Birding

Revised 3-25-12

Wood Ducks, a first for Park Sierra!
Photo taken by Gloria Taylor 3-6-12

This photo is not of Coarsegold!
Humphrey took this shot near Lompoc.
Check out the bird in the middle of the marigolds.
You could say this Great Blue Heron is out standing in its field.

Western Bluebird at his nest box at the edge of Oak Creek's pond; Mallards in the pond at right

Great Horned Owl
This bird had injuries severe enough that it could not fly, and took refuge on a neighbor's porch.
The owl family's three young had just fledged, and all the other owls gathered with this one for a day or two.
Eventually, this owl made its way to the edge of Oak Creek, but died before help could be found.
The reason I think it's a male is because I heard a female calling after this bird's death.
About a week or two later, I heard male-female duetting, so apparently the female found a new mate.

Photo on the right is of Mallards on Oak Creek's pond.

The photos below show a pair of Canada Geese with one gosling.
Adults aren't uncommon, but park members say this is the first baby they've seen successfully raised at Oak Creek's pond.

For nearly a week in July 2009, this Greater Roadrunner came by every day to Oak Creek.

Common species include Canada goose, great horned owl, house finch, red-tailed hawk, red-shouldered hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, acorn woodpecker, Nuttall's woodpecker, northern flicker, oak titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, bushtit, California quail, mourning dove, spotted towhee, California towhee, Anna's hummingbird, common raven, bushtit, lesser goldfinch, and western bluebird.

Favorite summer residents include Bullock's oriole, black-headed grosbeak, violet-green swallow, and ash-throated flycatcher. In the winter, cedar waxwing, white-crowned sparrow, golden-crowned sparrow, dark-eyed junco, and ruby-crowned kinglet take their places.

Chicks in the flock below are approximately 2 weeks old.
I've been watching them since they were thimbles-on-legs.
Actually, they are two flocks, and although they travel together,
the babies occasionally show their separation
by congregating next to their mothers.
The initial flock had 18 chicks. It's down to 14 or 15,
which isn't bad for a couple of weeks.
Attrition is very high for quail babies.

The adults drink from the birdbath, while the babies drink from a pie tin below.
I have large perching rocks in the shallow tin because small chicks easily drown in deep water containers.

In some years we get an influx of a particular species; in 1999 it was evening grosbeaks; other times it might be pine siskins, American robins, or hermit thrushes. The 2003/2004 winter season brought us dozens of Steller's jays. It's highly unusual to see even one at our elevation, and many of these birds stayed for months!

HUMMERS

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