Blog Archives

Acorn Woodpeckers and a large wasps' nest

9/30/2014

Hiking in a new-to-me park in Windsor, lots of Acorn Woodpeckers, and a fellow hiker showed me a large wasps' nest hanging low in one of the trees...

Acorn Woodpecker storing acorns for the winter, Shiloh Ranch Regional Park, Windsor

Acorn Woodpecker at an old tree limb being used for acorn winter storage

Lots of Acorn woodpeckers active in the park

Dark-eyed junco, Shiloh Ranch Regional Park

Opening to the nest was at the bottom

Large male deer in the shadows, he didn't seem to want to move, if he didn't have to (above);

Here is the wasps' nest, looking pretty weird....but in a way, beautiful.

Wasps' nest, Shiloh Ranch Regional Park

In the backyard, the beautiful whistling sounds of the golden-crown sparrows begin to mark the true beginning of Fall weather

Golden-crowned sparrow

Female Western Bluebird near the old orchard

The old orchard red-tailed hawk saying hello

0 Comments

Cedar Waxwings at the Laguna

9/26/2014

0 Comments

Cedar Waxwing, at the Laguna

These are berry eating birds

Probably a juvenile Cedar Waxwing, in some blueish berries

Juvenile? Cedar Waxwing

Also eating grapes - at the Laguna

Near the trees and vines with the Cedar Waxwings were some northern flickers

Red-shafted northern flicker at the Laguna

Male Downy woodpecker, the Laguna

Mixed in with the flickers were some Downy woodpeckers (above); here's our black-crowned night herons that I usually check on with I'm in the area (below):

Black-crowned night heron, the Laguna

Black-crowned night heron

Bewick's Wren in the back yard this morning -this bird has a beautiful song that it sings as well...

Female Downy in the orchard

Golden-crowned sparrow in the back yard

Anna's hummer, back yard

0 Comments

River Otter at Hole in the Head, Bodega

9/22/2014

1 Comment

River Otter, Hole in the Head, Bodega

This is a fresh water pool, pretty deep, where PG&E dug for their nuclear power station, which was fortunately stopped - near the inlet to Bodega Bay Harbor - I heard some splashing around, and then this otter appeared -

River otter, hitting the brakes...

River otter, making a quick u-turn

After I said "hello!," the otter did a pretty quick u-turn and took off...

Red shouldered hawk - Briefly circled near the harbor.

Red-shouldered Hawk circling the harbor and coastal shrubbery...

This could be a warbling vireo, in the small trees surrounding Hole in the Head

White Pelicans were feeding in the harbor

Brown Pelican, navigating at turn, Bodega Harbor

Brown Pelican in flight

Brown Pelican on the water, Bodega Harbor

Single Marbled Godwit, Bodega Harbor

Scout quail on alert, near back yard, Cherryridge.

California Quail

Acorn Woodpecker with an acorn, utility pole near the house

Acorn woodpeckers, these are the acorn fever months

Anna's hummer at backyard feeder

Red-breasted nuthatch with a sunflower seed, back yard

This old post looked like a good place to hide a seed, red-breasted nuthatch

Red-breasted nuthatch, after hiding his seed

1 Comment

Say's Phoebe, old orchard

9/20/2014

0 Comments

Luckily for me this Say's Phoebe seemed not to mind my close presence with the camera, in the old orchard - technology and nature blended for some beautiful photos of this bird.

Say's Phoebe with a small bee or wasp

You can see the resemblance to the Black Phoebe

Say's Phoebe

RETURN OF THE GOLDEN CROWNED SPARROW - these migrating birds are back for the winter -

Golden-crowned sparrow

Female Nuttall's woodpecker, old orchard

Scrub Jay, old orchard

Lots of Acorn Woodpecker activity throughout the orchards...

Western Bluebird, lower orchard

Anna's hummer in the lemons, which are having a second bloom

Some of the established lemon trees at the farm are having a second bloom, and the heavy scent perfumes the walk past them, and has attracted the hummers, as well.

Why fly, when you can sit? Anna's hummer in the lemons

0 Comments

Marbled Godwits, Bodega Bay Harbor

9/18/2014

0 Comments

Marbled Godwits on the shore

Pink bills with a black tip are one of this bird's identifiers

Large flock of them along the shore - with them were some Willets...

Willets among the Godwits

Also among them were a pair of much smaller shorebirds, the Black Turnstone -

A pair of Black Turnstones, Bodega Bay Harbor

Black Turnstone

Black Turstone, walked right past me, but kept a cautious lookout

White Pelicans were resting and grooming...

White Pelicans, Bodega Bay Harbor

Willet by itself, Bodega Harbor

Back at Cherryridge...

Anna's hummer in a big stretch, back yard

Northern Mockingbird in a neighbor's yard

Front porch Anna's hummer grooming

Front porch Anna grooming - perhaps this is the same hummingbird which amused some of us last year with its grooming antics...

