Backyard Bird Observations From Our Members And Friends
The first rains of winter have swept into our valley, heralding the start of the coldest part of the year. In this edition of All Around Town, we look back on the months of September and October, as well as the first part of November, and at all of the changes that the fall season brings to the bird life of our area.
In September and early October, you had some unusual yard visitors - a Black-throated Gray Warbler, a Western Tanager, and a Black-headed Grosbeak. These birds were spotted during the fall migration period, and were likely passing through your yards on their way south for the winter. All of these birds nest here, but many more of them are seen during spring and fall migration, when our local breeders, and their kin that breed elsewhere, move through our area on their way to other destinations.
As the fall progressed, our winter resident birds started to arrive - as of this writing, they are now here in large numbers. These birds include Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushes, White-crowned Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Townsend’s Warblers. Northern Flickers and Cedar Waxwings are becoming more noticeable in neighborhoods, as are raptors like Red-tailed Hawks.
A few of you have been documenting the annual return of an individual bird - a Western Screech-Owl, a Red-breasted Sapsucker, and a Merlin - to a particular tree or roost. In exciting news, you have all reported that the birds have returned again this year! Although you don’t know if they are the same individuals each year, birds can be highly territorial, and the fact that these birds come to the same spot year after year suggests that they could be the same unique bird.
As the days have turned colder, you have reported hearing Great Horned Owls near your homes. These birds start nesting in midwinter, and call more frequently in the fall months leading up to the start of their breeding season. They can often be heard during the evening hours when many of us are still awake. Whenever you happen to hear them, it is always a thrill!
Water, maybe even more than food, has attracted large numbers of birds to your yards, including groups of social birds like Acorn Woodpeckers and Pygmy Nuthatches. And you’ve spotted water-loving birds like American Coots, Wilson’s Snipes, and Black-crowned Night Herons in urban creeks.
You were also fascinated by dominance interactions between birds at your feeders. A bird species is said to “dominate” another species if it consistently drives that other bird away from shared resources in an attempt to claim the resources for itself. In the stories below, you’ll see and hear interactions between nuthatches, finches, doves, and juncos. Guess which bird wins? It may not be the one you think!
Finally, you observed less-reported birds in your neighborhoods like Band-tailed Pigeons, Killdeer, Hairy Woodpeckers, Brown Creepers, American Goldfinches, and Red-winged Blackbirds. And you saw and heard a wide assortment of our faithful backyard visitors - birds like Mourning Doves, Anna’s Hummingbirds, Cooper’s Hawks, California Scrub-Jays, Nuttall’s Woodpeckers, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, Bewick’s Wrens, House Finches, and California Towhees.
New species in this edition
This fall, the Green Heron (Butorides virescens) makes its All Around Town debut, spotted at a pond in Menlo Park. Green Herons are found near or in water, where they wade and hunt for fish. They are known to use fishing lures, dropping objects like leaves, twigs, insects, and feathers into the water to attract fish.
An immature Green Heron, photographed by Rick Morris
Adult Green Herons have dark green feathers on the back and head, and deep ruddy feathers on their neck and breast. Young birds have pale underparts with chestnut streaks and are more brown than green overall. Green Herons have bright yellow legs and feet, orange and black bills, and a greenish-yellow streak between their eyes (also yellow) and bills. The birds have a raspy, staticky low-pitched skeow call, short and falling.
Here are your neighborhood bird observations for the first part of the fall:
Pygmy Nuthatches visit Molly’s bird bath. These birds are more social than our other nuthatch species and will often visit yards in large groups. In the winter, the birds mostly eat pine seeds, and are usually found on or near conifer trees.
Molly Graham (Mountain View) tells us: “Surprising to me this year is a flock of Pygmy Nuthatches which has decided to favor my bird bath. They started to show up in my tree in late September and became quite the bird bath enthusiasts by the beginning of October - I regularly see around six of them collect along the perimeter of the bird bath to take turns drinking. Their little squeaky-toy calls are super delightful to me.”
