird bath at the same time. Nuttall’s Woodpeckers are among my favorite year-round residents and they continue to visit the feeders multiple times a day. I’ve never seen them in the bird bath, though! At night we hear the calls of Great Horned Owls. They often sound very close, like they could be in the trees in adjacent yards.”
From Curt: “A Yellow-rumped Warbler atop our front yard feeder. You can see the suet on its bill from when it was feeding a moment earlier.”
Emma Shelton (Menlo Park) writes: “Two months of ‘backyard birding’ and the Great Backyard Bird Count - oh my! The weather has been particularly wintry for around here. On sunnier days, especially during the GBBC, the backyard was really noisy! I made a note on Sunday, February 19, mid-afternoon for an hour that there was an incredible racket of the usual birds!”
Emma’s yard and neighborhood list for January and most of February 2023:
Canada Goose - flyover
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Anna’s Hummingbird
Gull species - flyover
Cooper’s Hawk - An exciting sight for a couple of our neighbors was one in the middle of our street snagging a squirrel and stopping traffic! Then last week I started hearing one in the trees across the street. More excitement!
Downy Woodpecker
Nuttall’s Woodpecker
Black Phoebe - I don’t usually notice them around our street, but got one in our yard again mid-February!
California Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Oak Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch
Bewick’s Wren
American Robin - funny story here: I have never seen an American Robin on our street. They seem to be literally everywhere else. Of course we all have seen thousands the past two months wherever we go! Then last week one of our neighbors assured me that she had heard and seen many robins around the neighborhood, eating toyon berries. Then AFTER the GBBC, late afternoon on February 23, at least one hundred were flying around our front yard area and perching in the valley oak across the street. Must have finished off all the toyon berries and whatever else they find!
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch - We must have a constant supply of hundreds here.
Dark-eyed Junco - Lots. The most ubiquitous bird ever - I see them from the coast to the Sierras!
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Fox Sparrow - Since early January we have seen a couple of these in the backyard! They hang out with the other sparrows and towhees, and have their little feeding dance.
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Yellow-rumped Warbler
During the Great Backyard Bird Count, besides counting birds at home, Emma visited parks in San Mateo and Marin Counties. Her most memorable sighting in Marin County: “as it flew over our picnic table, then was heard flying around at night - a Northern Saw-whet Owl!”
A Hermit Thrush visits Deanne’s yard.
Deanne Tucker (Los Altos) wrote towards the end of February: “Along with the usual suspects, we've had a couple unusual visitors to our backyard in the last few weeks, including a Townsend's Warbler and a Hermit Thrush, both of which kindly posed for some photos.”
A Dark-eyed Junco in front of a fox sculpture at Deanne’s home
White-crowned Sparrows face off in Deanne’s yard.
Happy backyard birding in March, everyone!
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
Hooded Merganser
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.
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
Miller, Matthew L.: “The Hooting Season: Enjoying Great Horned Owls” from the blog Cool Green Science: Stories of The Nature Conservancy: https://blog.nature.org. Published December 8, 2014.
All Around Town is compiled by SCVAS Member Julie Amato.
Banner Photo: White-crowned Sparrows by Deanne Tucker