Category Archives: Bird of the Week

Bird of the Week — Verdin

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A Verdin drinking nectar in our honeysuckle on the backyard patio.

Verdin – Auriparus flaviceps

I mistakenly identified this little bird as a Lesser Goldfinch the other day in a blog post. A fellow birdwatcher, author and blogger Eilene Lyon of Myricopia told me it’s a Verdin because it doesn’t have the yellowish body. I use the Merlin app to identify birds by their calls. I often have Verdin in my yard and hear them, but this is the first time I saw one and got a photo.

As you can see from the one photo I captured, this little bird is barely larger than a hummingbird. It has a bright yellow head, chestnut shoulder patch and a white body. Originally, I saw hummingbirds in the honeysuckle. I thought I got a good photo of one hanging upside down, but it turned out to be this guy!

Habitat

Verdins reside in arid deserts of the Southwest United States and Mexico. They avoid open spaces and live in washes and areas of desert with prickly thorny plants and trees such as cholla, creosote, mesquite and ironwood.

Food

They eat insects and seeds and fruit from desert plants as well as drink nectar. Aphids, caterpillars, beetles and spiders are a few of the insects they eat. They are also attracted to hummingbird feeders and drink that nectar.

Nesting

The male and female both build their nests, which are six-inch in diameter and a spherical shape. The outside is made of thorns and sticks, while the inside is filled with an inch of soft material like feathers, grasses and plant fibers. The female works mainly on the inside of the nest, while the male builds the exterior. They are not monogamous except through single breeding seasons, but do not stay together all year long.

Location

Calls

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Verdin/sounds

A Flicker, Sparrow and Goldfinch Flew Into Our Yard…

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There were a few bird photos I took this weekend that made me smile. I never know what I’m going to get until I connect my memory card to my laptop and open up Adobe Bridge. That’s the program I use to view my photos. If I like the image, it gets exported to my laptop. It dawned on me that I should backup my photos on a thumb drive! I have a bad track record with backups. Once I lost an entire novel’s manuscript because I didn’t back up my laptop and files started disappearing. I contacted Apple and they couldn’t recover my files and they suspected it was a hardware issue.

The photo above is a Gilded Flicker and it made the cut.

This House Sparrow at the birdbath was a saver, too.

Here he is getting a sip of water after a rainy day.

I had another visit by a Lesser Goldfinch. I wrote about them for Bird of the Week after my first encounter with this tiny little bird. Here are a few more photos:

This photo gives perspective of the size of Lesser Goldfinch next to a House Sparrow. Prior to seeing Lesser Goldfinches, the sparrow was one of the smaller species we had in our yard.

The Lesser Goldfinch is getting ready to make her move!

There she goes!

I hope you enjoyed my photos today. I welcome your feedback.

Which ones did you like and why?

Bird of the Week — Lesser Goldfinch

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This is a female or juvenile Lesser Goldfinch who paid a visit to our birdbath yesterday. This is the first time I’ve seen one. I was pleased to have a new bird for Bird of the Week.

Lesser Goldfinch – Spinus psaltria

I learned that this goldfinch is called “Lesser” because it is smaller than its close relative the American Goldfinch. In North America, It’s the smallest goldfinch and one of the smallest finches.

COLORING:

While the males have black caps and white patches on the wings, the females and juveniles look just like the photo above with dull yellow underparts and an olive back. They also have two white wing bars.

SIZE:
Length: 3.5-4.3 in (9-11 cm)
Weight: 0.3-0.4 oz (8-11.5 g)
Wingspan: 5.9-7.9 in (15-20 cm)

LOCATION:

Lesser Goldfinches can be found in deserts, mountain canyons, weedy fields, in the brush of open areas and urban areas.

FOOD:

They mainly eat seeds from thistles and the sunflower family. They are attracted to backyard feeders especially with hulled sunflower seeds. Birdbaths are also a plus because of their diet of seeds. The Lesser Goldfinch needs hydration.

NESTING:

They do not mate for life, but stay together for breeding seasons and find a new mate the next year. The female chooses an area for a nest in trees or bushes. The nests are built four to eight feet off the ground in a protected area by leaves or branches. While the female builds the nest, the male watches.


She uses leaves, bark, cocoons, grasses and spiderwebs and weaves these together into a cup. The female lines the nest with hair, feathers, wool and fibers. Nests are about 3 inches wide and an inch deep. They have one brood per year with three to six eggs.

SOUNDS:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lesser_Goldfinch/sounds

Bird of the Week — Cowbird

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This is a juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird in our backyard. I first noticed him hanging out with our male Northern Cardinal, which I found odd. Then I learned that Cowbirds are famous for laying their eggs in the nests of other bird species instead of building their own. This is known as a brood parasite. Cowbirds do not raise their own chicks, but the unsuspecting birds who incubate the Cowbird’s eggs raise them instead.

Brown-headed Cowbird — Molothrus ater

SIZE:

  • Male
    • Length: 7.5-8.7 in (19-22 cm)
    • Weight: 1.5-1.8 oz (42-50 g)
    • Wingspan: 14.2 in (36 cm)
  • Female
    • Length: 6.3-7.9 in (16-20 cm)
    • Weight: 1.3-1.6 oz (38-45 g)
    • Wingspan: 12.6-15.0 in (32-38 cm)

LOCATION:

FOOD:

Cowbirds eat seeds from weeds and grasses and some grains. They live near cattle and bison and feed on Insects such as grasshoppers and beetles, that the large mammals stir into into motion.

