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Front yard Pygmy Nuthatch

11/25/2015

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Pygmy nuthatches still visiting suet feeders front yard.
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Chestnut-backed chickadee, front yard
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Fox sparrow on the fence
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Female Nuttall's woodpecker, Tolay Lake Regional Park
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I believe this is an immature red-tail hawk, hunting from the park buildings, at the entrance of the park.

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Juvenile white-crowned sparrow in a rosy light, Tolay Lake
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Loggerhead shrike, Tolay Lake Regional Park
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Closeup, Say's Phoebe, Tolay Lake
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Adult red-tail hawk making a relatively low pass, Tolay Lake Regional Park
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Savannah sparrow on a rusty wire fence, Tolay Lake
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Soaring adult white-tailed kite, Tolay Lake
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Merlin Hawk, Willowside trail, Santa Rosa

11/20/2015

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A popular path for casual walkers, following a creek, Santa Rosa - long shot photos, the Merlin took off quickly when it noticed my interest.
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Merlin - a small hawk, bigger than a kestrel
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Merlin hawk, Willowside trail
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A flock of Cedar Waxwings were present in many of the treetops along the trail.

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Cedar Waxwing, Willowside trail
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Kinglets in the trees hopped and chattered through the branches.
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Yellow-rumped warblers were among the trees lining the creek
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Red-shouldered hawk along the trail
Bodega Bay - two Belted Kingfishers in a chase over a fish across the waters of the bay.
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Lead bird with small fish is a female, smaller bird chasing is male.
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Surf scoter, Bodega Bay
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Male Bufflehead, Bodega Bay
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Kildeer on the shore, Bodega Bay
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White-throated sparrow, Hole in the head, Bodega
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Juvenile red-tailed hawk, Tolay Lake Regional Park

11/15/2015

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Mistaken by me previously as a ferruginous hawk, I believe this is an immature red-tail -
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Immature red-tail, previously mistaken by me as a Ferruginous hawk, Tolay Lake
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Same hawk, different view
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Goldfinch feeding on the dried thistles
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Male goldfinch
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And also the dried grasses - goldfinch - seed eaters!
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Savannah sparrows, too, in the seeds
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Say's Phoebe, perched on one of the nest boxes in the park
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And the Black Phoebe - both bug eaters
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A flock of long-billed curlews landed in one of the open fields, and seemed to be grazing!
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Usually a shore bird, the long-billed curlew in open grasslands, Tolay Lake
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Small male Downy woodpecker, foraging in the tree limbs.
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American wigeon flies from the pond area, Tolay Lake
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Same bird - American wigeon




Western bluebirds gathered as a group along the fence posts as the late afternoon sun began to set, in hopes of catching those last insects of the day.
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Male Western Bluebird, Tolay Lake Regional Park
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Chubby California Towhee on a fence post, lit by the gradually setting sun
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Amercian kestrel, seen on a tree-top branch driving into the park
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Lincoln's Sparrow, the Laguna

11/11/2015

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Like the Golden-crowned sparrow, the Lincoln's sparrow shows up in the Fall and stays until the spring.  However, their numbers are not as plentiful.  This is my first time noticing this bird.
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Buffy streaks of color and peaked crown are some of the main identifiers for this sparrow
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Another view, Lincoln's sparrow, the Laguna
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Male Nuttall's woodpecker, the Laguna
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Kinglet in the Laguna - this photo shows how small these birds are, about the same size as a leaf!
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Dead grasses still in bloom from the summer
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Yellow-rumped warbler
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One of the most common sparrows in the Laguna, the white-crowned sparrow
Brief visit to Crane Creek Regional Park, near Sonoma State campus, Rohnert Park
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Lots of Acorn woodpeckers in this park
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Red-tail hawk perched in a tree, Crane Creek Regional Park
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Golden-crowned sparrow, Crane Creek
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Oak titmouse hunting for seeds
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White-tailed kite out hunting, Crane Creek
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Northern flicker - so well camouflaged, I mostly only see them as they leap from their perch at my approach
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Red-shouldered hawk perched, Crane creek regional park
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American Avocet, Shollenberger Park, Petaluma