“After the irruption of Red-breasted Nuthatches last year I feel like I've hardly been seeing them at all, but really I still see a male and female come through every day. Sometimes all three types of nuthatch will visit within the span of a few minutes but they always chase each other off. I've even seen the Pygmy Nuthatches take on the larger White-breasted Nuthatches.”
A Brown Creeper forages on Molly’s fence. Brown Creepers are often hard to find - they blend in beautifully with the trees that they “creep” on and have very high-pitched calls that not everyone can hear. The birds forage by hopping up tree trunks or across branches, probing the bark (or wooden fence, in this case) for insects with their curved bills.
“Brown Creepers showed up at around the same time as the Pygmy Nuthatches and have been quite vocal. I've been seeing more in my complex this year which is a treat for sure. Here’s a photo of one creeping up my fence which isn't something I noticed last year.”
A Townsend’s Warbler photographed by Molly. These birds are present in the Santa Clara Valley during the winter months and are one of our two winter resident warblers. Note the black “Lone Ranger” mask and the bright yellow head, a contrast with our other winter warbler, the Yellow-rumped Warbler.
“I didn't start to see warblers in the yard until the second week of October. The Townsend's Warbler was the first to show up, favoring the bird bath alongside the Pygmy Nuthatches.”
A Yellow-rumped Warbler spotted by Molly. Note the dull gray-brown winter plumage, the white eyering, and the splashes of yellow on its side, throat, and rump. Yellow-rumped Warblers live here during the winter months and are one of the most abundant warbler species in Santa Clara County.
“Now at the end of October there is a large presence of Yellow-rumped Warblers in the apartment complex, although they're still wary of approaching the bird bath. I've only seen one drink from it once so far.”
A Hermit Thrush visits Molly. Hermit Thrushes live in the Santa Clara Valley during the winter months. Shy birds, they can be hard to spot, but listen for their characteristic quiet “chup chup” calls.
Molly continues: “Hermit Thrushes have also been big fans of the bird bath - they showed up on almost the exact same October day as the first Townsend's Warbler I spotted. They're obviously shy visitors, although I've been hearing their chup calls a lot more this year which has given me more glimpses of them than last fall and winter already. Unfortunately one struck our office window, but we placed it into a box with a towel for warmth. Within half an hour, it flew to a nearby tree to continue recovering, and was already onto the tree in our backyard before an hour was up. I'm hoping it's okay! I heard some chups in the tree recently so fingers crossed.”
Editor’s Note: Window strikes are a major cause of death for birds. Fortunately, there are simple ways to treat windows to reduce the likelihood of bird collisions. See our “Learn More” section at the end of this article for more information.
“I heard the first of the Cedar Waxwings about halfway through October. I've only heard them and seen small groups of them flying off into the distance. I know they're hanging out on my block, and just recently I saw some fly into an ornamental palm tree where they liked to hang out last year.”
One of the two Northern Flickers spotted on palm trees by Molly. Flickers are a species of woodpecker. They are larger than our other common woodpeckers and have unique coloring, being brown and gray overall with black spots. Western birds are “red shafted,” meaning that the shafts of their wing and tail feathers are colored a deep reddish-orange. A hint of this color can be seen in Molly’s photo.
“We had an unusual Hairy Woodpecker sighting on my block. I was headed to work and heard it call as it flew to a telephone pole, then to a neighbor's tree. This is probably only the second or third time I've noticed one on my block so it's always notable to me. The Northern Flickers have also been audible as of around mid-October, and in mid-November, I saw a couple of them on palm trees, which was new! This is the first time I’ve seen two in the same spot in my neighborhood, let alone on palms.”
Betty DeLuco and Bob McNamara (Mountain View) told us: “We just put in a native plant garden with a fountain in our backyard. We came home to a Cooper's Hawk standing calmly on the fountain!”
A Cooper’s Hawk visits Betty and Bob’s yard, photographed by Bob. Note the orange barring on the white breast, the gray and black head, and the bright red eyes, all characteristic of an adult bird. These hawks frequently hunt in backyards, attracted by the small songbirds that visit bird feeders, as well as rodents.
