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 [...]
Our thanks to Steve Morris for doing the Christmas bird count. The birders led by Lena Hayashi will return for the next count on Jan. 27, 2022 [...]
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 [...]
Because the wind blew all night and by morning, it was a quandary to decide if the survey was a go or not. Brave souls Jim Kendall and Dave Telford ventured out to check conditions. Though they reported back that the wind was fierce, and we had decided to postpone the survey until Friday, Jim [...]
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 [...]
