Backyard Bird Sightings from Our Members and Neighbors
The nesting season is well and truly underway! In April, you told us about birds nesting in your yards, some in quite creative places, and documented eggs and newly-hatched young. You also spotted many of our typical neighborhood friends, up to their usual antics. And spring migrants have arrived!
Read on to find out what birds our members and friends have seen in their yards and neighborhoods lately.
Observing nesting birds is a joyful experience! Have fun watching them, but please give the birds plenty of space, and follow these best practices for observation, to keep them safe.
Recent Observations
John K. Edwards (Sunnyvale) says: “Over the last several years we've watched the Anna’s Hummingbirds in our backyard.”
“One Saturday, we noticed a female peculiarly perching on the same spot on a string of lights under our arbor, right next to our bedroom and kitchen windows. When we realized she was building a nest there we were a bit pessimistic about the stability of her location.”
“Over the next few days she proved us wrong…”
“...and in the following week she finished out the surprisingly stable nest and has started spending the night on it.”
Nesting Anna’s Hummingbird at John’s home, with a feather from a larger bird - perhaps she intends to line her nest with it
Jon Nuehring (Cupertino) tells us: “Like many, I have spent more than a year working from home and backyard birding has become a nice, meditative morning routine. I grab a cup of coffee and my camera and head to the backyard. Part of the thrill for me is trying to capture a great shot of the variety of birds we're lucky to have in our neighborhood.”
“The Northern Mockingbird is a frequent visitor to our backyard and always does a great job of posing in our tree, providing a beautiful backdrop for photos.”
“It's always a treat to see the Anna's Hummingbird enjoying our bougainvillea plants. I was lucky to get a quick shot of it perched on a branch before it zipped on by.”
“The most elusive visitor to our backyard has to be the California Scrub-Jay. Recently, I was finally able to capture a shot of it after months of barely missing it hopping across our fence or diving into a neighbor's yard.”
In early April, Emma Shelton (Menlo Park) reported: “I’ve heard our Red-shouldered Hawks and have seen two, in the tall trees across the street. Every few days I hear the Nuttall’s Woodpecker drumming in the large valley oak across the street. In the backyard I am pretty sure I heard the Downy Woodpecker drumming too! Every few days the California Scrub-Jay flies in to see if anything new is available.”
Emma updated us in early May: “Still waiting for the local birds to get their visiting act together now that the feeders have gone out again! Our constant loyal birds have been Bewick’s Wrens and Spotted Towhees, who seem to be able to chatter for hours. American Crows, Common Ravens, and gulls are also always around. We have a few Mourning Doves who waddle around in the backyard too, scraping in the dirt.”
“Right now, I’m hearing chainsaws, Mourning Doves, Bewick’s Wrens, and Spotted Towhees. We like watching the Spotted Towhees jump down from the fence in back and hop around in the jungle of flowers.”
“The first birds to hit the feeders were the Lesser Goldfinches, and a couple are on there for much of the day.”
House Finches
“House Finches and White-breasted Nuthatches (who are also really vocal) have been enjoying a restaurant meal. Oak Titmice finally showed up again last week.”
White-breasted Nuthatch at Emma’s feeder
Curt Bianchi (Saratoga) wrote in early May: “In April, I was in the backyard and noticed this Dark-eyed Junco perched in a small tree. Actually, it was hard to miss with its mouthful of nesting material. It looked like a giant mustache! I figured juncos were building a nest nearby.”
Right before publication, Curt sent this update: “Well, I discovered this morning where the juncos are nesting: deep within this succulent plant!”
“I saw an adult fly out of the plant this morning, so I went to investigate more thoroughly. Peering into the dark crevices amongst the foliage I saw a tiny junco hatchling peering back at me. I didn't linger, so I don't have a photo of the hatchling. Given how well covered it is by the succulent plant, I'm not sure I could even make a photo in which you see it.”
Deanne Tucker (Los Altos) says: “The Cedar Waxwings have been very active in our yard and neighborhood the last couple of weeks. They like our ivy berries.”
Deanne captured these photos of the birds, showing their delight in eating and the energy of the flock.
In late April, Steve Patt and Deborah Jamison (Cupertino) reported this just-arrived Lazuli Bunting in their neighborhood.
Jennifer Oliver (San Jose) writes: “We've really been excited to have an Oak Titmouse nest in our new bird house. We've had so much fun watching and learning from the birds.”
“We do a weekly check and are careful to try and peek in when no adult birds are in the nest, if possible. Here are the few pictures we have taken so far during our nest checks. We look forward to the five little hatchlings venturing out into the big world within the next few weeks.”
“We've watched them diligently build the nest, then once the eggs were laid the female hunkered down with them while the male dutifully brought food regularly....”
“...and now they share feeding responsibilities and are very protective of the young since they have hatched.”
On May 1, Jennifer wrote: “I did want to share the most recent photo of our Oak Titmouse nestlings. We think they are about twelve days old at this point. This will be our last check of the bird box now until after they leave the nest so that we don’t encourage them to leave early.”
Oak Titmouse nestlings, approximately twelve days old, in Jennifer’s nest box
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)
Canada Goose
Mallard
Bufflehead
California Quail
Mourning Dove
Anna’s Hummingbird
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
White-tailed Kite
Cooper’s Hawk
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Barn Owl
Great Horned Owl
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Acorn Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Nuttall’s Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Merlin
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Say’s Phoebe
Hutton’s Vireo
California Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Oak Titmouse
Bushtit
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Bewick’s Wren
California Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Western Bluebird
Varied Thrush
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Finch
Purple Finch
Pine Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Lazuli Bunting
Banner Photo: Anna’s Hummingbird by John K. Edwards