They add: “We also had a Hermit Thrush, a Townsend's Warbler, and a Yellow-rumped Warbler all on the fountains at the same time! We put a small fountain underneath the taller one for the ground foragers and smaller birds.”
Alison T. (San Jose) was treated to “quite the chorus” of Great Horned Owls in early November. She writes: “The duo of Great Horned Owls were back (or front) again for the third night in a row at dinner time. The owls were quite content perched on a utility pole next to a street light in my neighborhood.”
Sometimes a male and female Great Horned Owl call back and forth to each other; this is called “duetting.” In Alison’s recording, and in Michelle’s below, you will hear two owls duetting with each other.
She adds: “As for capturing media, it was a total amateur hour, as it was difficult to photograph or record the birds. Neighbors were returning home, lighting the road with their vehicle headlights, and excited doggies were anxious to greet them!”
Michelle Viegas (Cupertino) says, “Late one night, while I was putting my daughter to bed, I heard hooting outside her bedroom window. I ventured into the cool night to hear the clear, distinct calls of Great Horned Owls.”
“I checked with the Merlin bird ID app to be 100% sure and there they were…not one, not two, but about four of them, two on a tree outside our window. I tried my best to view them but just couldn't find where they were. So I walked two or three houses down our street and again, another two birds on a nearby tree. We went looking for pellets and feathers in the dark around the trees but couldn’t find any. Just hearing them was enough. I just couldn't have been more excited to be out a bit early the next evening, to see if they returned.”
A Hairy Woodpecker visits Teresa’s yard. These woodpeckers are less-common backyard birds, more typically found in wooded areas or stands of trees. Note its black back with the white vertical stripe down the middle, different from the Nuttall’s Woodpecker, which has black and white horizontal barring on its back. The Hairy Woodpecker strongly resembles the Downy Woodpecker, but is larger and has a longer bill.
Teresa Cheng (Cupertino) says: “We've had Nuttall's Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, and Acorn Woodpeckers visit our yard for the suet feeder and bird baths. Originally the Acorn Woodpeckers visited both the suet and seed feeders, but recently they haven't been interested in the feeders, spending time in some backyard trees and the bird baths.”
A Pygmy Nuthatch forces a Lesser Goldfinch off of Teresa’s feeder.
“Pygmy Nuthatches make infrequent visits, but they're always a joy to watch. Here’s how territorial they can be, with the nuthatch observing that a Lesser Goldfinch is sharing the feeder. It goes on attack and drives the goldfinch away.”
Steller’s Jays are blue and black birds with a black crest, different from the California Scrub-Jay, which sports more colors and does not have a crest.
“Steller's Jays are regular visitors to our backyard, drawn by the feeders. At times we've had four at once.”
A Mourning Dove gives another dove a friendly scratch at Teresa’s feeder.
“Mourning Doves have become regular visitors, with some enjoying the feeders and the rest foraging on the patio and in the yard. Here are two Mourning Doves interacting in a friendly way. Perhaps they're mates? Doves will often rest in the feeders for an extended period of time, even if they're not eating. I don't know if they're just enjoying a comfortable spot or whether they're intentionally keeping other birds from feeding.”
Of the sequence of photos below, Teresa writes: “Two House Finches decided to mob a Mourning Dove in an attempt to drive it away from the feeder. As one House Finch got too close, the Mourning Dove reached out to take a nip and grab a feather.”
House Finches harass a Mourning Dove at Teresa’s feeder…
…with perhaps unexpected consequences!
Teresa adds: “Here are our Band-tailed Pigeon visitors. No wonder our birdseed disappears so quickly! Band-tailed Pigeons are beautiful birds with their delicate purple-gray coloring, pink eyes, and bright yellow bills and feet.”
Band-tailed Pigeons visit Teresa’s feeders. These are big birds, almost as large as crows. Associated with wooded areas, Band-tailed Pigeons often forage acorns during the winter months.
