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Five Oak Titmouse fledge from Sharon's Birdhouse

4/29/2014

3 Comments

 
My friend Sharon has a birdhouse hanging from a tree next to her house, where it had hung unoccupied for years, until this year, when a pair of Oak Titmouse used it for their nest.  She invited me over today for a second photo shoot - and while we were sitting there, all five babies successfully fledged from the nest, in spite of two mishaps.
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Sharon had opened a window in her house and taken the screen off, so we could watch the birds more covertly, than from the porch.  She said the babies had been making a racket lately, and shaking the nest box from their jumping around inside.

First, their little heads starting showing up in the nest hole entrance.

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Parents continued to bring food throughout the fledging, but at one point in the process, started to bring food to the hole and then leave without doing a feeding, as if to give the message, if you want this, you'll have to leave the nest to eat it.

They also called to the young birds persistently.

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Adult dropping food off, as babies come to the nest hole opening without parent having to enter in to feed them.

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No more food until you leave the nest!
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One of the oak titmouse babies very close to leaving the nest.
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Here goes another one!
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The two mishaps were, baby number 3 actually flew into Sharon's house through the open window, and, after a series of mis-adventures inside her living room (at one point it seemed like Sharon was just going to have to live with a baby bird on her ceiling fan),  I was able to pick the baby up.  However, when I brought the baby to the open window and opened my hand up for it to fly away, instead it had grabbed my thumb as if it was a branch and would not let go.  We had to wait, with my hand outstretched and the baby perched on it, until the adult birds returned, and only then would the baby let go to join them in the tree, after they called back and forth to each other.

Baby number 4 didn't fly into the house, but did land on the porch and ended up behind the window screen that was sitting against the side of the house.  After some encouragement, and help, the baby made its way to the porch railing and then into the tree to join the parents.

Babies 1,2, and 5 fledged flawlessly.

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Sharon gets picture of my hand as a tree branch for baby # 3 with her camera!
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Just fledged Oak Titmouse on the porch railing after successfully escaping the window screen
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THANKS EVERYBODY, WE MADE IT!!!!

3 Comments

Violet-green Swallows - a local population under duress?

4/28/2014

1 Comment

 
May have mis-read the swallows behavior as antics - they migrate here to raise their young, and they are not nest builders (they use existing nest cavities).  The loss of the old apple trees impacts them greatly this year, and puts their group under incredible stress, since nesting sites are severely limited now.
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I was afraid, when I came across the swallows in some intense squabbling again, that we were going to have to re-name them the "violent" green swallows...
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Then I saw one was jumping up to a nest like opening in the utility pole, as another swallow immediately reacts by leaping up.   It finally became clear that the fights are about nesting, since their old tree nests are gone.

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Female swallow at small possible nest hole at top of utility pole. This might not even be useable nesting site, but immediately the flock went into intense interactions with each other.
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Full body contact in mid-air as the paired couples compete with other pairs in the group for a possible nesting site.
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Face off in the air - tension in the group plays out in confrontations, as habitat loss threatens their nesting season.

(The old apple trees were at the end of their lives, and most were removed last year in preparation for new plantings of organic lemon trees.  The new trees won't provide much swallow nesting either for many years, until they mature.)

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Another clue was they only went at it like this when they landed near this utility pole, with a possible nest hole site at the top.

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Thinking it over, I got some nest boxes and put up six, mostly on the utility poles.  Not sure if it is too late already or not, but it's worth a try. 

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Elsewhere in the orchards, where some of the old apple trees are still standing, a lesser goldfinch stops on a branch with blossoms.

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Surprised some cedar waxwings in the old orchard area, among the apple blossoms. Most of the trees have been cleared here, but a small section remains.
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Cedar waxwing and apple blossom


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Starling youngster really getting big. Here is a useable nest hole in a utility pole but the starlings got it first. (Wow, they look like they have some serious housekeeping problems..like something exploded)
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Allen hummingbird in the grevillea hedge still in residence.

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Photogenic steller's Jay on back yard fence near Furlong Rd.
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Fluffed up western bluebird at the end of a branch, lower orchard

1 Comment

Acorn woodpecker day

4/26/2014

3 Comments

 
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Not sure why, but a lot of acorn woodpeckers today.
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Both of us were surprised when I could walk right up to this guy in the lower orchard.

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Head buried in utility pole crevice, must have been something good to eat in there
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Finally headed up the pole
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Acorn woodpecker in flight
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This one in the tree top
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This one in the front yard tree that has some bare limbs.

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Did see a female black-headed grosbeak in feeder under the trees, dark area, this is the best shot I could get.


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Western Bluebird in the back orchard
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Swallows still zooming in the lower orchard, where the apple trees were removed last fall.  They don't seem to mind as far as swooping and flying goes...

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Beautiful little Anna's hummer in back orchard.

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Goldfinch eating hawthorn flowers, front yard of main house

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Female house finch at the back yard feeders this morning.
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On the way home, another Western bluebird in the apple trees.

3 Comments

First Day of New Bird Blog

4/25/2014

3 Comments

 
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Scrub jay on backyard fence pole with nest building material

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Goldfinch, near backyard nyjer sock feeders
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A pileated woodpecker, the largest of the woodpeckers in this area - only briefly seen a few times before - finally I had my camera with me!
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PictureOf course, when I moved to get to the better side for photos, the bird flew off.
Unfortunately, was shooting against bright morning light.


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Seeing double? These two male turkeys are almost inseparable, and my backyard is on their daily list of places to visit. Sometimes they have a female or two with them.
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Not quite double - this is a female or junvenile from last year and an adult quail feeding in back yard.
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Acorn woodpecker on old pine tree stump, furlong rd.

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Western bluebird in hawthorn tree, front yard area
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Band-tailed pigeon at squirrel feeder
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chestnut backed chickadee lands on buddha's head


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    Author

    Walking through
    California coastal parks and redwoods, and sometimes beyond, with a Nikon DSLR & telephoto lens (completely amateur)



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