BACKYARD BIRD SIGHTINGS FROM OUR MEMBERS AND NEIGHBORS
2021 is off to a birdy start!
In the past month, our members and neighbors documented all sorts of birds close to home, and had fun doing so. One of our contributors made a project of photographing all of the bird species that visited her backyard. Another sent us a photo essay of adventures at his suet feeder. And finally, many of you were captivated by Cedar Waxwings, so we’ve called them out in a special section below.
Here’s what you observed in your yards and neighborhoods in January:
Jennifer Oliver (San Jose) writes: “I got my first DSLR camera for Christmas and am really enjoying capturing the birds.”
Here are some of her images from early January:
“This Red-tailed Hawk I saw sitting on a light pole behind Ledesma Elementary at the entrance to Basking Ridge Park. I was able to walk up the hill to the school to get a head-on shot.”
“This bird I saw in a field in our neighborhood park. I saw the yellow color but wasn't sure what bird it was at first. I thought it looked like a superhero with the big "V" on its chest! I was excited to find out it was a Western Meadowlark. My first sighting of this pretty bird.”
“The Nuttall’s Woodpecker is my favorite bird in our neighborhood. We have a big oak tree in our backyard and it is a favorite spot for White-breasted Nuthatches and Nuttall’s Woodpeckers. We also added a suet feeder and now see the woodpeckers multiple times a day. What a treat!”
Sue Pelmulder (San Jose) continues to see the leucistic (mostly white) House Finch that she told us about in October’s All Around Town: “Normally, it’s hard to keep track of an individual House Finch among the throngs that come and go, but this one is unique, so I know the same individual is still around. It does seem to have a few friends now that it hangs out with - not the big group that comes through, but a few other House Finches.”
Sue adds: “The most interesting backyard bird I had recently was actually a front yard bird. I walked out to see a Turkey Vulture perched in the tree. I’ve seen many Turkey Vultures soaring above or in open spaces, but never just hanging out in the tree in front.”
Airdrie Kincaid (Santa Clara) tried to see how many species of birds she could photograph in her garden in January - she’s up to 24. Her over-40-year-old persimmon tree was especially popular.
Airdrie writes: “As the persimmons got ripe, Cedar Waxwings and Western Bluebirds began eating them. One of the American Robins became very territorial and tried to chase away the other robins.”
“One or two Northern Flickers often arrived in the morning including this male.”
Sapsuckers that were either Red-breasted (like the one above) or hybrids visited multiple times a day.
“One of my favorite persimmon eaters was this male Nuttall’s Woodpecker.”
Airdrie adds: “Other frequent visitors were Northern Mockingbirds. Other birds that ate persimmons included Yellow-rumped Warblers, American Crows, and a Hermit Thrush. The tree is also popular with White-breasted Nuthatches.”
Mary Ann Robertson (Los Altos) had a new visitor to her yard this month: “In my backyard the week of January 10 I saw a flash of yellow in a pine tree and discovered my first Townsend's Warbler.”
She adds: “The next day, I heard the alarm call of a California Scrub-Jay and was able to take several photos.”
Emma Shelton (Menlo Park) received regular visits from Downy and Nuttall’s Woodpeckers in January. At the end of the month, she wrote of the Downy Woodpeckers: “Lately I haven’t seen them, but I hear their drumming! I can recognize it now!”
Other notable visitors to her yard are Pine Siskins: “So many of these! It’s crazy! The past couple of days there have been maybe 50 at a time! After so many years of either not seeing them or not recognizing them, there is no question now.” She also enjoys watching the Spotted Towhees (“What’s fun is seeing the black-and-white version, the juveniles!”) “on the ground, scraping away ‘Towhee-style’”.
Emma captured these pictures of a Lesser Goldfinch at her feeders, observing her.
Curt Bianchi (Saratoga) sent us this illustrated story of his January bird visitors:
“Last month I wrote about the suet feeder we put up outside our living room, hanging from the branches of an oak tree. It took weeks for any birds to find it, to the point that I was catching grief from family members about my poor placement. But I stuck with it, and now the feeder sees near constant action. We're on the seventh suet cake, and as a friend said, ‘Now you are providing a service to the local birds, so you need to maintain it.’"
Curt continues: “This month I can report some new birds at the feeder. In December, we had a female Nuttall's Woodpecker, which made me wonder if we would ever see a male. My hopes were rewarded this month with the regular appearance of this male Nuttall's.”
“Also new to the feeder this month are White-breasted Nuthatches. They remind me of little dogs, fiercely guarding their food bowl against anyone who deigns to come near it. When one arrives at the feeder, it scatters any other birds there, while also fending off anyone else who wants a turn. As my wife said, ‘With that pointed, stabby beak, I'd run too.’"
“Other new birds at the feeder are Bewick's Wrens. Previously I'd seen them nearby, sometimes in the bushes or on the ground. I've learned that they are quite cautious about approaching the feeder, perching in the nearby juniper bush, waiting until there's a break in the action. The wrens are easily scared off by the usual gang of juncos and chickadees, whereas the nuthatches are like, ‘Get outta here!’”
He adds: “California Scrub-Jays are also new to the feeder. I must say, they are sloppy eaters. When they hang on the feeder cage, the suet goes flying! Other times, they will do a fly-by and bite off a hunk of suet with their wings flapping, carrying off the morsel for eating elsewhere.”
Eve Meier (San Jose) wrote in late January: “The other day while eating lunch in my backyard, I slowly started to realize that there were a lot of American Crows on the top of my neighbor's very tall fir tree. They were cawing up a storm, bringing even more crows in from around the neighborhood. The commotion would quiet down for a bit and then start up all over again. Eventually I found the source of all the fuss: a Common Raven was on the back of that very tall fir tree, standing its ground. It did not budge. Eventually the crows lost interest and dispersed while the raven remained.”
Becky Ewens (San Jose) reported at the end of the month: “I finally saw a Purple Finch at my feeders. Of course, the bird refused to cooperate for a photo!”
THE CEDAR WAXWING
The bird that most captured your imaginations this month was everyone’s favorite masked bandit, the Cedar Waxwing. Some of you wrote to tell us of your first winter sightings of this colorful bird with the Lone Ranger mask, lemon-yellow tail stripe, and jeweled “wax” wingtips.
If you haven’t seen waxwings yet, look up! These fruit-eating birds wander the landscape in large flocks, descending on trees and bushes that have berries and other delectable fruit to eat (as our contributors will attest, they love persimmons). Listen also for their unique call - a continuous high-pitched wheezing sound that floats in the air.
Here are your images and stories of waxwings from the past month:
Diane McCoy (Palo Alto) writes: “We got our first-of-the-winter-season visit from the Cedar Waxwings this morning, January 29. Like clockwork they usually appear in our neighborhood in late January and visit throughout February. They are lovely to spot early in the morning in the leafless tulip trees.”
Steve Patt (Cupertino) sent us a picture the following day: “Here are some of the 25 Cedar Waxwings hanging out in front of our house this morning. We’ve seen them flying over in their higgledy-piggledy formations, but never stopping.”
Jennifer Oliver (San Jose) says: “These Cedar Waxwings are fun birds to photograph in our neighborhood. They especially love the berry trees and I caught this bird nibbling away.”
Airdrie Kincaid (Santa Clara) captured this photo of Cedar Waxwings enjoying a ripe persimmon in her yard.
We wish you more wonderful bird observations in February.
And don’t forget to join in the Great Backyard Bird Count from February 12-15! See how many species you can find in your yard and take part in SCVAS’s friendly count contest.
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.
Banner Photo: Nuttall’s Woodpecker by Curt Bianchi