BACKYARD BIRD OBSERVATIONS
FROM OUR MEMBERS AND FRIENDS
August was a quiet month for backyard birding, but also one of subtle seasonal change. You observed our year-round residents going about their daily lives, but also marked the departure of some summer residents, like Hooded Orioles. You photographed a Rufous or Allen’s Hummingbird, possibly passing through our area on its way south for the winter. And you noticed a Western Bluebird with muted colors in its plumage, a sign that the nesting season is coming to a close and that we are beginning the transition to a cooler time of the year (hard as it is to imagine during the recent heat wave!).
Here are your observations for the month of August:
An Anna’s Hummingbird samples a plant at Kristin’s home.
Kristin Lynn (San Jose) writes: “I got a little salvia plant, and the hummingbirds love it!”
A young Hooded Oriole at Kristin’s hummingbird feeder. Hooded Orioles like nectar and will attempt to feed at hummingbird feeders, in addition to visiting special nectar feeders for orioles.
She adds: “I also had an unusual visit from a Hooded Oriole twice in the same morning in late August. It grabbed onto one of the salvia stalks (which completely bent over, but survived!) before trying earnestly to get into the side of the hummingbird feeder. What a treat to enjoy a few moments in the presence of this beautiful bird!”
Carolyn Straub and Steve McHenry (San Jose) shared stories of the Hooded Orioles that visited their yard this year:
“The weekend of August 5-6 - about the time the orioles often leave for the season - a male Hooded Oriole brought two young orioles along with him to our orange feeder. That we have not seen before - an adult and two young. To top it off, the male was pecking back and forth at one of them on the feeder. The other perched in a side bush....maybe this was training for the road.”
Later, Carolyn wrote: “As our Hooded Oriole family prepared to leave mid-August: the very last time we saw them at the feeder, the adult male was gesturing to one of the young ones, looking at it and pointing with his beak frontward and then backward as if to say, ‘This is how you use the feeder and obtain your sugar water.’ The second fledge was sitting to the left side watching from a juniper bush. The next day they were gone! What would you think the male was saying to the young ones?”
The Rufous or Allen’s Hummingbird spotted by Deanne. It is often not possible to tell these two species apart in the field.
Deanne Tucker says: “I don't have anything special from my backyard, but I did visit a friend who lives in Cupertino. She has a Rufous or Allen’s Hummingbird that has been guarding her California fuschias.”
In late August, Jack Cole (San Jose) shared a first-of-the-season sighting for his yard. He writes: “I don’t know how uncommon it is for this time of year, but a male Western Bluebird has been visiting my bird bath today. It’s the first one I’ve seen that wasn’t in full breeding plumage.”
Emma Shelton (Menlo Park) says: “August has still been pretty busy around our place, although some birds come and go, and often come back again. Depends on if you’re out there watching. The numbers of Oak Titmice, Lesser Goldfinches, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, House Finches, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-breasted Nuthatches, Pygmy Nuthatches, and Mourning Doves have been pretty constant since June, and often it’s pretty noisy outside.”
A Downy Woodpecker visits Emma’s feeder.
Here’s Emma’s neighborhood list for August:
Canada Goose - We’re seeing and hearing them doing flyovers almost every day this month. Have they resumed their back-to-work schedule of bay to golf courses?
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove - We have dozens or more in the neighborhood. It was nice to figure out from others on All Around Town what to look for!
Anna’s Hummingbird - We’re seeing more Anna’s these days, in our yard and in neighbors’ yards. I keep the plants they like watered so they have some nectar and water.
Gull species
Downy Woodpecker - Not so often these days, but did have a sighting on the feeder this month.
Nuttall’s Woodpecker
Black Phoebe - I’m getting one sighting a month in our yard.
California Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Violet-green Swallow - A few sightings at the beginning of August, but none since
Chestnut-backed Chickadee - Lots
Oak Titmouse - Lots
Bushtit - A flock came through a couple weeks ago. Have to be outside at the right time of day.
White-breasted Nuthatch - Lots
Pygmy Nuthatch - They went on a vacation for a few days, then all of a sudden, back again!
Bewick’s Wren - Seeing and hearing a few every day. I haven’t noticed our tail-less Bewick’s Wren again.
House Finch - Lots
Lesser Goldfinch - Lots
Dark-eyed Junco - Lots
California Towhee - A lot
Spotted Towhee - Seeing several every day, and hearing them almost all the time. Lots of juveniles too.
Happy backyard birding in September, everyone!
What birds are you seeing and hearing in your yard and neighborhood?
Send your stories, lists, photos, sketches, and videos 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
Greater White-fronted Goose
Canada Goose
Mallard
Bufflehead
California Quail
Wild Turkey
Indian Peafowl (feral)
Rock Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Vaux’s Swift
White-throated Swift
Anna’s Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Allen’s Hummingbird
Killdeer
California Gull
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
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
Barn Owl
Western Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
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
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Say’s Phoebe
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
Bushtit
Wrentit
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
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
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Western Meadowlark
Hooded Oriole
Bullock’s Oriole
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Western Tanager
Black-headed Grosbeak
Lazuli Bunting
Hybrid ducks, domestic ducks, unidentified gull species, and Rufous/Allen’s Hummingbirds have also been reported to All Around Town.
All Around Town is compiled by SCVAS Member Julie Amato.
Banner Photo: Rufous or Allen’s Hummingbird by Deanne Tucker