BACKYARD BIRD SIGHTINGS FROM OUR MEMBERS AND NEIGHBORS
December was a busy month for backyard birders, with many favorite winter birds making appearances! Pine Siskins showed up everywhere, and some of our correspondents saw them for the first time in their yards. Winter warblers, kinglets, thrushes, and woodpeckers were also welcome visitors, together with many of our year-round resident birds.
Here’s what our members and neighbors observed in the past month:
Curt Bianchi (Saratoga) has delighted in watching his neighborhood birds discover his suet feeder.
In early December, he told us: “A couple of months ago I hung a suet feeder from an oak tree near our living room. It got absolutely no takers for about the first month. I considered moving it, but eventually we started getting birds and now it's going like gangbusters. Visitors include Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Oak Titmice, and Dark-eyed Juncos. But my favorite is this Nuttall's Woodpecker, which has been visiting the feeder every day for a while.”
Curt has also been keeping an eye out for birds around his neighborhood: “I recently noticed some small birds on the grass at the park at the end of our street. They turned out to be Townsend's Warblers. I was able to walk home and back to the park with my camera to take a few photos of them.”
On December 7, Eve Meier (San Jose) spotted a new yard bird: “I heard some quiet tapping coming from my neighbor’s large pine tree. I went to investigate and spotted a Red-breasted Sapsucker on the trunk of the tree! I’m looking forward to a repeat visit!”
A few days later, she noticed Western Bluebirds placing material in one of her nest boxes. “What are they doing?” she wrote. “It seems too early to build an actual nest. Is it a practice run?”
In mid-December, Barry Langdon-Lassagne (Sunnyvale) wrote to say: “A bunch of Pine Siskins mobbed our feeder - I haven’t seen this many in our yard in years!”
His caption for this photo is: “Pine Siskins 6, Lesser Goldfinches 2 and House Finch 1. And the winner is…siskins!”
Emma Shelton (Menlo Park) made a yard bird list every day in late December. Her count included a Common Raven (“one in a tree, so huge!”), Pygmy Nuthatches, and White-breasted Nuthatches (“the squeaky-toy bird”).
A Downy Woodpecker visited her feeder, “a thrill!”, says Emma.
She also has Pine Siskins in her yard - “I don’t think I’ve seen them in years!” - and has enjoyed observing how they differ from other finches. Here are a few of her photos with her captions.
Pine Siskins have white pantaloons!
Hey you!
Who, me?
Emma snapped this close-up of a Bushtit in her asparagus ferns. “I guess there’s something in there they want. They move on so fast!”
Backyard bird photographer Suresh Thirumalai (Santa Clara) added White-breasted Nuthatches and Pine Siskins to his yard bird list at the end of the year.
He says: “This is the first time I’ve seen a White-breasted Nuthatch in the backyard and it has shown up a couple of times this year. I have always enjoyed watching this bird move upside down!”
Suresh selected some of his recent favorite photos:
“The Hermit Thrush is an occasional visitor to the backyard and I enjoyed taking this picture with fall color in the background.”
“I have seen House Finches in the bird bath taking a quick bath, always checking the surroundings and flying away quickly. This House Finch was chilling in the bath, drinking the water and enjoying the sun.”
“I have observed quite a few Yellow-rumped Warblers and they are always a treat to photograph.”
Some people shared their favorite backyard bird sightings of 2020 with us.
Julie MacKinnon (San Jose) writes of this photo she took: “This Anna's Hummingbird was feeding on a lavender bush that was growing like crazy in my backyard. The lavender was in full sunlight, but the fence behind it was in full shade, giving it a nearly black background.”
About this Northern Mockingbird feeding a fledgling, she says: “I had watched this feeding a couple of times in the evenings, but couldn't figure out how to photograph it without disturbing them. I finally set up my camera inside my guest bedroom, locked the cats out of the room, opened the sliding glass door, and waited. I was not disappointed.”
This Mourning Dove pair “went through an extended and sweet mating ritual on my back fence. They ultimately nested in a tree on the other side of my backyard”, Julie says.
Rachel McCauley (San Jose) took this picture of a Red-shouldered Hawk. She says: “The pandemic has given me ample opportunities to birdwatch. Here on the east side of San Jose, nestled at the base of the foothills, there is an abundance of birds: finches, sparrows, jays, nuthatches and on this particular day, a Red-shouldered Hawk. Its high-pitched scream could be heard throughout my walk. Following the sound, there was the culprit sitting in a tree. Camera ready, I snapped a picture, but too late, it had flown off. Then I caught it perched on the corner of a roof, eyeing me suspiciously. It was a lucky shot, hawks don't usually let me get close enough to photograph them.”
Jeanne Benioff and John Richardson (Redwood City) enjoy watching the feeders and bird baths in their yard and photographing the birds that visit them. Here is a selection of pictures that John took in the second half of December.
Pine Siskins enjoy the water
He writes: “We have a number of feeding stations spread out in our front and back yards. The nyjer feeders and water fountain seem to be attracting a lot of attention, especially from Lesser Goldfinches and Pine Siskins (new to us this year).”
Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Jeanne and John’s feeder
Pygmy Nuthatch enjoying some suet
“Bushtits are abundant at our suet feeders, along with Yellow-rumped Warblers, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Oak Titmice, White-breasted and Pygmy Nuthatches, Wrentits (new to us this year), Bewick's Wrens, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Nuttall’s, Hairy, and Downy Woodpeckers, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets.”
Black Phoebe perched on a fence
“In the bird baths are Black Phoebes, Hermit Thrushes, and House Finches. Anna's Hummingbirds stand guard at several feeders. And ground birds at our seed feeder and underneath include Dark-eyed Juncos and both Spotted and California Towhees. We have two chickadees that roost nightly within a Soleri bell on our home’s front entrance.”
On New Year’s Day, Jeanne and John made an intriguing observation: “This Downy Woodpecker was napping upside down, clinging to the feeder. We’ve never seen that behavior before.”
Happy New Year, everyone! May 2021 bring you more wonderful bird sightings at home and beyond.
What birds are you seeing and hearing in your yard and neighborhood?
Is there a backyard bird sighting that gives you hope and inspiration for the new year? Tell us!
Send your notes and photos to backyardbirds@scvas.org. We’ll feature them in our next edition of All Around Town.
Banner Photo: Golden-crowned Sparrow by John Richardson