Field Blog 12

Locations: 1637 Menlo Ave, Arcade US-CA (38.5948,-121.3499) (26 m)

Site Description: This week, I went birding in my front and back yard again. There are many trees and shrubs in my yard, and they vary in size from the ground to tall oak trees. Overall, the area is pretty flat and quiet. It is always difficult to get a good look of the birds in this area because most of them are small and flit around quickly. Most of the birds I saw were in trees high up or on the ground. There were a few soaring birds seen in the distance. Overall, the birds seen were mainly smaller in size. There were lots of bird calls and chirping and it has been noisy lately in regards to bird songs. I was able to get a visual on most of the birds this trip. It was slightly windy today, while the rest of the week had been much more sunny and hot. The fences and trees made it difficult to get a good look of all the birds. It was hard to track them when they flew away due to the tall trees. As usual, the small birds were quick to flit from branch to branch. I saw about 7 different taxa and the key bird species seen included: Black Pheobe, Turkey Vulture, California Scrub Jay, American Crow, Tree Swallow, Yellow Warbler, and Anna’s Hummingbird.

Species Account: Yellow-Rumped Warbler was one of the prettiest birds I always used to see. I decided to do my species account for this bird in honor of the one I always used to see in my yard who is no longer alive (see my narrative below)! I always would see this bird alone, and not with any others of its kind, suggesting it might be nomadic. It had very bright coloration of yellow around its neck and wings. Based on the photo below and looking carefully at the coloration, I believe it is an Audubon’s Adult Male Yellow-Rumped Warbler. Yellow-Rumped Warblers are sparrow sized birds, but on the larger side. Males tend to be more grayish while females are duller and more brown (All About Birds). Their distinguishing feature is a bright yellow rump (throat area and some yellow around the wings (All About Birds). The Yellow-Rumped Warbler’s diet mainly includes insects and berries (Audubon). In the summer, they live in heavily wooded areas and in the winter they move to coastal or residential areas (All About Birds). They are thought to lay 3-5 eggs per brood and lay two broods a year in a nest made by the female (Audubon). Both parents help in the nesting/feeding — while the male tends to do more in this species in regards to feeding and in working to attract the female (Audubon).

NarrativeI went birding for about an hour in my front and back yard. We have been hearing a group of birds nesting in one of the trees in our backyard and the baby birds have been screeching loudly in the daytime. We noticed they were getting into our backyard shed and today we thought one was stuck in the back so we helped it get out. I identified it as a juvenile California Scrub Jay as it was mainly gray with a blue tail. It flew back to its nest after and it was fine. I was surprised it was so large for a juvenile. I started birding this morning after that around 12pm. It was sunny outside and the weather has been hot. But there was a slight breeze today and cooler than this past week. I mainly was looking in the tree branches for any movement and hearing chirping. I saw a few Turkey Vultures soaring in the distance. I also saw the Yellow Warbler again and it was very vocal like last time! I saw many of swallows flying overhead quickly. I identified them easily by their undulating flight and song. I saw Black Phoebes a couple times and they either landed on power lines or the roof of the house. Also, earlier this week, my neighbor saw me outside and told me that they just found a dead bird while they were doing yard work. They think it may have flew into a window. She showed me the bird and I identified it as the Yellow-Rumped Warbler that I had seen a lot earlier when birding in my area. I was sad to see this and that explains why I have not seen a Yellow-Rumped Warbler in a long time! I attached a photo below of the bird, more so to see the coloration of the bird. Sorry, not trying to be morbid or anything! RIP to the little warbler! But apart from that, overall, it was a super nice day for birding! 

Additional Photos or Media: https://ebird.org/checklist/S68083069

Field Blog 11

Locations: 1637 Menlo Ave, Arcade US-CA (38.5948,-121.3499) (26 m)

Site Description: This week, I went birding in my neighborhood — mainly the front and back yard again. There are various trees and shrubs in my yard. Some are just bushes at ground level, while others are much taller trees with lots of branching. Overall, the area is pretty flat and quiet, but the trees being tall adds to the elevated aspect of birding. I saw birds at mainly at eye level or above on this trip. Most of the birds I saw in trees were high up, far above eye level. Other birds were seen flying at eye level. Overall, the birds seen were mainly smaller in size, with the American Crow I saw being the largest. There were lots of bird calls and chirping. I was able to get a visual on most of the birds this trip except for the Great Horned Owl that I recorded. Sometimes there was lots of bird activity, while other times were extremely quiet. It was also a slightly difficult to get good angle of birds flying in and out of the trees because of the branching. The fences restricted me from getting a better angle. As usual, the small birds were quick to flit from branch to branch. This trip I also noticed that trees that used to be only twigs and branches were starting to grow leaves and bloom. I saw about 8 different taxa and the key bird species seen included: Mourning Dove, Black Pheobe, American Crow, Oak Titmouse, Tree Swallow, Great Horned Owl, Yellow Warbler and Anna’s Hummingbird.

