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Some More Backyard Birds to Share

We have had an abundance of birds in our yard for the past few weeks. Part of the reason is my new birdfeeder station in our front yard but mostly because it seems to be that time of year.

I grabbed my son’s camera the other day and took quite a few photos of just a small fraction of the variety of birds right in our yard.

Western Scrub Jay with an Acorn
There are always lots of Western scrub jays in our yard. This one found an acorn snack.

Northern Mockingbird
This is the best I could get of the Northern mockingbird in our front tree.

Western Bluebird
There have been quite a few Western bluebirds hanging around this week. I was able to snap a good photo of this pretty little bird.

Nuttall's Woodpecker- Female
There is a pair of Nuttall’s woodpeckers that are frequently on the utility pole across the street from our house. This seems to be the female…the male has red on his head.

Western Scrub Jay in the Rocks
This Western scrub jay was poking around in the rocks. I think he was trying to find some acorns or walnuts that he stashed but I was able to catch him holding still for a few seconds so I could capture his beautiful blue feathers.

Stay tuned because I am sure I will have some more to share soon. We spend time watching birds everyday and it is always fun to share.

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Woodpecker Alert!

Nuttall's Woodpecker 2
Today we identified a new woodpecker in our yard…really exciting stuff.

Nuttall's Woodpecker 1
He was hopping between the tree and the feeder, but I was able to snap a few photos to share with you.

Nuttall's Woodpecker 3

Nuttall’s Woodpecker

Picoides nuttallii
“The only black and white, zebra backed woodpecker with a black and white striped face normally found in California west of the Sierra. Males have red caps.”
Habitat: Wooded canyons and foothills, river woods, groves, and orchards.

I just love the unexpected nature study that happens along with real life. When you have to observe closely to identify a bird, you learn all kinds of things in the process. We learned that the Downy woodpecker that we normally see is very close to the Nuttall’s woodpecker but he has a big white spot on his back. Now we will be able to tell them apart quite easily.

New bird for our bird list!