Scaly-breasted Munia are tiny South-east Asian songbirds that were released locally or possibly escaped the exotic pet trade just thirty years ago and have now become widespread across Southern California. The highly social, seed-eating birds are now especially common in Orange County brushy riparian habitats, grasslands, and parks where they are seen in noisy, twittering [...]
Gray and overcast giving way to sunny skies and warming temps of 64-71 degrees during active bird breeding season. Pair bonding behavior, nest building activity and feeding of noisy hungry nestlings and recently fledged young observed.James Kendall (camera), Brian Bleecker (scope&camera), Jim Currie (camera), Cassandra Margitan (camera), Deb Gala, Brenda Sabin, with Betty Kanne as [...]
The Pin-tailed Whydah is a diminutive songbird from Sub-Saharan Africa that has established a strong, growing population locally. The initial few birds likely escaped from the exotic pet trade and soon discovered they could successfully thrive in our mild climate with lush, flowering plants and well watered parks. They are now regularly spotted in residential [...]
Overcast giving way to sunny skies and warming temps of 62-70 degrees at the tail end of spring migration with an abundance of bird song for mate attraction and territory defense for local breeding birds. Pair bonding behavior, nest building activity and feeding of noisy hungry nestlings and recently fledged young observed.James Kendall (scope&camera), Tonya [...]
The Black-headed Grosbeak is a large russet-toned songbird with a massive egg-shaped head and a gargantuan triangular bill ideally suited to cracking nuts and seeds. The body is thick, tubular and robust with a fairly short tail for its chunky size. Breeding males have a burnt-orange body, blackened head, wings, and tail with bright slashes [...]