Species Account: Yellow Warbler was a key new species I identified while I was birding this week. These birds were extremely vocal and repetitive with their calls. When I first saw one, I thought it might be a Yellow-Rumped Warbler, but it I realized its call was very different. I used the Sibley app recording to match the song to the Yellow Warbler for sure. The behavior of the Yellow Warbler was much more flamboyant and out in the open. It kept flying in circles and chirping loudly and would land on a powerline, clear in sight. It was as if it was calling for others because it soon attracted many more Yellow Warblers and they were all chasing each other. According to Sibley, these birds are only found in this area during the summer or during migration. They are bright yellow overall and had distinctive striping of black and white on the wing. Their chirping is a song of high and clear notes (Sibley). They are known to breed in shrubby thickets and woods, particularly in wetlands, which made me surprised to see them in my yard (All About Birds). The Yellow Warbler’s diet mainly includes insects like caterpillars, moths, and sometimes berries (Audubon). It is a small sized song bird (All About Birds). They are thought to lay 4-5 eggs per brood and both parents help in the nesting/feeding — while the female tends to do more(Audubon). 

 

NarrativeI went birding for about an hour in my front and back yard. I started birding in the morning around 11 am because I heard a hooting like call. After listening outside and using the Sibley guide. I identified it as a Great Horned Owl. I hear it in a neighboring yard and was not able to hear a visual. But I was surprised the hooting was so clear and loud. It was sunny outside and the weather has been warming out quite a bit lately. It was clear and pretty quiet outside. I mainly was looking in the tree branches for any movement. I did not see many soaring birds high in sky. They were mainly at eye level and in tree branches. I saw many of swallows flying overhead quickly. I identified them easily by their undulating flight and their song and coloration helped me identify them as Tree Swallows. I saw a bright yellow bird flying back and forth in circles. They were very vocal and loud to attract other yellow warblers and I saw a total of 5. They were chasing each other in circles and into the tree branches and powerlines. The Oak Titmouse was seen again on a tree branch. They were very quick to flit back and forth from bush to bush. I saw Black Phoebes a couple times and they either landed on powerlines or the roof of the house. Overall, I was happy with this trip because I saw some different birds from the last time I birded in my yard. I think the Yellow Warbler was migrating through this area as it was an infrequent find on eBird.

 

Additional Photos or Media: https://ebird.org/checklist/S67799320

Field Blog 10

Locations: Maddox Park, Sacramento County, California, US (38.598694,-121.349729) (30 m)

Site Description: This week I went birding at a park near my house. There were a few other people also at the park, most walking their dogs or getting some exercise done, but everyone was sure to keep their distance from each other. The playground area of the park was closed down but the paths and grassy area were still open for people to walk around. Overall, the park grounds were very flat and had open grassy space in the middle. All around the edges were various tall trees. There are lots of olive trees in this park along with some oak trees and others. There were lots of squirrels around and many butterflies as well. I would often see a butterfly in the corner of and think its a bird at first instance. Most of the trees were heavily leafed and branched. There were not any shrubs or bushes, just tall trees so I was mainly looking up to see any of birds. I also only saw birds landing higher up in the trees today. Overall, I saw a varying size of birds from small songbirds to larger sized crows. The largest bird I saw was the American Crow. There were lots of bird calls and chirping, and it was difficult to get a visual on the birds even if I could hear where they were coming from due to all of the branching. I saw about 7 different taxa and the key bird species seen included: Black Phoebe, California Scrub Jay, American Crow, Oak . Titmouse, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, and Cedar Waxwing. 

Species Account: Cedar Waxwing was a key species I saw on this trip. I had never seen this species before and I took note of all their features so I could use my Sibley guide to identify them the best. These birds were very sleek looking and had a smooth gradient going from a darker to a lighter color overall moving down. It also looked like the feathers on their head were slicked back. They had dark black striping near their eye and a white area around the black. I did not hear their song at all during this trip but the Sibley Guide described them as very high pitched so it is possible I just did not hear it. Cedar Waxwings are medium sized birds that are known to be a silky brown color and a yellow tipped tail and a dark mask around the eyes (Sibley). These were the distinctive features that helped me identify it. They are known to be in this area around winter, so they are likely to be migrating soon (Sibley). The flocks fly in tight groups similar to Starlings (All About Birds).They are commonly found in opened wooded areas (All About Birds). They mainly eat berries and insects (Audubon). Overall, I thought they are a very pretty bird and one of my favorites now.

