Blog Archives

The Brown Thrasher, Georgia State Bird

10/27/2014

Brown Thrasher, Clayton County Water Authority Wetlands

Day trip to the Clayton County Water Authority Wetlands, a beautiful educative wild bird and animal facility showcasing the natural beauty of the wetlands environment, on an area which had once been a cotton plantation.

Black-capped chickadee, Georgia wetlands

Eastern Bluebird, Clayton County Water Authority Wetlands

Female Belted Kingfisher in flight

Belted-Kingfisher

Eastern Phoebe

N0rthern Shoveler, Clayton County, Georgia

Carolina Wren, Clayton County Wetlands

Great Blue Heron with a small fish, Clayton County, Georgia

Great Blue Heron

White-breasted nuthatch, Georgia

Pond turtle

Pond Turtles, Clayton County Water Authority Wetlands

White-throated sparrow, back yard

Yellow-rumped warbler, wetlands environment

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Georgia On My Mind

10/25/2014

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Visiting my sister and her husband in Georgia - just their backyard is a great bird experience...

Male Northern Cardinal, Georgia

Female Cardinal, Georgia

Male, Northern Cardinal

Tufted Titmouse, Georgia

Female finch at the feeder, back yard in Georgia

Red-headed woodpecker, back yard, Georgia

In the Chattahoochee Bend State Park, Georgia, a pine warbler, and a Hairy Woodpecker.

Pine Warbler probably, Georgia

Hairy Woodpecker, Chattahoochee Bend State Park

A day trip to Pike Road Alabama, the small lake has several Great Blue Herons (p.s. didn't have my best lens for these two photos, but still couldn't resist.)

Great Blue Herons, Alabama

Northern Mockingbird, Alabama

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The Laguna, after the rain

10/15/2014

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Half-way decent rainfall last night, definitely enough to at least freshen our super dry landscape...so I took a stroll through the Laguna de Santa Rosa, accessible from Sebastopol.

Red-shouldered hawk in tall oak tree, the Laguna

Snowy Egret, one of a pair hunting for food in the Laguna

Great Blue Heron, the Laguna

Regal looking Great Blue Heron

Double-crested cormorant

This looked like a cormorant, and it turned out it was - a double-crested, on a log near the Laguna waterway. Not just a sea bird, apparently.

Great Egret, the Laguna

Red-shafted Flicker

A small flock of Cedar waxwings (above); as well as many yellow-rumped warblers (below:)

Yellow-rumped warbler, at the Laguna

Found this male Downy woodpecker working on a big hole - guess that's what they like to do this time of year...

Downy woodpecker, in front of a large opening he was working on, at the Laguna

Another Great Blue Heron was hunting on the waterway a little farther down.

Passing the first Great Blue Heron on the way back out of the Laguna, I saw a fluffed-up snowy egret had perched near him - and the heron looked like he was asleep.

Great Blue Heron with a snowy egret friend -notice that the egret has leg bands

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Yellow-rumped Warbler, Bodega

10/12/2014

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Yellow-rumped Warbler, Hole in the Head, Bodega

Hole in the Head, Bodega - yellow-rumped warblers, but this time, not shooting against the bright morning light, so was able to capture these colorful little birds much better.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

While I was getting photos of the warblers, a female American Kestrel flew over!!!! (Female has stripes on body instead of spots and a more orange coloring over-all, than the male kestrel).

Female American Kestrel, Hole in the Head, Bodega

Female kestrel, Bodega

Song Sparrow, Bodega (Hole in the Head)

Brown Pelican, on the harbor light, Bodega Harbor

Adult female, coastal deer

Surprised a mother deer and her fawn while walking around the pond, these are coastal deer which look somewhat different from the deer on the property.

Fawn, Hole in the Head, Bodega

This little bird, too, is it the Pacific Slope Flycather?

Eared Grebe, Bodega Harbor

From the back yard -

First sighting of the fox sparrow, which also shows up during the Fall and Winter months in the back yard.

Stellar Jay, looking for a hand-out

White-breasted nuthatch at the hanging water bowl, back yard

Red-breasted nuthatch also going for a drink

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Return of the Kestrel

10/10/2014

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American Kestrel in flight, lower orchard

The Cherryridge orchards are lucky to have a resident kestrel - around in the fall and winter, he disappears at the beginning of spring, probably to mate and raise a family in another location.

Kestrel, lower orchard, returned for the Fall & Winter

American Kestrel

Young pine siskin, back yard

Anna's hummer, back yard

Another view, Anna's hummer, back yard

Western Bluebird, on the utility cable, lower orchard

Male Downy woodpecker, lower orchard

Male Downy, lower orchard apple tree

He seemed to be digging out a large hole, maybe good for a nest next spring

Red-tailed hawk, old orchard

Scrub Jay, private drive near Furlong Rd

Bushtit in the poison oak, back orchard

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Super bright Fall morning light, and the birds are active...

10/8/2014

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Male Downy, bright morning sun, back orchard

Male Downy woodpecker in back orchard, seeming to find something good in the old boards used to prop up the heavy apple tree branches.

Digging something out of the old boards, back orchard

Song sparrow in the Laguna

Juvenile Black-crowned night heron at the Laguna

Taking advantage of the bright morning light, a visit to the Laguna reveals one of the juvenile Black-crowned Night Herons, and a more secluded adult, in their roosting tree by the seasonal bridge.

Adult Black-crowned Night Heron in the branches

Pied-billed grebe, the Laguna

A pair of mallards pass on the waterway, as well as a pied-billed grebe.

White-crowned sparrow in the Laguna

White-tailed Kite, the Laguna

Two white-tailed kites were alternatively roosting and hunting in the open spaces of the Laguna...

White-tailed Kite, the Laguna - one day with a better lens, perhaps I can do justice to these birds...

Bushtit in the Laguna

Cedar waxwings are still very evident in the park

Northern Flickers were active too, but only could catch them on the wing

California Towhee at birdbath in backyard

Goldfinch making its way to the birdbath, backyard

Female Black-eyed junco, birdbath

Pine Siskin, back yard

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Juvenile Great Blue Heron? Near Dillon Beach

10/2/2014

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Juvenile Great Blue Heron

Expressing some anxiety as I crept closer - juvenile Great Blue Heron, near Dillon Beach

Still trying for a decent photo of the Belted Kingfisher - this beautiful guy was sitting on the bridge crossing to Dillon Beach.

Belted Kingfisher, near Dillon Beach

Belted Kingfisher in flight - cool polka--dotted tail

Sanderling sandpipers, looking a little darker against the bright morning light, near Dillon Beach

White-crowned sparrow, Hole in the Head, Bodega

Seagull carries a crab, Bodega Harbor

The beginning of a hot, October's Day, at Bodega Harbor

Willet, Bodega Harbor

Wrentit, Owl Canyon, Bodega Harbor

Cooper's Hawk flying over Hole in the Head, with some kind of small prey

Lots of small bird activity at Hole in the Head, Bodega, since the hot morning had brought out a large host of flying insects - yellow-rumped warblers and the warbling vireos were among the birds active in the small shrubs around the large freshwaster pond.

Warbling Vireo, Hole in the Head Bodega

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped warbler with a bug, Bodega Head

Showing yellow "rump" identifier

Warbling Vireo

Warbling Vireo, at the Head

There were a few American Coots in the pond

Thanks for all the help identifying this little bird - it is probably a female Wilson's Warbler - the males are easier to identify with their black caps!

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