Monthly Urban Forest bird survey. Bright sunny skies, mild temps of 60-72 degrees provided a stimulating fall birding experience with colorful fall flowering plants and falling leaves from deciduous trees. The abundance of newly fallen leaves created a rich food source of insects and seeds for ground feeding passerines.James Kendall (scope&camera), Brian Bleecker (scope&camera), Tonya [...]
The White-tailed Kite can be seen patrolling and hovering over grasslands, open scrub, and agricultural fields where it hunts small mammals like voles and mice using a unique hunting technique known as “kiting”, where it hovers motionless in the air facing into the wind scanning the ground for movement. Once sighted, it rapidly dives, feet [...]
Spotting a male Western Tanager as it flits through dense pine trees is both a challenge and a pure delight. The mid-sized songbird presents with a bright yellow body, black wings and an astonishing red head. The drabber female is duller, greenish yellow below with grayish back and wings. Western Tanagers nest in high montane [...]
Monthly Urban Forest bird survey. Overcast, sunless, windless skies, with mild temps of 68-70 degrees yet provided a vibrant, colorful walk through the cheery abundance of flowering plants throughout the property ever providing a bounty for nectar loving hummingbirds.James Kendall (scope&camera), Brian Bleecker (scope&camera), Dave Telford (camera), Sharon Telford, Alex Curiel, Brenda Sabin, with Betty [...]
Monthly Urban Forest bird survey. Hazy skies, temps of 70 to 81 gave a perfect opportunity for end of summer birding and views of the lush and colorful expanded planted areas. There is always something in vibrant bloom to the delight of visitors and particularly nectar loving Allen’s and Anna’s Hummingbirds.James Kendall (scope&camera), Brian Bleecker [...]