NarrativeI went birding for about an hour in a park near my neighborhood. I started birding around 2 pm and the weather was very nice. It was a very sunny day and overall pretty clear. I did not see many soaring birds from the park today. It was very quiet when I first got to the park but I realized that the birds were not found in the open area of the park. I had to go to the trees at the edges where it was much more shaded and quiet to find birds. I mainly was looking in the branches and trying to listen for bird songs to identify them. I did not hear many new calls overall during this trip — except for a scrub jay, oak titmouse, and a crow. The Oak Titmouse was very loud and vocal and it was in the same tree the whole time. I also noticed a possible nest in that tree, so I think lives in the tree. I not see many soaring birds, even the crows I saw and heard were on the ground/low down. The Cedar Waxwings I saw were also very quick to flit from branch to branch and usually quickly flew away together. They travelled in a large group and all moved tree to tree together. I got a picture of them sitting on a high branch in a tree and they sat very still. When they did fly away, they were all very coordinated and flew at the same time. I also saw some California Scrub Jays sitting on a fence but they were also going up higher into the tree branches. They were extremely loud and vocal. When I first heard their call, I thought it was a crow before realizing it was a scrub jay. A new bird I also saw was a Barn Swallow. It had a bright back and wings while its chest was a rust/peach color. I saw 2 of them and was able to get some photos. They were both pretty low to the ground. 

Additional Photos or Media: https://ebird.org/checklist/S67220544

 

Field Blog 9

Locations: 1637 Menlo Ave, Arcade US-CA (38.5948,-121.3499) (26 m)

Site Description: This week I some birding in my neighborhood — mainly my front and back yard. Overall, the area is pretty flat but the trees being tall adds to the elevated aspect of birding. There are various tall trees in my neighborhood with lots of branching. They are also quite widespread so it can be hard to see the birds as they fly in and out of the branches. Some bushes and shrubs are at ground level, but I did not see many birds on the ground today. I saw birds mainly in the sky or landing in higher up trees or powerlines. Overall, the birds seen were both small and medium-sized. There were lots of bird calls and chirping, and it was difficult to get a visual on the birds even if I could hear where they were coming from due to all of the branching. Sometimes there were times where there were lots of bird activity while other times were extremely quiet. The neighborhood was mainly quiet but towards the end of my time birding, there was some gardening occurring nearby and it was harder to hear the birds. I also birded in my front yard where there were mainly tall trees. Most of the trees were tall and heavily leafed. Some were just branches with no leaves. I saw about 7 different taxa and the key bird species seen included: Mourning Dove, Black Pheobe, California Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Oak Titmouse, Tree Swallow, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Anna’s x Rufous Hummingbird (hybrid).  

Species Account: California Scrub Jay was an interesting species I saw this time birding and I had seen previously birding in this area as well. I saw the California Scrub Jay land on the power pole. When the jay flew over, it sounded like a vibrating noise. It was a fairly larger compared to other song birds. Its tail is long and blue colored. It sized to be between a robin and a crow (All About Birds). California Scrub Jays are known to be assertive and loud and are often found to be stationed high in trees, wires, or on posts (All About Birds). I did not really hear it They are known to be omnivorous and eat acorns and seeds, and forage both on the ground and in trees — alone or with other family members (Audubon). They are known to breed in isolated pairs, not cooperative flocks (Audubon). They lay 3-7 eggs per brood and babies are fed by both parents (Audubon). They are known to be found year-round in California (Sibley).

NarrativeI went birding for about an hour in neighborhood. I started birding around 1 pm and the weather was very nice. It had been raining the past few days so I was worried I would not see many birds but it was a pretty loud day in regards to chirping. There was no wind/breeze and it was pretty warm outside. It was overall a clear day. I mainly was looking in the branches and trying to listen for chirping to locate the birds. I not see many soaring birds as I only saw one turkey vulture. I was able to identify it by its wing shape and coloration as it soared over. I also noticed this time that shadows of a bird quickly flying over alerted me to its presence. This happened a couple times and helped me identify a California-Scrub Jay and a couple of Tree Swallows. The small birds–especially the tree swallows– were also very quick to flit from branch to branch and usually quickly flew away. The tree swallows would follow each other closely and flew with undulating flight. I also spotted a couple of Oak Titmouse on the power line in my yard. They had a very trill-like sound. I always see a Yellow-Rumped Warbler in my yard and usually only see one when I do see it. I am not sure if it is always the same one. I also saw a Black Pheobe fly into a large oak tree and its song sounded very similar to the Sibley recording. I noticed the American Crow to have the loudest shrieking chirp. The one hummingbird I saw was seen on a tree that had no leaves. It had an overall green colored body with a white/green colored chest. Its head was also mainly green. It also had darker colored wings (either a black stripe or overall black wing). For that reason and according to the Sibley Guide, I thought it may be an Anna’s and Rufous Hybrid. The lighting made it a little difficult to be 100% confident of its coloration, but this ID matched what I saw the best in my opinion.