This is our male Northern Cardinal named “Red” who is feeding the juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird.

Eventually, the juvenile Cowbirds leave their adoptive families and find other Cowbirds. Scientists are studying this phenomenon to figure out how they recognize their own species. Some think it’s through their sounds that they recognize other Cowbirds.

SOUNDS:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown-headed_Cowbird/sounds

Bird of the Week — Western Gull

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Western Gull – Larus occidentalis

Gulls are a common sight at the beach. I discovered our California beaches have a species called Western Gull. They are scavengers. Picnics or snacks will be raided by these plucky birds if you’re not on guard.

They can be found at ocean beaches and marinas, especially near fish cleaning stations or harbor restaurants. Western Gulls’ average lifespan is 15 years. They often mate for life and their offspring mature at four years. Their clutch each breeding season is one to three eggs. The male and female share incubating duties and feeding their chicks.

SIZE:

Length: 22.1-26.0 in (56-66 cm)
Weight: 28.2-44.1 oz (800-1250 g)
Wingspan: 47.2-56.7 in (120-144 cm)

This fellow survived losing a leg.

APPEARANCE:

Mature adults have a white body, dark gray or black backs and upper wings. They have a red spot on their beak which means they are of breeding age. The spot gets brighter during breeding season. Also, chicks peck the red spot to be fed and the adult regurgitates food for them.

These gulls were hanging out at surf camp for kids. They probably learned that snacks might be left or dropped.

FOOD:

The gull has been known to eats birds, eggs, nestlings, fish, invertebrates and decomposing carcasses. If food is not readily available at the sea, they may visit dumps and eat trash. They catch their food while flying, swimming or walking along the shore.

LOCATION:

Map from All About Birds

NESTING:

Both male and female will scrape out a nest near a windbreak like a rock or driftwood. Or they may nest in rocky shores where their nest will be hidden from predators. Their nests are about 12 inches across with the inside bowl six inches across. The Western Gulls line their nest with grasses, seaweed, weeds and feathers.

SOUNDS:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Gull/sounds

Bird of the Week — Long-billed Curlew

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Long-billed Curlew – Numenius americanus

According to All about Birds, the Long-billed Curlew is America’s largest shore bird. We see them every day during our beach walks near Santa Barbara, California. I’ve seen three types of birds I used to call Sandpipers, but have identified one species as Willets and the second identified is the Curlew. I’m still working on identifying the third one.

SIZE:

  • Length: 19.7-25.6 in (50-65 cm)
  • Weight: 17.3-33.5 oz (490-950 g)
  • Wingspan: 24.4-35.0 in (62-89 cm)

APPEARANCE:

The Long-billed Curlew is a speckled cinnamon and brownish bird with flecks of white. It’s chest and belly are light a solid light cinnamon color. It has a touch of pink at the base of it’s bill. Males and females look similar but the females beak is slightly longer and more curved than the male.

LOCATION:

FOOD:

When the Long-billed Curlew are not inland, they forage along the shore eating marine life such as shrimp, crab and other crustaceans as well as worms and mollusks. Their long, curved bill helps them forage for earthworms and other prey that burrows underground. Inland in grassy or muddy areas they will use their long bills to eat insects including grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars and spiders.

NESTING:

Long-billed Curlews are not monogamous for life but are for each breeding season. They may get back together for later breeding seasons. The males make several scrapes in the ground in dry areas. The female chooses which scrape she wants as their nesting place. Then they both complete the nest together digging it out deeper. Then they line it together with bark, feathers, grasses or other material. After two to three weeks after the eggs hatch, the female takes off and the male raises the chicks.

SOUNDS:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Long-billed_Curlew/sounds

A Long-billed Curlew taking flight.

Bird of the Week — Willet

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A Western Willet foraging for food along the California coast. There is also an Eastern Willet, but my photos and focus is on the Western Willet.

Willet —
Tringa semipalmata

Willets belong to the shore birds more commonly called Sandpipers. I see several types of Sandpipers at the beach, but so far the only one I’ve successfully identified is the Willet.

SIZE:

Length: 13.0-16.1 in (33-41 cm)
Weight: 7.0-11.6 oz (200-330 g)
Wingspan: 27.6 in (70 cm)

LOCATION:

From All About Birds

DIET:

Willets forage along the shore, often alone. The tips of their beaks are sensitive and used to find food. They can forage at night as well as in the daytime. They eat crabs, insects, mollusks and worms. They feed along the mudflats, beaches and rocky shores.

A Willet getting a bite to eat along the shore.

NESTING:

Western Willets move inland from the shore for breeding along wetlands, grasslands or fresh water lakes. They nest on the ground and the male will scrape out a nest from the mud or grass. They line their nest with grasses or other soft materials. A typical clutch is four eggs. Males and females incubate their eggs, but the male takes over at night.

Although they are monogamous, they may separate after breeding season and reunite the next breeding season.

CALLS:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Willet/sounds