Last Friday Mr. B and I had the desire to get outside and enjoy the slightly cooler weather. He decided on a bike ride and it turned out to be the perfect thing to do together. Sometimes it is hard to find common activities that my teen and I can share but so far bike riding is still on the list.
We chose a mostly flat route along the American River, starting out with not another bike in sight. The photo above shows what the trail looks like as it meanders through the oaks near the river. This time of year the weeds are all dry and brown but the sun on the oak leaves is a fragrance that always reminds me of summer.
We came across a flock of wild turkeys and stopped to watch them scratch around at the edge of the pavement. You can’t tell very well in this image but they have blue heads. Their feathers are sort of glossy and they walk with a funny strutting sort of movement. It is always fun to find some interesting nature study subjects when we are out enjoying the day together.
We looped around at the Natomas Dam after checking for salmon (none), and then we were right alongside the river for quite a way. We stopped to admire the water and the trees. As we stood there, the rowing team from Sacramento State University rowed up the river in their skinny long boats. They were moving pretty fast and Mr.B said he wouldn’t mind being on the rowing team. Hmmmm.
We were out riding for about ninety minutes and then we met my oldest son for dinner. It was a wonderful way to spend a September afternoon and evening. I love the homeschooling lifestyle.
We have been on the lookout for an opportunity to study ducks this month as part of the Outdoor Hour Challenge newsletter suggestions for August. Our local pond is usually a good spot but we cruised by there earlier in the month only to discover that there were in fact no ducks on the pond right now, only geese. We were a little discouraged and trying to brainstorm another pond in the area to visit. As if they knew we were looking for some ducks to observe, a small group found us while we were out on a near-by lake having some fun with our boat.
We were out on the lake taking a break from our water sports activities (wakeboarding for Mr. A and water-skiing for the Dad) when a mama and some juvenile mallard ducks came up to visit. There were six smaller ducks that we are assuming were the babies of the female in the group. The water was very clear and we could easily watch them use their specially designed feet to paddle around in the water. We noted that the little ducks had fluffy feathers on their backs and were not as smooth yet as the adult female in the group. We observed the flat long beak that they were dipping into the water.
I am pretty sure they were inquiring to see if we had any crumbs or goodies to share with them. They were very bold and came right up to the side of the boat…not really quacking but making a sort of peeping/squeaking sound. We didn’t see any males out on the water. We did read later that it is the females that incubate the eggs and take care of hatchlings so this fits in with our observations.
Here is what the AllAboutBirds website says about the female mallard (love the word dabbling):
Large dabbling duck
Streaked brown and tan overall
Dark blue patch on wing
Dull orange and black bill
We wondered as always why the females are not as colorful as the males….she does have a pretty blue spot on her wing which really is her only decoration.
We enjoyed our encounter with the lake ducks and it was fun to observe them from the waterside instead of from the shore. We could really see their swimming and paddling abilities in action. We could also note the way the water does really run off the feathers on their back, making them appear water resistant. Maybe next time we will observe some ducks flying….giving us another glimpse into this beautiful creature.
Make sure to submit your entries to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. Tomorrow afternoon is going to be the deadline for entries since I need to finish it up early this month. You can submit your entries by following this LINK.
We spent quite a bit of time away from home in July so I will attempt to break the list down by location.
Backyard/Local
European Starlings
House Finches
Lesser Goldfinches – they sound like they are laughing
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Oak Titmouse
American Robins
Mourning Doves – our constant companions, everyday under the feeders, always a pair
California Towhee
Steller’s Jay
Western Scrub Jay
Acorn Woodpecker
Great Horned Owl – early morning
Anna’s Hummingbird – males chasing each other, not so many in the feeders but in the flower garden
House Sparrows
Canada Goose
American Crow
Turkey Vultures
Red-tail Hawk
Mountain Chickadee
Black-headed Grosbeak
California Quail
Brewer’s blackbirds
Santa Cruz
Brown Pelicans
California Gulls
Grand Tetons/Utah Trip
Osprey-Wyoming
Trumpeter Swans
American White Pelicans
Lots of gulls – not sure what kind
Killdeer
Barn Swallows
Red-winged blackbirds
Western meadowlark
If I ever go back to Yellowstone, I will print this bird list.
You can share your link with Tweet and See…click the button above to learn more about the monthly meme. This exercise of keeping a list of birds has opened my eyes to a whole world. I highly recommend this activity for all families, no matter where you live.
We can stand inches from the feeders and the hummingbirds still come to eat.