Editor’s Note: Band-tailed Pigeons are susceptible to avian trichomonosis, an often-fatal disease that spreads through water, especially water in smaller receptacles like bird baths or horse troughs. Outbreaks of the disease occur during most winters, when the birds gather and forage in large flocks. As always, please clean your bird baths and feeders regularly to reduce the spread of avian diseases. If Band-tailed Pigeons are visiting your yard in large numbers, SCVBA recommends removing water and food temporarily until the birds disperse.
A Band-tailed Pigeon in Teresa’s yard. Note the beautiful colors of this bird, including its bright feet and bill. The dark patch on its neck contains iridescent feathers.
Kristin Lynn (San Jose) tells us: “This fall I’ve observed an impressive variety of birds from the window alone, as I’ve become better attuned to both their sounds and their favorite spots. I’ve enjoyed hearing White-crowned Sparrows in the morning, Killdeer at night, and Red-winged Blackbirds in the morning and late afternoon.”
Kristin recorded this flock of Red-winged Blackbirds (which probably had some Brewer’s Blackbirds mixed in with it, she says).
“Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Yellow-rumped Warblers, a Western Bluebird, and an Oak Titmouse have all paid brief visits to the balcony, joining the regulars — Anna’s Hummingbirds, House Finches, Lesser Goldfinches, and Dark-eyed Juncos.”
Kristin continues: “I was able to capture audio of a Dark-eyed Junco asserting dominance at the feeder. While the finches generally dominate by sheer numbers, a single junco can boss them away momentarily, with the finches stepping aside to await their turn.”
In this recording of a Dark-eyed Junco behaving aggressively towards a House Finch, you can hear squeals of conflict. Throughout, the junco can be heard making sharp rapid notes. The finch, on the other hand, gives an occasional chirp.
Emma Shelton (Menlo Park) tells us: “Good old faithful birds have been regulars since early September.”
“Occasionally we hear honking, look up, and there the Canada Geese are - in V-formation on their commute route from high school grounds, golf courses, and other massive grassy areas to the bay. Rock Pigeons and California Gulls continually inhabit the busy grocery store area near where we live. In early November, when the weather changed, gulls were flying over our house.”
“We see Nuttall’s Woodpeckers regularly now, but it’s the only woodpecker species we’ve seen since July. There has been a lot of tree pruning going on - big oaks in particular - which maybe has something to do with not seeing the Downy Woodpeckers.”
Emma notes that “the White-crowned Sparrows and Golden-crowned Sparrows showed up again on September 27!” She also had a special seasonal visitor: “A Black-headed Grosbeak decided to make a stop in early September! I’ve seen them in the hills around here, but seeing one at the house was rather a surprise.”
Here is Emma’s neighborhood bird list for the fall:
Canada Goose
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Anna’s Hummingbird
California Gull
Nuttall’s Woodpecker
California Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Oak Titmouse
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch
Bewick’s Wren
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Black-headed Grosbeak
An Anna’s Hummingbird blinks, in a photo sent to us by Camden
Camden Bac (Sunnyvale) sent us pictures of an Anna's Hummingbird in his orange tree, taken in August. He says, “We liked that you could see the closed eyelid in one of the photos.”
Deanne Tucker (Los Altos) writes: “We have had a lot of fun visitors to our fountain during the last couple of months, including a Western Tanager, a Black-throated Gray Warbler, a Great Horned Owl, a Red-shouldered Hawk, up to a dozen Western Bluebirds at one time, Bushtits, and Townsend's Warblers, as well as the usual suspects.”
A Black-throated Gray Warbler is an unusual visitor to Deanne’s yard. Although some of these birds nest in our county, there is an uptick in sightings during spring and fall migration, when the Black-throated Gray Warblers that breed here and elsewhere pass through our area, heading north or south.
Tiny Bushtits enjoy bathing at Deanne’s bird bath.
A Black Phoebe visits Deanne’s bird bath for a sip of water.
A Western Tanager, another unusual backyard bird, visits Deanne’s home. While these birds breed here, many more pass through our area during spring and fall migration, making it more likely that one might stop by your yard. This bird is a female or immature tanager, which have much more muted colors than the adult male birds.
A Red-shouldered Hawk visits Deanne’s bird bath. Note this bird’s rich ruddy coloring on the head, upper back, and front, and the scalloped black-and-white back feathers.
