The Backyard Birdman

I wanted to pass on a very interesting article from the Chicago Tribune about bird migration.  Apparently there are several studies now that show that birds have a sense of the earth’s magnetic fields, that they can see these subtle differences, and use the information to guide their migrations! (more…)

One of the problems that has been known to scientists and birders for a long time is that birds have trouble distinguishing a tree or other natural object from its reflection in a window.  This causes the deaths of between 100 million and 1 billion birds each year in collisions with glass according to ornithologist Daniel Klem, a professor at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania.  That’s alot of birds! (more…)

Wild Turkeys photo by Cathy Lozo

I just wanted to pass on a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone along with some information on the bird that was almost our national bird, the Wild Turkey.  This is the bird that Benjamin Franklin wanted as our national bird.  It is indeed a beautiful bird, especially if you see it in flight.  In flight they can reach a speed of 50 miles per hour! (more…)

Western Meadowlark photo by D.W.Williams

Even though it’s been a rather gray, overcast day, I have seen several interesting birds today.  Let’s start with this morning.  As I was walking my Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Mika, I saw some birds fluttering around the thick buck brush.  When I focused in on them with my binoculars, they turned out to be Golden-crowned Sparrows.  I haven’t seen any of these guys lately as they primarily only winter here in northern California.  Just below the sparrows, underneath the bushes I noticed a Rufous-sided Towhee.

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Northern Flicker (male) photo by Mark Schmitt

These beautiful Red-shafted Northern Flickers have been abundant around my yard lately.  Flickers are members of the woodpecker family and, as you can see from these photos, they are grayish brown with black bars on the back with spotted underparts and a white rump, conspicuous in flight.  They also have a black, cresent shaped bib.  This red-shafted variety has red patches in their wings that are obvious in flight.  The yellow-shafted variety, commonly found east of the Rockies, has yellow patches.

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Northern Harrier Hawk (female) photo by Walter Ammann

Passing an open field on my way into town last week I saw a hawk alternately flapping its wings then soaring very close to the ground.  As soon as I saw its white rump I knew it was a Northern Harrier Hawk.  The white rump and owl-like facial disk is distinctive in all ages and both sexes of this bird.

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Western Scrub Jay photo by William G. Mancebo

The warm autumn days we have been experiencing here in Northern California have made for some great bird watching!  We have Scrub Jays here year round but the Steller’s Jay you will see below is a bird we don’t see all that much.  I have posted them both here so you can see the difference between the two.

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