May 2011- This list is testimony that keeping a list makes you more aware of the birds as you go about your everyday business. I started off the month thinking that our feeders were empty and that most of our resident birds were gone. But….when I slowed down, wrote down each bird that I saw each day, the list is full and rich and even includes a new bird to our life list. I love the mental exercise of keeping track of the birds we see and it makes me more aware of each winged creature that we saw during the month.
We are leaning towards studying our backyard hummingbirds for our June bird since they are such a willing subject. You can join us with a hummingbird study by clicking over to the Outdoor Hour Challenge for Hummingbirds and Flight.
From Our Backyard
Western scrub jay
White-crowned sparrows
Anna’s hummingbird-Resident hummers are all over the place right now!
Common raven
Black-headed Grosbeak* Our new bird that we first observed on the trail and then at our very own feeders!
Red-tail hawk
Turkey vultures
Mourning doves
Great horned owl *Mr. A was up early one morning outside and he called me out to listen to two owls
House finches – Sweet singers in our yard
White-breasted nuthatch
California quail-A pair in our backyard…not usually seen so close to home. Lots as we drive around town.
American crow
Canada goose
Acorn woodpecker- swings from the suet feeder like an acrobat
Lesser goldfinches – so brilliant and yellow right now…..in the feeders and the birdbath
House sparrows
Oak titmouse
California towhee
Starlings
American robin – another bird bath participant
Out and About
Brewer’s blackbird
Tree swallows
Wild turkeys – whole flocks
Spotted towhee
Red-wing blackbird
Mallard ducks
White Goose….not sure what the name is yet.
Rock pigeons
Emu – sort of a crazy bird to add but we did see several, obviously not native….neighbor has a few
You can share your link with Tweet and See…click the button above to learn more about the monthly meme.
We have a new feeder bird! I changed up our seed in the feeder and I started to catch a glimpse of a new colorful bird coming to visit. I could hear a new song in the backyard trees as well and I knew it sounded a bit familiar. It finally occurred to me that this was the same song that I heard earlier in the month on our hike to the natural bridge. It was the Black-headed grosbeak!
Sure enough….there are three that come to our feeders now.
They are such beautiful birds and I know now why they are called songbirds.
My field guide says this, “Song, rising and falling passages, resembles a robin’s song but more fluent and mellow.” This is the perfect description of their song. You can hear it in the video in THIS ENTRY or at this link on AllAboutBirds.
NotebookingPages.com has a great free resource for those of us who live on the West Coast…free bird notebook pages for the following birds: Red-tail hawk, Western scrub jay, Spotted towhee, House finch, Black-headed grosbeak, and Black-capped chickadee!
Here is your link: Free Bird Notebooking Pages
I took advantage of the free page for the Black-headed grosbeak and used it for my nature journal.
What a thrill to add a new bird to our backyard bird list….we started off the month of May thinking that our Tweet and See list was going to be sparse. Boy were we wrong! We not only have a large number of birds but a new one to report as well.
Another great week of nature study….another topic from the May Newsletter completed. We have our mammal still left to find but we may just revisit a wildflower instead if we can’t come up with a good mammal to study using the Handbook of Nature Study. Remember to submit your entries to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival to share your links just like you would for Mr. Linky.
You can really do any topic for your entry….I am hoping that you pick at least one thing from your own backyard and that you give the nature journal idea a try.
Don’t forget to use my discount code:
Use discount code = discount5 to save $5 on your $10+ purchase at NotebookingPages.com
Use discount code = discount10 to save $10 on your $20+ purchase at NotebookingPages.com
Perfect day for a hike but a lot of pollen in the air.
I was determined to take a hike last weekend even though conditions were still windy and the pollen count was off the scale. I did something I rarely do and that is to take an antihistamine. Sometimes they work just fine and then other times they make me feel worse so it was a gamble. Other than feeling tired more quickly, I think it ended up being a good day outdoors.
Looking down from about half way to the water.
Some of the family had other plans so in the end it was my husband, my oldest son, and I who hit the trail. I like hiking in small groups so this worked out great for taking our time and quietly enjoying the views and wildflowers.There were a few other families on the trail but everyone was friendly.
I had my usual wildflower game going where I try to name the flowers as we pass them by…mostly in my head but sometimes out loud if the guys happened to stop to point one out. This plant is something new and we almost missed it growing right along the trail in a rock face.
How it can manage to grow stuck right in the crack of the rock is amazing. You can see the delicate yellow flowers with the cute little pansy-like faces. It is always frustrating to me when I can’t readily identify a plant, although I think I learn more when I have to really break the plant down and look at its parts to work with the field guide. I will come back to edit if I discover the name of this one.