Francesca Kukralová (Santa Clara) tells us: “The Yellow-rumped Warblers, White-crowned Sparrows, and Golden-crowned Sparrows are back in the neighborhood, joining the year-round cast of characters. I have also seen Ruby-crowned Kinglets popping up everywhere.”
“Living close to a creek lets me see some unique ‘backyard’ birds. The Wilson's Snipes are back with the cooler weather, standing like little statues in the vegetation by the water's edge as the sun gets lower. There is a Black-crowned Night Heron that I have been seeing near the same culvert for the past three years; lately it has been ‘sharing’ its territory with a Snowy Egret and a Great Egret. On an early November evening, I heard a brief squawking scuffle between the Night Heron and the Snowy Egret that ended with the Night Heron flapping off to skulk a short distance away from its usual hunting grounds. A lone American Coot has also taken up residence in that same area recently, swimming around by itself.”
“Finally, I managed to catch a glimpse of a sleeping Western Screech-Owl while walking in a local park one afternoon, in the same spot where I once saw a screech-owl two years ago!”
Curt Bianchi (Saratoga) tells us: “We have had a bird bath in our backyard for a few years now. It gets all the regular visitors to our feeders as well as the occasional hawk or owl. However, I have never seen woodpeckers at the bird bath until this summer.”
“It started with Acorn Woodpeckers regularly visiting our feeders. This was new, as we haven’t seen Acorn Woodpeckers here in past years. I had assumed we had two Acorn Woodpeckers until they started showing up at our bird bath as well.”
“Around the end of September, my camera caught three of them sharing the bath. This was very exciting. The next day the camera caught four using the bird bath. And the day after that we had a group of six woodpeckers visit! The most I saw at one time was seven Acorn Woodpeckers, all lined up in a row on a tree limb above the bird bath.”
Acorn Woodpeckers visit Curt’s bird bath. These are social birds that live together in family groups. Different birds are calling in the background.
Curt continues: “And then they vanished. Starting around the middle of October, the Acorn Woodpeckers have been gone. I have no idea where they went or what they’re up to, but they aren’t here! Maybe they’ll come back next year. In the meantime, the usual wintering birds have arrived at the bird bath, including Hermit Thrushes, Townsend’s Warblers, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. It is always fun to see them again, kind of like old friends.”
A Cedar Waxwing visits Airdrie’s persimmon tree. Cedar Waxwings are present in Santa Clara Valley in large numbers during the winter. These birds eat fruit and berries. They are frequently spotted in large flocks in trees, gorging themselves on fruit. Note the red tips of the bird’s wing, looking like drops of old-fashioned sealing wax, and the bright yellow tail tip.
Airdrie Kincaid (Santa Clara) says: “This is the time of year when our old persimmon tree attracts birds. It has a lot of fruit but the leaves haven’t turned and fallen yet so the birds are harder to see. We’ve found a large flock of Cedar Waxwings with both adults and juveniles, American Goldfinches, House Finches, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Anna’s Hummingbirds, an American Robin, and a Nuttall’s Woodpecker.”
A California Scrub-Jay in Airdrie’s neighborhood. Note the difference in color and shape from the Steller’s Jay pictured above.
“A nearby big sycamore tree where I’ve photographed a Merlin in the past few years still has all of its leaves. The only bird I’ve seen there so far in November is a California Scrub-Jay. A Red-tailed Hawk landed on the top of a large redwood tree in the neighborhood before it was chased away by American Crows. A Hermit Thrush wandered around under the persimmon tree.”
“Other birds in the garden this month were California Towhees, Mourning Doves, and a Bewick’s Wren. We recently spotted a pair of White-crowned Sparrows. The Merlin bird ID app identified calls from other birds including a Yellow-rumped Warbler that I’ve seen but didn’t photograph.”
The Merlin that has just arrived in Airdrie’s neighborhood. Could it be the same bird that arrives each winter at almost exactly the same spot?
