Category Archives: Birds

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.

Harbor Cruise

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A view of the harbor in Ventura from Brophy Brothers restaurant.

One evening last week, we visited long time friends in Ventura and went out to dinner by boat after a harbor cruise. What an enjoyable evening and a great escape from a humid hot afternoon. We are on our annual beach vacation to escape the heat of the desert. Unfortunately, there’s been warnings of excessive heat most days and there are few places with air conditioning on the coast. Finally the heat warnings are over and our last few days at the beach should be ideal.

This is a view from inside the Duffy boat of our friends’ neighborhood. It’s called “the keys” and homes are on the water throughout several inlets. Everyone who lives here has a boat parked in their back yard.

I’m not aware of many neighborhoods with boat parking, although there were a few in Washington state where I grew up. Lake Washington and the San Juan Islands definitely had boat docks in front of homes.

The Bougainvillea below the restaurant was beautiful!

This is our friends’ Duffy boat parked at the restaurant. They use the Duffy to cruise around their neighborhood and drive to dinner in the harbor. It’s a cute little boat. They have a big boat too, that they take to Catalina Island.

A few gulls hanging out on the docks.

I’m getting homesick and I’m ready to leave the beach for the desert. Just a few more days and we’ll be home sweet home!

Do you get anxious for home after vacation, or do you want vacation to last longer?

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

Bird of the Week — Snowy Egret

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A Snowy Egret I spotted during our beach vacation near Santa Barbara, California. Photos were taken with my iPhone during a beach walk.

Scientific name: Egretta thula
Genus: Ardea

I learned that herons and egrets both belong to the genus Ardea and that there is no scientific difference between the two. Egrets are white and herons are blue or other colors. That’s it.

The Snowy Egret has white plumage with a black beak and legs. They have a yellow streak on their faces behind their beaks. Their feet are bright yellow and called golden slippers. The brightly colored feet are helpful in herding small aquatic creatures while the Snowy Egret forages in shallow waters.

When they are breeding, the adults grow wispy long plumes which were in demand for ladies’ hats in the 1880s. The plumes were valued at twice the price of gold. Many Snowy Egrets lost their lives because of their valuable feathers.

SIZE and SHAPE:

Snowy Egrets are long, thin herons with a long neck, long legs and beak.

  • Length: 22.1-26.0 in (56-66 cm)
  • Weight: 13.1 oz (370 g)
  • Wingspan: 39.4 in (100 cm)

RANGE:

FOOD:

They eat aquatic animals including fish, crustaceans, frogs, worms and insects. They forage in mud flats, along the shore, marshes and tidal flats and eat while standing up.

NESTING:

The male will start building a nest before finding a mate. He’ll select a location at the top of a tree, shrub or vines. When the male finds a mate, the two will finish building the nest together. It’s a shallow oval of grasses, twigs, rushes and moss from 14 to 18 inches across and eight to 13 inches high.

The male and female share the job of incubating their eggs. A Snowy Egret clutch usually has three to five eggs. They also share feeding their chicks. Snowy Egrets do not mate for life, but are monogamous for each breeding season.

CALLS:

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

Day One

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The photos were taken with my iphone on our first beach walk. I haven’t taken my Nikon to the beach yet, but will soon! This bird is a Willet and part of the Sandpiper family.

We finally made it to the beach! It was a long drive and we stopped along the way to visit our old home town and friends from my husband’s childhood and earlier days of married life. We hadn’t seen them in years, so it was a nice way to break up a long drive.

This is a Snowy Egret known for their golden slippers.

This beauty is a juvenile Gull. The specific type of gull will be known in a couple years when it loses its brown colors and turns white with markings and features of its species.

Another photo of a Willet. They were gathered along the shore catching a bite to eat between waves.

We walked on our favorite beach early in the morning before the sun broke through the clouds and fog. I can’t tell you how good it feels to take beach walks. Next, our son and daughter-in-law will be joining us. They met in college at UC Santa Barbara and love to visit and stay with us when we’re here. Our DIL surfs, so it will be a delight to sit at the beach with a book and watch her in the waves.

Evening Photos:

What a change from the morning to the afternoon. The sun is out. People are on the beach, but it’s not crowded at all. It never is.

Look at the American flags. Love it!

Is that a gorgeous view or what? All I need is a few dolphins leaping through the surf.

What is on your agenda this week?

Friday Photos

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Red stayed away for another five days, but Mrs. was here every day. I wonder if Red got into a fight because he has a black spot on the side of his head he didn’t have before. But I did read that Cardinals molt once a year, so maybe that’s it. Or, I have a new bird altogether. Fortunately, he stopped by this week several times a day. My neighbor has promised to keep the birds fed while we’re out of town.

Good news. Red is looking more normal each day and keeps on visiting our backyard.

At least Mrs. is always around which makes me feel good!

A neighbor told me I should name this quail dad “Lucky.”

Lucky visits every day with his wife and three babies. Somehow he lost his tail, but he is still standing strong. That’s how he earned his name.

This is a Mourning Dove at our new bird bath. I left the old one empty when we visited our son and daughter-in-law because I didn’t want it to become a breeding ground for mosquitos. Normally I change the water every day. So the end of the story is that the old bird bath didn’t survive in the heat being dry. A resin coating splintered and peeled leaving an unhealthy mess for the birds.

A Gila Woodpecker hopped on for a ride.

Another look at Red and Mrs. before we leave for our beach vacation.

Last but not least, it was Waffles the pug’s 10th birthday this week. It seems like yesterday he celebrated birthday number one while we were on our beach vacation! These two photos were taken at our friends’ house in Santa Barbara for Waffles first birthday.

My daughter made flyers and held a party for Waffles in a park near her apartment. She gave flyers to friends, co-workers, her favorite coffee shop and hung them on telephone poles in her neighborhood. She invited everyone with dogs or not and promised dog treats for all dogs. She had a crowd that included her friends and families and even a group of eight-year-old boys she didn’t know who wrapped presents for Waffles. Everyone thought it was a perfect family-friendly evening at the park and want to meet every week.

The old man Waffles with gray hair at age 10.

What photos do you like? What do you think is up with Red’s head?

What are your plans for the weekend?

Bird of the Week — Bullock’s Oriole

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This is a female Bullock’s Oriole who stopped by our yard for the first time last week. She was very flighty and this is the only photo I captured. She’s hiding in a firestick plant.

Scientific name: Icterus bullockii

Size:

  • Length: 6.7–7.5 inches (17–19 cm)
  • Weight: 1.0–1.5 ounces (28–43 g)
  • Wingspan: 12.2 inches (31 cm) [1]

Location:

Bullock’s Orioles can be found in forests, along streams and also thrive in desert washes in Mesquite trees and other desert plants.

Diet:

They eat insects and ripe fruits. Bullock’s Orioles also will stop by hummingbird feeders to drink sugar water. They forage for insects in the leaves and bark of trees.

Nests:

The female chooses a nest site typically 10 to 25 feet up in a tree. She will weave the nest from grasses, twine or wool. The nests are gourd-shaped and range in size from four to 15 inches. They line their nests with soft material like feathers, or “cotton” from cottonwoods or willows. They will work on the nest together, with one working inside and the other on the outside. Pairs will stay together long enough to build their nests and raise their chicks, but will find new mates the following year.

Calls:

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