Here is another angle where you can see a poppy determined to grow right in the same crack. The rock is along a steep section of the trail and there was much graffiti scratched into the surface.
How about a fern on the same rock?
Back to the hike…it was warm and there were birds singing practically the whole way down to the water (which was our destination).
We had parked at the top of the canyon and began the trail which wound around and down a steep grade. We took our time and noticed quite a bit of poison oak already flourishing at the trail’s edge and I was so glad we didn’t have the dog with us. She is oblivious to poison oak.
This plant is growing in patches alongside the trail on rocky outcrops. It is a striking color and seems to grow right on the rocks. I believe it is a variety of Dudleya, perhaps this one.
More Chinese lanterns in the shady spots….love this flower.
I have been noticing the abundance of thistle this year. It is very pretty right now with its purple flowers.
This is one trail where I know to look for Tidy tips. Look carefully and you will notice the notice the difference between this and other yellow flowers.
I really want to take the time to record this flower in my nature journal, partly because it is my favorite color but also because I like the way when you slow down to observe it closely it has the purple dots on the petals that seem to point the way for insects to come and investigate its pollen.
So this was our destination….the natural bridge. The creek comes right through the rocks here in this spot….looks like a cave but it is more like a tunnel. You can wade through the water and come out the other side if you want to, which I don’t. We were content to enjoy the sound of the water rushing through the rock and seeing the water cascading down at the opening.
There are formations on the top that are covered in moss…stalactites from the top rock that hang down. Sort of on the creepy side but still very interesting.
We reached our destination and found a place to sit on the rocks to rest and enjoy the setting. There were quite a number of birds including robins, towhees, swallows, and one bird that sang and sang and sang. I had my mini binoculars with me and I was able to capture a glimpse at him in a tree on the other side of the creek. Between the song and the quick look, I identified him as a Black-headed grosbeak.
We sat near the water for quite a long time just enjoying our first real spring hike of the year. We drank some water and then started back up the hill to the car. Even with allergies, allergy head, and with the heat, I was able to keep up with the men.
One last interesting image from the day….bright orange lichen covered many of the rocks. What a punch of color!
Hope you enjoyed seeing our spring hike and some of our wildflowers….more to come. You can count on that.
We took a walk to look for birds as part of the Spring Bird Observation Challenge from last week. It had been raining earlier in the day but we took off for our hike as soon as the clouds parted a little. The walking trail had lots of earthworms wiggling across which is why we saw A LOT of robins. The robins were singing and then hopping along side the trail as we hiked.
I think I was too distracted to capture a good photo but you can see him up there on the branch of the pine.
He did make it into our nature journals though….big fat red belly and all. There is lots of information in the Handbook of Nature Study for the robin. I encourage you to use this information as the basis of a great spring study of birds. There is an official Outdoor Hour Challenge for robins: Red Birds.
Here is an additional printable brochure on American Robins that is excellent: American Robins.
Part of the trail is lined with Scotch broom….yellow boughs make a beautiful setting. I know it is considered a “noxious” weed and invasive but I will enjoy it as I walk the trail this spring.
On another section of the trail the Sierra peas are in bloom giving the grass dots of purple and pink.
The California poppies are really blooming now and this section of the trail full of them.I am working on a new blog entry featuring poppies that I will post soon.
We recognized this flower from last year…Blue eyed grass which isn’t a grass at all but it is in the iris family.
Here is our list for April:
Canada goose -on the move, although we have some that stay year-round in a marshy area at the edge of town
Cooper’s hawk – we hear this sound a lot in our yard (nest call/alarm call)
Red-tail hawk
Rock pigeons
I think the most interesting thing about our list is the absence of some of our “regular” feeder birds. It appears that some of them have moved on: House finches, Lesser goldfinches, Spotted towhees, Dark eyed juncos.
“The springtime belongs to the birds and me…..The birds and I get acquainted all over again every spring. They have seen strange lands in the winter, and all the brooks and woods have been covered with snow. So we run and romp together, and find all the nooks and crannies which we had half forgotten since October.”
Liberty Hyde Bailey. The Birds and I, 1898
There has been a definite change in our yard’s bird population since our bird count in February and our winter observations of birds. Our feeders are not so crowded and I hear different birds in the early morning hours. This is a time for spring birds like robins and geese flying overhead, making their return to our part of the world. I sincerely hope that this bird challenge encourages your family to spend a little time outside this week to look for some birds in your world. It will be a great excuse to get outside and have a reason to look around for some feathered friends.