Additional Photos or Media: https://ebird.org/checklist/S67115424

Field Lab 8

Locations: 1637 Menlo Ave, Arcade US-CA (38.5948,-121.3499) (26 m)

Site Description: This week, I went birding in my front and back yard again. There are various trees and shrubs in my yard. Some are just bushes at ground level, while others are much taller trees with lots of branching. I saw birds at various levels during from trip from ground to the sky. Most of the birds I saw in trees were high up, far above eye level. Other birds were seen on the ground. Overall, the birds seen were mainly smaller in size. There were lots of bird calls and chirping, and it was difficult to get a visual on the birds even if I could hear where they were coming from due to all of the branching. It was also a little hard to get a good angle of birds in trees due to being in a yard, so I could not shift to get a view from all angles. The small birds were also very quick to flit from branch to branch and usually quickly flew away. I also birded in my front yard where there were mainly tall trees. A couple of the trees were only branches and had little to no leaves. The area overall is flat and quiet overall. I noticed a tree swallow made its nest on the roof of my house —  near the gutter. I saw it fly in and out of the gutter a few times and one time it almost got stuck. I saw about 12 different taxa and the key bird species seen included: Anna’s Hummingbird, Black Pheobe, California Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Oak Titmouse, Tree Swallow, Northern Mockingbird, Dark-eyed Junco, Mourning Dove, White-crowned Sparrow, Turkey Vulture and Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Species Account: Northern Mockingbird was a key new species I identified while I was birding this week. I did not actually visually see this bird. But I was able to identify it by its sound. It had a very loud and distinctive sound. It kept changing, and it was not a repetitive tone like most other bird songs. Its sound is described as trill and an ongoing series of phrases (All About Birds). It is said to be repeated 2-6 times before shifting to a new sound; the songs can go on for 20 seconds or more (All About Birds). This description matches with what I heard given it was loud shrieking like sound and lasted for at least 20 seconds as the sounds kept changing. When using the Sibley app recordings, I thought it matched best with Northern Mockingbird. These birds are also thought to be common in this area, so it was another way to correctly identify it. I hope that I am able to get a good visual on this bird another day. The Northern  Mockingbird’s diet mainly includes insects and berries (Audubon). It usually gets food from the ground or will linger around branches to get berries (Audubon). It is a medium sized song bird (All About Birds). They are thought to lay 3-4 eggs per brood and both parents help in the nesting/feeding (Audubon). Northern Mocking birds are thought to be pretty hostile as they have been known to attack humans or other animals that may venture too close to their nests (Audubon).

 

Narrative: I went birding for about an hour in my front and back yard. I started birding around 1 pm and the weather was very nice. There was a still breeze but it was still warm outside. It was clear and not too loud outside. There was some construction further down the street so some drilling could be heard, but birds could still be heard. It was a very clear day. I mainly was looking in the branches for any movement. Hearing birds chirping was the most helpful because it directed me what direction to look. I did see a couple of soaring birds, I only saw one Turkey Vulture and I could identify it by its wing pattern. I saw another bird soaring high in the sky, but it too far to get a correct ID. I saw a couple of swallows flying overhead quickly. I identified them easily by their undulating flight and their song helped me identify them as Tree Swallows. I also spotted a couple birds on the power line in my yard. One of them were was a white crown sparrow, as it had the white striping on its head. It also had the bright yellow beak. The Yellow-Rumped Warbler was hard to spot as as it blended in with the branches but its yellow color stood out as it moved a bit. The Oak Titmouse was seen again with a few others on the ground in the dirt. They were very quick to flit back and forth from bush to bush. They had a distinctive mohawk of feathers on their head, which helped me identify them. I also saw them move the feathers on their head up and down — sometimes having a flat head rather than the mohawk. I also saw a California Scrub Jay high up in the branches. I had some difficulty identifying it at first due to the lighting throwing off the coloration, but with Dr. Paul’s help I was able to correctly ID it as a jay. In the trees that did not have many main leaves, I mainly saw Black Pheobes. I also saw a bird fly in that had a reddish tint. As i moved closer to get a better look, it flew away so I was not able to get an ID. But it was something different and new from what I was used to. The Sibley App also allowed me to confirm some ID’s using the song recordings. One main one was the Northern Mockingbird. This was a bird I did not see, but its chirping was very loud and distinct. It made very different noises, going from one sound to a completely different one. It matched a lot with the recording on the Sibley app. Overall, I was happy with this trip because I saw some different birds from the last time I birded in my yard. 

Additional Photos or Media: https://ebird.org/checklist/S66590500