Some Local Birds

It really isn't necessary for me to go out to the rice fields as I did for an earlier post.  We have wetlands right here in Sun City and Jules and I took a walk there to see who we could find.

Northern Flicker

Many birds were perched in the trees at the edge of the wetlands.

Don't know who this little guy is but it sure is cute.

I'm pretty sure this is a yellow-rumped warbler.

Nothing unusual about these two, robins and hawks can be found everywhere.

Blue Heron

It is the birds of the wetlands that I most enjoy.  Growing up in Los Angeles I had little contact with birds like these.

female bufflelhead

pied-billed grebe

It was a cloudy day and this group was on the far side of a pond so it was hard to get a good shot.  In addition to the ubiquitous mallards I spotted northern shovelers, American wigeons, and green-winged teals.

Green-winged Teal

Of all the birds I saw that day, the one below would be worth the walk even if I had seen nothing else

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This green heron was hunting just a few feet from the path.  He slowly rotated allowing me several views.

Find more views of our amazing world at Our World Tuesday.
Find more birds at Wild Bird Wednesday.

Winter Visitors

One nice thing about living in Lincoln California is the proximity to both urban conveniences and rural habitats.  Jules and I recently took an 18 mile loop in search of the birds that winter in the rice fields west of town.  We were almost too late, last week I heard a flock of sandhill cranes as they flew over my house on their way from Lodi to their northern breeding grounds.

Our first encounter was not waterfowl  but a hawk, hard to tell from the angle but I think it is a red shouldered hawk.

He didn't want to pose so we moved on.

We found a rice field with tundra swans and white fronted geese.  Many rice farmers keep their fields flooded in the winter providing habitat for the wintering birds.

I love looking at the swans but I had also hoped to see a flock of snow geese but all I saw was this lone goose swimming with the swans.

So we said goodby to the birds of the rice fields.  Spring migration is starting and I don't know if we will get out there again this year.

This is a view of my world, you can find more views of our wonderful world at Our World Tuesday.

See more birds at Wild Bird Wednesday.

A Few Birds

Most of the birds we saw on our recent visit to Point Reyes were too far away to photograph but I did manage a couple of good shots.

I don't know how I spotted this guy, it is well camouflaged in the shadows.  I had to do a bit of tweaking to reduce the shadows and bring out some detail.  I think it is an immature barred owl but I am no expert and could be wrong.

   

I saw this flock of American White Pelicans from the deck where we were staying.  They were moving their beaks through the water and looked like they were rowing a boat.

If you don't mind getting seasick, here is a video I took of them.  Still cameras are not really made for taking movies no matter what they claim but they can come in handy.

See more birds at Wild Bird Wednesday.

Consumnes River Preserve

We've been getting a lot of rain here in Northern California (at last!) but Saturday was dry with some lovely but non threatening clouds.  Since we had family visiting from the southern part of the state we decided to visit the Consumnes River Preserve.

There were picnic tables at the visitor center and a boardwalk that made the wetlands accessible. We started our visit with a picnic and then checked out the visitor center which is staffed by knowledgeable volunteers.  We then strolled along the boardwalk to see how many birds we could find.  There were a lot, both in number and variety.

Cinnamon Teal

 Gadwall

 Green Winged Teal

 Northern Pintail

 Northern Shoveler

 Common Snipe?
(not sure about this one)

American Kestrel

 For more information about the preserve check out their website http://www.cosumnes.org/
You can find more views of our amazing world at Our World Tuesday.

More birds can be spotted at Wild Bird Wednesday found on Stewart's blog "Paying Ready Attention"

Egret

I love the variety of bird found here in Lincoln hills in the winter.  When the hawks, egrets and herons return we know that summer is over.

The most frequent of our daily walks takes us to a pond full of mallards.  It is a favorite breeding spot for these ducks.  Mallards aren't the only birds to be found here, though.

A few days ago I brought my camera hoping to get a shot of an owl that has been hanging out in the area.

The owl was nowhere to be seen on this afternoon but a little snowy egret could be seen hunting at the edge of the pond.

It took little notice of me as I clicked away, hoping for a great shot.  The one at the right is the sharpest but the one at the top may be my favorite.








Check out Wild Bird Wednesday at Paying Ready Attention to see more of our avian friends.

Fledgling Tree Swallows

We have a nesting box for Bluebirds and Tree Swallows.  Each year it is put to use by one or both species. 

But though I enjoy watching the parents come and go, feeding their young, I have never been around when the nestlings fledged.

This year was different.  The young were almost out of the box and I had no plans to be away so I watched.

Finally, a few mornings latter there was a fledgling swallow on top of the box, singing for his breakfast.

Then another flew from a nearby perch and joined him while a third called from the box, all still expecting to be fed.

Still being fed by the parent birds and still irate if the other gets fed.

The parents seemed not to play favorites, feeding each in turn.

The next day, all were gone but the box did not stay empty for long.  Another pair are now nesting.  Now that the weather has turned hot, I am wondering if they will be as successful as the first pair.

To find more birds, visit Wild Bird Wednesday, hosted for us by Stewart.

Birding at Morro Bay

Morro Bay on the Central California Coast is a popular place to vacation for humans, birds and humans looking for birds.  With a nice State Park Campground with hook-ups it was perfect for us.

Brant

 The area has a variety of habitats which means there is a variety of bird life.

American Wigeon

In the grasslands of the estuary we saw Brants, American Wigeons and Great Blue Herons.

female Bufflehead

In the bay were Buffleheads, Loons, Greater Scaup, Ruddy Ducks, Pelicans, and a variety of grebes.

Loon

Grebe

I find it hard to ID the grebes in there winter plumage, my guess would be an Eared Grebe.  I also saw pied-billed grebes.

Ruddy Duck

I love the way their little tails stick up.

American White Pelican

Greater Scaup

I'm sure there were many species out in the bay that escaped my view.

Brown Pelican

Other birds were spotted above the water like this Brown Pelican.

A squadron of Cormorants skimmed the water.

female Belted Kingfisher

Hubby spotted this Kingfisher watching for a meal from the mast of a sailboat.  Thanks Jules, my best kingfisher image yet.

Long Billed Curlew

Shorebirds hunted in the mudflats at low tide.  In addition to the Curlew I saw Egrets, Marbled Godwits and Willets.

Assorted Peeps

I was told that there were some redknots among the other peeps out at the water's edge.  They were too far to get a good shot.

Black Phoebe

Of course, there were passerines as well.  I heard but did not see a Great Horned Owl.

We saw a lot in our three days but there is a lot more to see, we need to go back.

See more of what our wonderful world has to offer at Our World, Tuesday, hosted by Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sandy and Sylvia.

To see more birds from around the world, go to Wild Bird Wednesday, hosted by Stewart