11/7/2015

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Nice two mile walk through open grassland, and bordering the Petaluma river and a wetlands area.
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American Avocet - this coloring is supposed to indicate a non-breeding male
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Also in the wetlands area of the park, the long-billed curlew
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Long-billed curlew takes flight over the avocet
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Flocks of small shorebirds, I think these might be Dunlins
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Also, green-winged teals were feeding in the area
On another day, early morning stroll through the Laguna
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Great Blue Heron flies over the Laguna pond
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Northern shovelers feeding, the Laguna pond
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Also, green-winged teals
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Juvenile red-tail hawk
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Flying over the Laguna, a juvenile red-tail hawk
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I think this is a Lincoln's sparrow, just learning about this bird
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American robin grooms itself in a sunny spot, the Laguna
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Yellow-rumped warbler shows how it gets its name
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American kestrel in a tree top
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Two snowy egrets in flight over the park
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White-crowned sparrow
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Female western bluebird, the Laguna
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In the front yard at the house, a different ruby-crowned kinglet samples the feeders, this one showing a more pronounced red stripe
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Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Lucchesi Park Petaluma

11/4/2015

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Rare duck for this area, common to the gulf states, Alabama and Florida!!!  Casually hanging out with the local ducks and water fowl in small park with a pond, close to a bustling shopping area, Petaluma.
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Black-bellied whistling duck, rare to see in this area
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Black-bellied whistling duck, Lucchesi Park, Petaluma -doesn't seem to care that it's famous.
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Very green headed mallard, Lucchesi Park
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Lots of Canada geese in the park
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A great park for seagulls - I believe this is a ring-billed gull
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American Coot, Lucchesi Park
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Family of mute swans on the lake, I think the browner ones are juveniles.
Also, a trip to the coast, and Bodega Bay
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Townsend warbler, bird walk near Doran beach
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Townsend warbler on the coast
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Yellow-rumped warbler, Hole in the head, Bodega
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Male and female buffleheads in flight, Bodega bay - haven't seen these since the spring.
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Snowy egret on a tree branch, Bodega Bay
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Black Phoebe, Hole in the Head, Bodega
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Small groups of lesser scaup, also on the bay
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Sanderlings? Not sure, but very small shorebirds, Bodega Bay
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Burrowing owl, Tolay Lake Regional Park!

11/1/2015

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Surprised a burrowing owl on my walk through Tolay Lake Regional Park - it froze in place as the best means of defense, because of its excellent camouflage - if I looked away from the owl, it was difficult to find it again against the backdrop of dry grasses and brush.
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Burrowing owl, Tolay Lake Regional Park - very small birds.
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Large Raven flew around me in a circle - must have known it was Halloween Day!
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Loggerhead Shrike! My closest photo of one, known to frequent this park.
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Single adult white-tailed kite flew overhead
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Distant shot, this could be a Ferruginous hawk
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Tolay Lake Regional Park, dry as a bone, waiting for rain
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Lots of Savannah sparrows still in evidence
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Also, the western meadowlark
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Meadowlark in the grasses
At the fish pond in Tolay Lake Regional Park, there were a fair number of ducks on the water.  Many took off at my approach, but a few remained for some distant photos.
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These may be ring-necked ducks, Tolay Lake fish pond
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Male ring-necked duck
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Gadwall? Not my best at duck identifiaction
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A pair of gadwalls, Tolay Lake duck pond
PictureRed-tailed hawk, Tolay Lake


Large red-tailed hawk was hunting from the top of a small grove of trees.

Did not seem pleased by my interruption, and swooped down low just before I entered the trees.

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Red-tailed hawk, buzzing my position
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Red-tailed hawk in full glory
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Goldfinch mingled with the savannah sparrows browsing the dry grass seeds
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Male lesser goldfinch, Tolay Lake Regional Park
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As I was leaving the park, this beautiful red-tailed hawk perched on a utility pole.
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Same bird, different view
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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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