In mid-November, Airdrie sent us this update: “While I was photographing birds this morning, they all flew. The Cedar Waxwing flock circled around up in the sky and that made me look at the top of the redwood tree where we saw a Merlin with branches in front of its face. I’m glad it’s back.”
Airdrie has observed and photographed a Merlin in nearly the exact same spot for the past three winters.
Rick Morris (Menlo Park) sent us photos of some of the birds he observed this fall.
An Anna’s Hummingbird visits the camellia bush in Rick’s yard.
Rick photographed this immature Green Heron at a pond in Menlo Park. Young Green Herons have white necks with brown streaks. The adults have deep ruddy-brown necks with a streaky white stripe running down the center only.
The Green Heron spotted by Rick. The birds are experts at catching fish!
Eve Meier (San Jose) tells us: “I'm happy to report that I've finally spotted a Red-breasted Sapsucker on the same cedar tree where one has been in the past four winters! I've been waiting for this bird and like to think it's the same bird each year.”
Vicki tells us: “The Western Screech-Owl that has roosted here before has returned to our eaves as of today! We’ve noticed over the past few years that it arrives at about the same time as the rainy weather and departs in the spring after the last rain.”
Vicki continues: “I heard bird activity this morning in the tree outside our door and noticed a few birds darting towards the roof and eaves in a threatening manner. My suspicions were aroused, remembering that the hummingbirds had exhibited this behavior in years past when the owl returned. Sure enough, an owl could be seen again gracing our eaves. I have no way of telling whether or not it's the same bird each year, but either way, it is thrilling to have an owl guest return.”
This is now the fourth winter that Vicki has hosted a Western Screech-Owl at her home.
Happy backyard birding this fall, everyone!
What birds are you seeing and hearing in your yard and neighborhood?
Send your stories, lists, photos, sketches, videos, and audio clips 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 reported for the first time in this edition.
Greater White-fronted Goose
Canada Goose
Mallard
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
California Quail
Wild Turkey
Indian Peafowl (feral)
Rock Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Vaux’s Swift
White-throated Swift
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Anna’s Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Allen’s Hummingbird
American Coot
Killdeer
Long-billed Curlew
Wilson’s Snipe
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Turkey Vulture
White-tailed Kite
Golden Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ferruginous Hawk
American Barn Owl
Western Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Acorn Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Nuttall’s Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Western Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Western Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Say’s Phoebe
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Western Kingbird
Hutton’s Vireo
Cassin’s Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Steller’s Jay
California Scrub-Jay
Yellow-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Oak Titmouse
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Bushtit
Wrentit
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
House Wren
Bewick’s Wren
European Starling
California Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Western Bluebird
Varied Thrush
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
Scaly-breasted Munia
House Sparrow
House Finch
Purple Finch
Pine Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch
Lawrence’s Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Western Meadowlark
Hooded Oriole
Bullock’s Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Brewer’s Blackbird
Northern Waterthrush
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Canada Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Summer Tanager
Western Tanager
Black-headed Grosbeak
Lazuli Bunting
Painted Bunting
A hybrid White-crowned x Golden-crowned Sparrow, hybrid ducks, domestic ducks, unidentified gull species, and Rufous/Allen’s Hummingbirds have also been reported to All Around Town.
REFERENCES
All About Birds website, www.allaboutbirds.org. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY.
Avian Trichomonosis: California Department of Fish & Wildlife, Wildlife Health Lab - Avian Investigations. Website accessed in November 2024.
Avian Trichomonosis: Cornell Wildlife Health Lab, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Website accessed in November 2024.
Birds of the World. Edited by S. M. Billerman, B. K. Keeney, P. G. Rodewald, and T. S. Schulenberg. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY. birdsoftheworld.org/bow/home
Breeding Bird Atlas of Santa Clara County, California by William G. Bousman. Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, Cupertino, CA. 2007.
A Checklist of Birds of Santa Clara County. Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, Cupertino, CA. Version 3.0: October 8, 2023.
eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application]. eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY. www.ebird.org
CREDITS
All Around Town is compiled and written by Julie Amato, an SCVBA volunteer.
Banner Photo: Yellow-rumped Warbler by Molly Graham