Backyard Bird Sightings from Our Members and Neighbors

All Around Town reached some new milestones in February.

First, thanks in part to the Great Backyard Bird Count, you observed a collective total of 42 bird species in your yards and neighborhoods! This is likely the monthly high count of species reported in All Around Town so far. (See the list of birds at the end of this piece.)

February was also a great time to spot birds of prey, like the Cooper’s Hawk, our featured backyard bird for the month. Not only did many of you see this bird, but you also reported four other species of raptors, including a Merlin, a first for All Around Town! Water birds like the Great Blue Heron and the Great Egret made their first appearances in your notes too, as you birded in parks and along trails near your homes.

And finally, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet made its All Around Town debut - the males’ bold and bright crowns captivated you!

Here’s what you observed in your yards and neighborhoods in February:

Eve Meier (San Jose) had an exciting start to the month, courtesy of our highlighted backyard bird.

On February 1, she wrote: “Today, I was working at the kitchen sink and noticed a bunch of little bird feathers floating down from the olive tree in our backyard. I knew exactly what had happened so I called to the rest of the family and grabbed my binoculars. My husband and our boys rushed to the living room to get a better look - even non-birders can get excited about a hawk catching its lunch! Sure enough, a Cooper’s Hawk was sitting in our olive tree enjoying its kill.”

Emma Shelton (Menlo Park) kept a regular record of the species she saw in her yard and observed which plants the birds were attracted to. She reports that Anna’s Hummingbirds “love the island bush snapdragons, the geraniums, and the salvia ‘Waverly’, and have been going after the neighbor’s dark-coral flowering quince blooms too.” Nuttall’s Woodpeckers “hang out in the nandina, flowering quince, orange tree, and oaks.”

*Cooper’s Hawk observed by Emma in a valley oak*

She was also pleased to get some yard bird firsts this month: “I finally got a Purple Finch and I think his Mrs. in the back and front yards!” Later in the month, she wrote to tell us: “I saw a Black Phoebe on the wires above my car! I’ve seen them elsewhere a lot but not in our yard!”

Emma also shared a whimsical find with us: “I discovered that the soap dispenser at one of the bathrooms at Edgewood Park sounds like a Spotted Towhee.” Art imitates life?

04.Black Phoebe Barbara Coll February 2021.jpeg

Barbara Coll (Menlo Park) writes: “My backyard birds are wonderful this time of year. I was especially happy to see two new birds in the backyard this month: Black Phoebe (above) and a Downy Woodpecker!”

Susan P. saw the following birds in her yard in February:

Anna's Hummingbird
California Scrub-Jay (pair)
Chestnut-backed Chickadee (pair)
Oak Titmouse (pair)
Northern Mockingbird (2-3)
Western Bluebird (approximately 4)
Golden-crowned Sparrow
California Towhee
Yellow-rumped Warbler

05.Western Bluebird Airdrie Kincaid February 2021.jpg

Airdrie Kincaid (Santa Clara) continues to document the birds in her yard through photography. She writes: “When we finally got some rain, I thought all of the birds would be hiding but I photographed several like a Red-breasted Sapsucker and an Anna’s Hummingbird perched on bare branches. I particularly liked all of the raindrops on this Western Bluebird.”

06.Merlin Airdrie Kincaid February 2021.jpg

Airdrie observed birds from her house and garden for the Great Backyard Bird Count, and had a delightful surprise: this Merlin! She says: “I watched it spread its tail feathers on two different days. Although it was chased out of the tree by crows, we saw it on three different days.”

07.Cooper_s Hawk Airdrie Kincaid February 2021.jpg

She adds: “One morning, we thought the Merlin had flown into the garden but discovered it was this Cooper’s Hawk, which we saw again the next day on the bare tree where the Merlin had perched.”

Steve Patt and Deborah Jamison (Cupertino) also took part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, documenting sixteen species while looking out their windows. They saw three species that they hadn’t observed before at their new home: Acorn Woodpeckers, Great Egrets, and a White-tailed Kite. Steve says: “Spending a little extra time observing definitely ran up the numbers.”

08.Ruby-crowned Kinglet.03 Deanne Tucker February 2021.jpg

Deanne Tucker (Los Altos) wrote to tell us: “I've had a male Ruby-crowned Kinglet in the bush right outside my office window. His crown has been very visible, especially because he sees his reflection in the window!” She took a number of pictures of the bird, including this one showing him calling, crest raised.

Sue Pelmulder (San Jose) wrote to share her observations of Cooper’s Hawks. During the Great Backyard Bird Count, she saw a pair in front of her house, “going from one tree to another and calling.” She adds: “We usually have a pair somewhere in the neighborhood each year. One year, they chose the tree right across the street from my house and I got to watch them raise their chicks. Those trees have been trimmed and are more exposed to the crows now, so the Cooper’s have been nesting in some other trees the last few years.”

09.White-breasted Nuthatch Diane McCoy February 2021.jpeg

Diane McCoy (Palo Alto) tells us: “Between having a mix of rain and sunshine, our back and front garden birding has been fun this month of February, with just the right amount of surprises and entertainment. Spotting a Hermit Thrush on the first day of February was a thrill for me! On February 11, a White-breasted Nuthatch was walking on the trunk of a tree, which up above was crowded with Cedar Waxwings.”

10.House Finch Diane McCoy February 2021.jpeg

Diane adds: “Just lately, the House Finches have been pecking the blossom petals from our side yard almond tree.”

11.Acorn Woodpecker Jennifer Oliver February 2021.JPG

Jennifer Oliver (San Jose) hikes the trails in her neighborhood along Coyote Creek. At the end of February, she photographed this Acorn Woodpecker, peeking out of a tree cavity!

12.Great Blue Heron Jennifer Oliver February 2021.JPG

Jennifer spotted this Great Blue Heron along the trail.

13.White-tailed Kite Jennifer Oliver February 2021.JPG

She also saw this White-tailed Kite - take a look at the prey it captured - as well as a new bird to her, a Hermit Thrush.

Another local birder shared with us: “My 2019 New Year’s resolution was to try out birding, how fortunate that I acted on this resolution beginning January 1, 2020! When the shelter-in-place order was issued, I knew my interest in birds would provide a focus to help pass time. Focusing on birds in my backyard and neighborhood has been an incredibly enriching experience.”

Some of the birds she saw in her yard in February include Chestnut-backed Chickadees - “I just love their coloring, chirpiness, and curiosity” - and a pair of Nuttall’s Woodpeckers - “I hope we see babies in the spring.” She adds: “Last spring, we had a nesting pair of American Crows, and an adolescent tending to a nest, and we saw the fledglings. It looks like maybe they will return and nest in or around our backyard again.”

Suresh Thirumalai (Santa Clara) continues his project to photograph the birds in his yard.

Here is a selection of his photos from February, including a picture he took of an intergrade Northern Flicker, a cross between the Red-shafted and Yellow-shafted subspecies of flickers.