Blog Archives

Front yard Pygmy Nuthatch

11/25/2015

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Pygmy nuthatches still visiting suet feeders front yard.

Chestnut-backed chickadee, front yard

Fox sparrow on the fence

Female Nuttall's woodpecker, Tolay Lake Regional Park

I believe this is an immature red-tail hawk, hunting from the park buildings, at the entrance of the park.

Juvenile white-crowned sparrow in a rosy light, Tolay Lake

Loggerhead shrike, Tolay Lake Regional Park

Closeup, Say's Phoebe, Tolay Lake

Adult red-tail hawk making a relatively low pass, Tolay Lake Regional Park

Savannah sparrow on a rusty wire fence, Tolay Lake

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.

Merlin - a small hawk, bigger than a kestrel

Merlin hawk, Willowside trail

A flock of Cedar Waxwings were present in many of the treetops along the trail.

Cedar Waxwing, Willowside trail

Kinglets in the trees hopped and chattered through the branches.

Yellow-rumped warblers were among the trees lining the creek

Red-shouldered hawk along the trail

Bodega Bay - two Belted Kingfishers in a chase over a fish across the waters of the bay.

Lead bird with small fish is a female, smaller bird chasing is male.

Surf scoter, Bodega Bay

Male Bufflehead, Bodega Bay

Kildeer on the shore, Bodega Bay

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 -

Immature red-tail, previously mistaken by me as a Ferruginous hawk, Tolay Lake

Same hawk, different view

Goldfinch feeding on the dried thistles

Male goldfinch

And also the dried grasses - goldfinch - seed eaters!

Savannah sparrows, too, in the seeds

Say's Phoebe, perched on one of the nest boxes in the park

And the Black Phoebe - both bug eaters

A flock of long-billed curlews landed in one of the open fields, and seemed to be grazing!

Usually a shore bird, the long-billed curlew in open grasslands, Tolay Lake

Small male Downy woodpecker, foraging in the tree limbs.

American wigeon flies from the pond area, Tolay Lake

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.

Male Western Bluebird, Tolay Lake Regional Park

Chubby California Towhee on a fence post, lit by the gradually setting sun

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.

Buffy streaks of color and peaked crown are some of the main identifiers for this sparrow

Another view, Lincoln's sparrow, the Laguna

Male Nuttall's woodpecker, the Laguna

Kinglet in the Laguna - this photo shows how small these birds are, about the same size as a leaf!

Dead grasses still in bloom from the summer

Yellow-rumped warbler

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

Lots of Acorn woodpeckers in this park

Red-tail hawk perched in a tree, Crane Creek Regional Park

Golden-crowned sparrow, Crane Creek

Oak titmouse hunting for seeds

White-tailed kite out hunting, Crane Creek

Northern flicker - so well camouflaged, I mostly only see them as they leap from their perch at my approach

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.

American Avocet - this coloring is supposed to indicate a non-breeding male

Also in the wetlands area of the park, the long-billed curlew

Long-billed curlew takes flight over the avocet

Flocks of small shorebirds, I think these might be Dunlins

Also, green-winged teals were feeding in the area

On another day, early morning stroll through the Laguna

Great Blue Heron flies over the Laguna pond

Northern shovelers feeding, the Laguna pond

Also, green-winged teals

Juvenile red-tail hawk

Flying over the Laguna, a juvenile red-tail hawk

I think this is a Lincoln's sparrow, just learning about this bird

American robin grooms itself in a sunny spot, the Laguna

Yellow-rumped warbler shows how it gets its name

American kestrel in a tree top

Two snowy egrets in flight over the park

White-crowned sparrow

Female western bluebird, the Laguna

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.

Black-bellied whistling duck, rare to see in this area

Black-bellied whistling duck, Lucchesi Park, Petaluma -doesn't seem to care that it's famous.

Very green headed mallard, Lucchesi Park

Lots of Canada geese in the park

A great park for seagulls - I believe this is a ring-billed gull

American Coot, Lucchesi Park

Family of mute swans on the lake, I think the browner ones are juveniles.

Also, a trip to the coast, and Bodega Bay

Townsend warbler, bird walk near Doran beach

Townsend warbler on the coast

Yellow-rumped warbler, Hole in the head, Bodega

Male and female buffleheads in flight, Bodega bay - haven't seen these since the spring.

Snowy egret on a tree branch, Bodega Bay

Black Phoebe, Hole in the Head, Bodega

Small groups of lesser scaup, also on the bay

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.

Burrowing owl, Tolay Lake Regional Park - very small birds.

Large Raven flew around me in a circle - must have known it was Halloween Day!

Loggerhead Shrike! My closest photo of one, known to frequent this park.

Single adult white-tailed kite flew overhead

Distant shot, this could be a Ferruginous hawk

Tolay Lake Regional Park, dry as a bone, waiting for rain

Lots of Savannah sparrows still in evidence

Also, the western meadowlark

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.

These may be ring-necked ducks, Tolay Lake fish pond

Male ring-necked duck

Gadwall? Not my best at duck identifiaction

A pair of gadwalls, Tolay Lake duck pond

Red-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.