ALL AROUND TOWN

BACKYARD BIRD SIGHTINGS FROM OUR MEMBERS AND NEIGHBORS

What a lovely summer it’s been so far!  The nesting season continues and young birds abound, with many of you documenting the explorations and antics of the youngsters in your yards.

In July, the Brown-headed Cowbird made its All Around Town debut.  This fascinating bird lays its eggs in other species’ nests, leaving all of the parental care to these other birds (read more about cowbirds and how to identify them here).

And Hooded Orioles are having a banner year in some of your yards!  This edition of All Around Town includes a special section on these birds, with photos of the adults and juveniles - and some pretty goofy behaviors!

Here’s what you’ve seen in your yards and neighborhoods over the past month:

Lesser Goldfinch at Diane’s bird bath

Lesser Goldfinch at Diane’s bird bath

“July was bath-and-play month in our yard’s bird bath,” writes Diane McCoy (Palo Alto). 

Spotted Towhee enjoying a soak

Spotted Towhee enjoying a soak

“It seems the familiar yard birds enjoyed the cool, daily-cleaned water on warm afternoons.”

Dark-eyed Junco

Dark-eyed Junco

“It was fun and entertaining to watch the Lesser Goldfinches, Dark-eyed Junco and Spotted Towhee splash around after taking a few quick sips.”

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Diane also photographed this adult male Brown-headed Cowbird (above) in her neighborhood.

Barbara Coll (Menlo Park) enjoyed taking pictures of Pygmy Nuthatches (above and below) in her yard.

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Julie MacKinnon (San Jose) captured this photo of a California Towhee gathering nesting material.

She also documented the House Finch below.

Julie took this picture of a Bewick’s Wren exploring a fence (as they love to do!) and the cut end of a branch.

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Jennifer Oliver (San Jose) sent us pictures of the Chestnut-backed Chickadees - our July Backyard Bird of the Month - in her yard.

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Jennifer says: “We see quite a few Chestnut-backed Chickadees in our backyard trees.  They especially like our suet feeder.”

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“Earlier this summer we had a whole bunch of juvenile chickadees that would visit, and there was constant chirping and activity.  It’s quieted down recently but they still are welcome visitors in our yard.  So cute!”

Emma Shelton (Menlo Park) sent us a list of birds she saw and heard in her neighborhood during the past month:

  • Canada Goose (flyover)

  • Mourning Dove

  • Anna’s Hummingbird

  • Gull species (flyover)

  • Great Blue Heron (flyover)

  • Great Egret (flyover)

  • Red-tailed Hawk (flyover)

  • Nuttall’s Woodpecker

  • Northern Flicker

  • California Scrub-Jay

  • American Crow

  • Common Raven

  • Chestnut-backed Chickadee

  • Oak Titmouse

  • Violet-green Swallow  - “A couple weeks ago we were seeing lots of these on the telephone wires and flying in the tall trees above a neighbor’s house.”

  • White-breasted Nuthatch

  • Pygmy Nuthatch

  • Bewick’s Wren

  • House Finch - “We have a lot.  I mean, a LOT.   The yard is constantly full of their chirping.  This must be the most common bird in our yard right now, and the reason we go through so much bird seed!”

  • Lesser Goldfinch

  • Dark-eyed Junco

  • California Towhee

  • Spotted Towhee - “We have had a number of juveniles during July.  They look like black-and-white versions of the adults.  I’m looking at one right now, and I see the color is starting to show!”

THE HOODED ORIOLE

This month, the Hooded Oriole delighted your hearts, with its bold colors, endearing youngsters, and antics at your feeders.  

These birds, members of the blackbird family, migrate here to nest in the spring and summer months.  Hooded Orioles love to nest in palm trees in residential areas, so when you’re out and about in your neighborhood, look up!

Here are your observations of these birds:

Adult male Hooded Oriole at Jack’s feeder

Adult male Hooded Oriole at Jack’s feeder

Jack Cole (San Jose) sent us this photo of a Hooded Oriole at his feeder.

Becky Ewens (San Jose) has been observing and photographing the Hooded Orioles that have been visiting her yard.  Here are some of her notes and pictures:

“Last year I only got a few of these guys. One pair, an adult male and female, were the most frequent visitors.”