Some places are hard to groom with a long beak...

Going for a scratch with one of its feet

Circling high over the house, was this an Osprey????

Osprey? Over the house at Cherryridge

Chestnut-backed chickadee, back yard

0 Comments

Black-crowned Night Herons at the Laguna

9/15/2014

1 Comment

Black-crowned Night Heron in flight, the Laguna

Black-crowned Night Heron, roosting, the Laguna

The Night Herons roost in a tree close to the seasonal bridge. Most people don't notice them, and walk past all the time, they are well disguised in the foliage.

Night Heron in flight

Black-crowned Night Herons in the trees at the Laguna

Male Downy Woodpecker

Male Downy woodpecker, further in among the trees at the Laguna (above); Some red-shouldered hawks were really making a lot of noise in an old oak tree along one of the paths, but could only get a clear view of one of them (below).

Red-shouldered hawk, the Laguna

White-breasted nuthatch, the Laguna

White-breasted nuthatch in an old oak tree, the Laguna

Sparrow, at the Laguna

Back at the property....there is a black phoebe who is often near the house or directly in the backyard, like this morning on the cable wire (below).

Black Phoebe on cable wire, back yard

Also, one of the Anna's hummers on a branch, in the back yard

Male turkey, still drops by with its twin

Pygmy nuthatch at one of the feeders

Pygmy nuthatch drinking water, back yard

1 Comment

Birding might be a cult...

9/11/2014

0 Comments

Beginning to rub shoulders with the chronic birders in the area, there are two main "spots" in Bodega, Owl Canyon (which rarely has any owls) and the Hole in the Head, which is a deep re-enforced pit that PG&E dug at one point for a nuclear power plant, which was fortunately stopped by some hero citizens, and is now full of water and surrounded by natural vegetation.
And of course, Bodega Harbor itself...

White Pelicans in Bodega Bay harbor

Sort of like swans...white pelicans

American White Pelicans feeding, Bodega Harbor

Great Blue Heron, Bodega Bay Harbor

Sanderling Sandpiper? Bird Walk near Doran Beach

Sanderling Sandpiper, Bird Walk

Sanderlings in flight, Bird Walk

Also at the Bodega Bird Walk Park near Doran Beach, some seaside Bushtits, a little less camera shy than the ones near the house...

Bushtit, near the ocean

Bushtit, Bird Walk near Doran Beach

Marsh Wren? Owl Canyon, Bodega Head

Owl Canyon was relatively crowded, and included many photographers with the long heavy telephotos and using tripods - there's a website which lists recent bird sightings there, and then everyone runs out there to get a look...this is where the cult idea started to take shape in my mind...

Pacific Slope Flycatcher, Owl Canyon, Bodega Head

White-crowned sparrow, Campbell Cove, near Hole in the Head, Bodega

Cliff swallows were working the water at the Hole in the Head - also saw Black-crowned Night Herons, and the Belted Kingfishers - however, camera couldn't pick up the best images....well, I'm hooked! I'll be back!

Cliff Swallow, Hole in the Head, Bodega

Belted Kingfisher in flight, Hole in the Head, Bodega - the best of mostly blurred photos due to distance

0 Comments

Bit of the bird doldrums...

9/10/2014

0 Comments

Spring and early summer nesting activities are concluded, and there is a bit of a lull before the Fall migratory birds have arrived in the area...many of the migratory summer birds have already gone...

Bodega harbor

Great Egret, Bodega bird walk area near Doran Beach

Exploring other birding areas in order to showcase the spectacular birding variety in Sonoma County, still very close to the Sebastopol area.

Preening cormorants, Bodega Harbor

Common Sandpiper, Bodega bird walk

Seaside sparrow

A dense flock of white pelicans, bodega harbor

Great Blue Heron, Bodega Harbor

Back at the house, a flock of bushtit fly through...

Bushtit chattering, back yard

Bushtit, side yard

Anna's hummer in the back yard

Oak Titmouse, side yard

Goldfinch, back yard

0 Comments

Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron at the Laguna

9/6/2014

0 Comments

I surprised a group of two or three juvenile Night Herons, just able to barely this get photo, they all took off pretty fast. Below, one of the adults was roosting in a tree on the other side of the waterway.

Black-crowned Night Heron, adult, at the Laguna

Black Phoebe, at the Laguna

Black Phoebe, the Laguna

Black Phoebe's still in evidence, this one was sitting over one of the side ponds from the larger waterway.

Black Phoebe, at the end of an oak tree branch

Walking through old orchard, two red-tailed hawks circled each other, keening...

Red-tail hawk, old orchard

One of two red-tailed hawks, lower orchard

Acorn woodpecker with acorn, Furlong Rd

Acorn woodpeckers are busy with the acorn harvest, and storing acorns in their acorn trees. This guy put his acorn in a couple of different holes, before deciding it was OK.