BACKYARD BIRD SIGHTINGS FROM OUR MEMBERS AND FRIENDS

It’s late summer, and the breeding season is drawing to a close. For many of you, our year-round residents are the most visible birds in your yards right now, like House Finches, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Anna’s Hummingbirds. Many birds are molting now - changing their old, worn plumage for a fresh set of new feathers - and the young ones are growing up fast.

Eight species are making their All Around Town debut this month! A number of raptors are among the new entries, including the Golden Eagle, the Northern Harrier, and the American Kestrel. Although more often seen in the countryside and open spaces, these birds of prey can sometimes be found in residential areas, especially at the edges of developed land.

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

*Adult male Western Bluebird in Jack’s yard, feathers a bit disheveled, perhaps molting*

A family of three Western Bluebirds visited Jack Cole (San Jose) in late August, including the first juvenile bluebird that Jack has ever spotted in his yard. In early September, he also saw two Violet-green Swallows in flight behind his house.

*A Mourning Dove cooing - hence, the inflated throat - in Jack’s yard*

Jack adds: “A pair of Mourning Doves visits my birdbath every evening,” and “I have a Black Phoebe (photo below) in my backyard most of the year. It picks the insects off the screen cloth over my patio and deck.”

Emma Shelton (Menlo Park) sent us her yard bird list and notes for August:

Canada Goose (flyover)
Mourning Dove
Anna’s Hummingbird
Gull species (flyover) - “We still see a lot flying overhead every day, back and forth from the bay to shopping center parking lots or wherever there’s some free ‘lunch’.”
Turkey Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Nuttall’s Woodpecker
Northern Flicker (flyover)
California Scrub-Jay - “They try to bump the other birds off the feeders and suet, and squawk at me for a long time if I’m just sitting in the backyard.”
American Crow
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Oak Titmouse
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch - “I hear them squeaking outside the window right now. I love these birds. Seems like I hear and see them wherever I go - in the suburbs and out in the forest.”
Pygmy Nuthatch
Bewick’s Wren
House Finch - “This is probably our most common bird these past few months. My notes every day say ‘lots!’”
Lesser Goldfinch
Dark-eyed Junco
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee

About molt, Emma writes: “I guess I never paid much attention before, but I did this year. Many of the birds look pretty scraggly, and there are feathers everywhere! It’s most noticeable when California Scrub-Jays are molting since they’re so big.”

She also tells us: “The Pygmy Nuthatches, Lesser Goldfinches, and House Finches in particular are quite fond of the new less-mess seed we got from the feed store. No sunflower hulls. They are all still messy eaters though.”

Deanne Tucker (Los Altos) captured the above photo of two Anna’s Hummingbirds at her feeder: “I am never sure if they are fighting or playing. I have noticed that in the evenings, it seems more like they're all playing with one another rather than being aggressive. These two had both been drinking next to each other for a few moments before this shot was taken.”

*Red-tailed Hawk calling, photographed by Deanne*

Deanne adds: “We’ve had hawks in the area more than in the past,” including “two Red-tailed Hawks in and around the trees in our neighborhood.”

Here are some more of Deanne’s photos from this summer:

*A California Scrub-Jay in Deanne’s yard*

Kathleen Cahill (San Jose) wrote to tell us: “For the past six years Hooded Orioles have been visiting my backyard. I have five hummingbird feeders, and in 2016 I saw a beautiful yellow bird attempting to feed from the feeder. I quickly jerry-rigged a feeder for it. I vowed to be ready the following year, and purchased a proper feeder. A mated pair always shows up between late June and mid-July and raises two broods.”

*American Kestrels in Monica’s neighborhood*

Monica N. (Milpitas) says: “We have American Kestrels in the neighborhood, up to three in the spring after nesting in redwood trees. The parents were last seen around the neighborhood teaching their juvenile to fly on June 17. One lone parent was last seen last week, around August 30.”

*Golden Eagle spotted in early September in Monica’s neighborhood*

She continues: “Golden Eagles are seen very regularly, up to two can fly by at sunset. I’ve seen them two or three times a week. Sometimes they appear in the daytime near the hills and screech loudly and fight with the Red-tailed Hawks, Turkey Vultures, and even American Crows.”

“Our neighborhood park contains surprises sometimes such as the Chipping Sparrow (photo above), last seen on August 23, and the Cassin’s Vireo, last seen on July 22. This last week we also have an Allen’s/Rufous Hummingbird visiting our feeder (below).”

Monica also reports a White-tailed Kite on September 5, and Band-tailed Pigeons nearly every week around her neighborhood.

Linden Skjeie (San Jose) observed eleven egrets flying together over her neighborhood at dusk in late August. She’s also seen a Northern Harrier in her neighborhood recently, a first for her.

*Anna’s Hummingbird, profiled against the blue sky, in Jon’s yard*

Jon Nuehring (Cupertino) tells us: “Our yard has seen a lot of bird action in August. But our most frequent visitors have certainly been Anna's Hummingbirds and Dark-eyed Juncos.”