Hooded Oriole mother feeding her young one an insect at Becky’s feeder

Hooded Oriole mother feeding her young one an insect at Becky’s feeder

“This year I noticed a lot more orioles visiting.  It was hard to tell them apart but I'd see a number of them in the big tree in my backyard. Then I noticed some much smaller birds showing up.”

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“I wasn't quite sure if they were Hooded Orioles or not. They were noisy, came in pairs or trios, and spent a lot of time exploring all my bird feeders or just perching on them. It was interesting to watch them finally figure out how to use the feeders after watching them peck at the seed feeder and try to get to the liquid through the plastic. I figured out they were juvenile Hooded Orioles when I saw the adults trying to discourage them from getting close and the juveniles chasing the adults through the tree, insisting on being fed.”

Oriole sipping nectar from a flower-less port on Becky’s hummingbird feeder

Oriole sipping nectar from a flower-less port on Becky’s hummingbird feeder

“An interesting thing I noticed is that when my hummingbird feeder lost a fake flower, the female Hooded Orioles started using it.  I took several flowers off them and the orioles are now using them as much as their own feeders.”

Adult male bird at a nectar feeder for orioles

Adult male bird at a nectar feeder for orioles

“The adult males usually use the hummingbird feeders when they're with a female but when alone, they prefer the oriole feeders.  This has seemed to cause the hummingbirds to use the oriole feeders along with their own feeders.”

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The young birds can be especially goofy, as Becky’s photo above shows!

Becky adds:  “The funniest thing I've seen is that the Chestnut-backed Chickadees use the ant guards to bathe in (above).”

Hooded Orioles were our featured backyard bird in May.  Learn more about them in our Backyard Bird of the Month article.

Happy birding in August!

What birds are you seeing and hearing in your yard and neighborhood?

Send your notes and photos to backyardbirds@scvas.org.  We’ll feature them in our next edition of All Around Town.

Bird species reported to All Around Town
from October 2020 onwards
(species in bold are new this month)

  1. Canada Goose

  2. Mallard

  3. Bufflehead

  4. California Quail

  5. Mourning Dove

  6. Anna’s Hummingbird

  7. Gull species

  8. Great Blue Heron

  9. Great Egret

  10. Turkey Vulture

  11. White-tailed Kite

  12. Cooper’s Hawk

  13. Bald Eagle

  14. Red-shouldered Hawk

  15. Red-tailed Hawk

  16. Barn Owl

  17. Great Horned Owl

  18. Red-breasted Sapsucker

  19. Acorn Woodpecker

  20. Downy Woodpecker

  21. Nuttall’s Woodpecker

  22. Pileated Woodpecker

  23. Northern Flicker

  24. Merlin

  25. Pacific-slope Flycatcher

  26. Black Phoebe

  27. Say’s Phoebe

  28. Hutton’s Vireo

  29. Steller’s Jay

  30. California Scrub-Jay

  31. American Crow

  32. Common Raven

  33. Chestnut-backed Chickadee

  34. Oak Titmouse

  35. Tree Swallow

  36. Violet-green Swallow

  37. Bushtit

  38. Ruby-crowned Kinglet

  39. Red-breasted Nuthatch

  40. White-breasted Nuthatch

  41. Pygmy Nuthatch

  42. Brown Creeper

  43. Bewick’s Wren

  44. California Thrasher

  45. Northern Mockingbird

  46. Western Bluebird

  47. Varied Thrush

  48. Hermit Thrush

  49. American Robin

  50. Cedar Waxwing

  51. House Finch

  52. Purple Finch

  53. Pine Siskin

  54. Lesser Goldfinch

  55. American Goldfinch

  56. Dark-eyed Junco

  57. White-crowned Sparrow

  58. Golden-crowned Sparrow

  59. White-throated Sparrow

  60. California Towhee

  61. Spotted Towhee

  62. Western Meadowlark

  63. Hooded Oriole

  64. Brown-headed Cowbird

  65. Yellow-rumped Warbler

  66. Townsend’s Warbler

  67. Black-headed Grosbeak

  68. Lazuli Bunting

All Around Town is compiled by Julie Amato.

Banner Photo: Hooded Orioles by Becky Ewens