He’s still looking gnarly with his late summer molting, but his crest is coming back.
Red can be seen most days feeding his adopted Cowbird. If you missed the post about Cowbirds, I wrote about them HERE.
I haven’t seen Mrs. for a few weeks. Although there was a very young female Cardinal who stopped by. Maybe Red is in charge of all the children, legitimate or not?
Red’s current look makes me miss the days of old when Red was the most handsome bird in our desert.
Happy Friday! What are your plans for the weekend?
This is a juvenile Harris’s Hawk who stopped by last week. The spotted chest and leggings are why I know it’s a juvie. Adults are solid brown in those places.
On the smaller side of birds are these two House Sparrows.
A Mourning Dove enjoyed the bird bath too and got fluffed up.
A quail couple feasted on the birdseed block.
A Roadrunner took over a bench in the backyard.
Another look at the Harris’s Hawk.
Which birds are your favorites out of this batch of photos?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