For this week’s challenge we will be making our Spring 2011 Bird Observations– Click over to read more about the spring bird challenge. The focus can be on bird song or any other aspect of birds that your family is interested in learning about. Check the Handbook of Nature Study for more information.
Follow up your outdoor bird observing with some looking at field guides and perhaps a nature journal or notebook page. The notebook page is included in the Spring Series ebook.
You may also be interested in my Spring Nature Study Ebooks!
We had a pretty exciting month as far as the number of different varieties of birds to report for the month of March 2011.
The most outstanding find was our new hawk visitor that comes quite a few times a week now to both the backyard and the front yard. He visits the trees and sits there for periods of time before swooping down to actually chase some of our feeder birds away. He isn’t very large and we think we have identified him as a Red shouldered hawk or a Coopers Hawk. He is featured in the photo above. He was sitting in the tree in the early morning sun and was flaring his feathers out as he looked at me watching him. Thanks for the photo Mr. Hawk!
March 2011 Birds – 31
Birds seen at our feeder or in our yard:
American crow
Red shouldered hawk
Turkey vultures
Western scrub jays
Common raven
European starlings
Oak titmouse
Cedar waxwings
Canada geese
Mourning doves
Norther flicker
Dark-eyed juncos
White-crowned sparrows
White-breasted nuthatches
Acorn woodpecker
Nuttall’s woodpecker
Spotted towhee
California towhee
House finches
House sparrows
Lesser goldfinches
American robins
These were seen outside our yard:
Anna’s hummingbird
Rock doves
Snowy egret
Brewer’s blackbirds
Steller’s jay
California gull
Mallard ducks
Red-wing blackbirds
Red-tail hawk
You can find free bird related notebooking pages at the following links: NotebookingPages.com – Free Pages (scroll down)
Spring is a time for the birds. They seem to be everywhere and always making beautiful songs or calls to get each other’s attention. We have been keen to look out for new birds but the birds that came along this week were totally unexpected.
First, there was this Anna’s Hummingbird along our walking trail….he was giving his little squeaky sound which caught our attention. (If you click the link, there is a button to listen to what he sounds like.) I’m surprised that we were able to snap a good image of him before he sped off up the hill. I love that it is getting closer to hummingbird time in our yard….time to clean up the old feeder and get it hung on its hook.
Here is another bird that we heard before we saw him in our front yard. This Common Raven was up atop the utility pole across the street making a terrible racket. HERE is what he sounds like. There is a distinct difference between the sound of a crow and that of a raven. We have never had a raven here before at the house but I have seen them just up the road a bit so perhaps he was just passing through. (Sorry for the blurry photo but he didn’t let me get ready before he flew away.)
The mourning doves have made themselves a common visitor to the frontyard feeder. They show up in a pair and strut around under the feeder to clean up after the sparrows who spill seed. The doves took a break on the new retaining wall, perhaps they felt at home with the metal quail sculptures there along the edge. It was worthy of a photo.
Here is a close up of one of the doves in my front yard under the feeding station. They are typically found scratching around the base looking for a little nibble. The sound they make as they fly away is like a whirring, you can hear it on the Cornell page. (Scroll down and listen to the “wing whistle” clip.)
This one is hard to see but it is a Swainson’s hawk that is tormenting the birds in my yard. It has been here every day and is getting bolder and bolder. Mr. A saw him swoop down and get a sparrow and fly away. I have seen him making a move to the birds in the feeder and he actually perched on top of the feeding station one time. Today he landed on the ground near the feeder and looked right at me. Although I really think he is a beautiful, fascinating creature….I wish he would eat his lunch somewhere else.
“Their eyes are remarkably keen; they can see a moving creature from a great height, and can suddenly drop upon it like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky. Their wonderful eyes are far-sighted when they are circling in the sky, but as they drop, the focus of the eyes changes automatically with great rapidity, so that by the time they reach the earth they are nearsighted, a feat quite impoissible for our eyes unless aided by glassses or telescope.” Handbook of Nature Study, page 108 (section on hawks)
We had robins and cedar waxwings pass through again which is always interesting. There was also a honking V of Canada Geese that flew overhead this morning. So ends our bird week in review….
What have you seen this week? Leave me a comment with your most interesting bird observation this week. I love to learn about new birds.
for the robin. I encourage you to use this information as the basis of a great spring study of birds. There is an official Outdoor Hour Challenge for robins: 
