Orange-crowned Warblers are small, active song birds characterized by their rapid flitting movement through foliage and their memorable songs in springtime. The sprightly, diminutive Orange-crowned Warbler is a subdued yellow with the added surprise of orange feathers occasionally flashed on its crown when surprised or agitated. While many more strikingly colored warblers briefly migrate through [...]

The American Kestrel is our smallest, most abundant, and most vibrantly colorful Falcon. You‘ll notice our pair of year-round resident Kestrels perched on posts in the hilltop preserved Raptor Foraging Area, surveying the field for grasshoppers, lizards, and small rodents comprising their customary prey.  The more colorful male has a solid rusty back & tail [...]

A most welcome and delightful winter resident! Our parks and yards spring to life in the fall with the sights and sounds of the returning White-crowned Sparrows. These sprightly beauties sing out their clear whistling, cadenced tune while gathering in small flocks to forage on the ground or in low shrubs.  Like most sparrows these [...]

The ripening of red winter berries coincides with the arrival of large flocks of these dazzling beauties. Elegant Cedar Waxwings sport a rakish black mask and sleek pointed crest plus silky beige plumage tipped in waxy red and yellow. Listen for the high-pitched, trilled whistle as dozens descend from the treetops to feast on the [...]

The Western Meadowlark is a beautiful, medium-sized bird that gathers in sizable flocks on the dry grassy fields surrounding the Urban Forest each winter. They arrive in October from their spring/summer breeding grounds and find strength and safety in numbers on the hilltop area as they collectively feed on insects and seeds at the ground [...]