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Red-shouldered Hawk hunting off the fence. He flew off after he noticed me and then circled around and came right back to the same spot. Must have been good hunting....
birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/gocspa/introduction
The Golden-crowned sparrow's bird song is often referred to as "melancholy," and I guess it is, but their personality is anything but....here, the GC strikes an attentive pose in the fog-infused light of a California morning
thank you so much for your visits and inspiration!
The light on this winter day had a lovely silvery quality to it as the sun tried to break through the morning fog. I thought the female quail's plumage blended with that atmosphere in a very harmonious way
Not the best of backgrounds, but I was thrilled that he came close enough to get a shot of his whole body.
This morning a flock of Band-tails was in the buckeye. There were five adults and a juvenile. This was my first closeup look at a band-tail. I had only seen them once before high up in a tree out along the northern coast of California. Their coloring is beautiful - soft grays, subtle purplish pinks and luminous greens, black-tipped yellow bill and yellow feet with a red ring around the dark eye. They put up with me taking a few pictures and I left. My habit is to not make myself too much of a nuisance when a new bird comes around so they feel comfortable about coming back...fingers crossed! Although this large pigeon looks a lot like the introduced Rock Pigeon, it is a native. The Band-tailed Pigeon is found in two distinct regions in the American West, as well as throughout Central and South America. Their numbers are declining.
passing the time with a little romance on their yearly migration journey with a little serenading from Ron Burgundy
a larger view as the morning sun comes across the hillside with the Band-tails atop a blooming California buckeye
Thank you for your visits and inspiration!
This morning a flock of Band-tails was in the buckeye. There were five adults and a juvenile. This was my first closeup look at a band-tail. I had only seen them once before high up in a tree out along the northern coast of California. Their coloring is beautiful - soft grays, subtle purplish pinks and luminous greens, black-tipped yellow bill and yellow feet with a red ring around the dark eye. They put up with me taking a few pictures and I left. My habit is to not make myself too much of a nuisance when a new bird comes around so they feel comfortable about coming back...fingers crossed! Although this large pigeon looks a lot like the introduced Rock Pigeon, it is a native. The Band-tailed Pigeon is found in two distinct regions in the American West, as well as throughout Central and South America. Their numbers are declining.
The Band-tail is one of the more beautifully marked native Californian birds.
Through the lens, I am always astounded at how beautiful their coloring is: mauve to purplish pink, blue and gray feathers, a crescent shaped collar of white with an iridescent teal patch on the nape. That fleshy ring of red around the eye, egg-yolk yellow bill and feet accented their rich colors beautifully.
Band-tails are also known as wood pigeons or wild pigeons. They are part of the Columbidae family and are one native Californian that you will never see in a parking lot!
thank you so much for your visits and inspiration!
Young coyote checking out the orchard - on the hillside and down in the glade, there are many wild plum trees that the birds enjoy.....I soon discovered that the coyotes enjoyed fruit as well as I noticed that my fallen fruit seemed to be disappearing quite regularly...
Here is a quote from the Coyote Project which describes who I was looking at: "June and July are peak seasons for coyote sightings, however. Born in April and May, young coyotes are just learning in the summer months to hunt. "They're teenagers," said Gina Farr, communications director for the wildlife group Project Coyote. "They're trying to figure out how the world works."
Young coyote on the outcropping
For the last month we have heard the explosive yips and howls of a coyote pack ringing through the night. Alerted to their presence and realizing there were pups, I began to watch the hillside next to our yard. Covered in thick brush, dry earth and a steep slope, I knew this was a prime coyote denning area. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I saw this pup and another on the hillside sitting in the morning sun relaxing. In the days that followed I saw these young coyotes beginning to explore the area around the den and coming in closer proximity to our fence line. The wait has paid off. I finally got an opportunity today for a shot. Not the best, but I'm thrilled to document the moment.
Here is a quote from the Coyote Project which describes who I was looking at: "June and July are peak seasons for coyote sightings, however. Born in April and May, young coyotes are just learning in the summer months to hunt. "They're teenagers," said Gina Farr, communications director for the wildlife group Project Coyote. "They're trying to figure out how the world works."