Wednesday Wings

Juvenile Black-throated Sparrow? Spotted today, I think s/he thought they were hidden (my camera thought so, too, lol!).

Western Meadowlark with goodness knows how many bugs in his mouth! Yet, he was still singing:-)

Recent "Backyard" Bird Photos

These are some recent bird sightings around our home. They're not really backyard shots, because we don't have much of a backyard, lol! I'll explain each photo in the caption below it. I'd love to hear what birds are visiting your area now - spring is such an awesome birding time!

"Just Look Over Your Shoulder, Baby!" ;-) American Goldfinch on the old TV aerial. I was actually up on a ladder taking photos of items for our store (good way to get full overview). I spotted this beauty through the crack between our carport and shed. I angled myself very quietly and carefully, as the ladder is a bit rickety. I was surprised to get this!

"A Little Shower", I spotted this little White-Crowned Sparrow on the other side of the wall on a dark, rainy afternoon. It was a little too late in the day, and too dark, but I took it anyways, and just adjusted it:-)

"Receptive", I believe this is a House Finch (male with diluted color?), up on the top part of the antenna. The foreground blur is from weeds in the rain gutters, lol! Time to clean them.

"Look Out Below!" Not sure if this is a Cooper's Hawk. I do know that I shouldn't take my eyes off the prize. I'd gone outside because I'd seen him flying, but he wasn't coming close enough, and I got distracted by the honey bees in the fiddlenecks below after the hawk had disappeared at the end of the field. Next thing I knew, he came back, and I barely had time to get my camera up and adjusted - duh! ;-)

"Mr. House Finch", original title, I know. This was actually taken through my bedroom window, and brightened in Photoshop Elements.

"Ack!", Mrs. House Finch, who was visiting with her hubby above:-)

A Few More Birds

Thought I'd add a few more recent bird sightings. We've been seeing more birds on each drive. Haven't seen the precocious Western Kingbirds yet, but I'm sure they'll be fence-hopping again soon, too:-)

First up is this beautiful little bird, a Lark Sparrow. This was a first for us. It looks like they live in some parts of Cali year-round, and migrate through others - couldn't quite tell where the map cut-off was with our area. Also, it's not only taken from inside the car, but he was on the other side of the road; I was stretched across trying to focus and hoping he wouldn't fly off, lol!


The next is this little Western Bluebird. He was still a ways down the road when we spotted him, but this is as close as we could get. I think bluebirds are so gorgeous, I had to share him, anyways:-)


And last, but not least, for tonight - I forgot that I'd taken this Western Meadowlark photo on the drive before the photo taken in last night's post. He was up on a little hill, and I just happened to spot him as we were going past, so my mom did a quick stop and reverse. He knew something was up, but he didn't leave right away - yay! They always seem so much larger than I expect - very interesting birds. Well, face it, I find almost all birds fascinating:-)


It's pouring down rain right now, and supposed to continue for a bit. I looked at my photos from last year, though, and see that I started taking fruit tree blossom photos around the 25th. Crossing my fingers that I'll be able to start soon! If you knew how many blossom photos I already had, you might wonder why I'd want more. It's an addiction, okay? I confess, and I don't want to be cured, lol!

The Three Kings

As we were coming down from the foothills yesterday, we came around the bend and happened to see this Western Meadowlark on the rocks above. These rocks were out in a fenced pasture, with visibility all around, so no way to sneak up on him. I did get out of the car, though, and aimed up at him for fun:-) May I just say that the Meadowlark really does have one of the most beautiful, glorious birdsongs?! Listening to him sing was magical!

As I turned away from him, I saw the California Quail on the rocks to the right. He was even farther out, but I thought it was cool that he was there, too.


And if these two mighty males weren't enough, I realized that there was a third bird on the rocks behind the Meadowlark. I believe this is a Mockingbird, though it's kind of hard to tell, I know, lol!


Each of these birds was King of their spot on the rocks, and rightfully so... Well, until the next came along, right? It was certainly an unusual sight, but a joyful one, for sure!

Sweet Sighting!

When taking our drives, we always hope that the birds will land on the fence, stay for a moment, and be on the right side of the light. Got lucky with the first two for these American Goldfinches:-) I took these from inside the car, and only had a couple of seconds before they disappeared. First I saw Mr. Goldfinch, then Mrs. Goldfinch landed (at least I think they're male and female...). According to the All About Birds website, American Goldfinches are only here in winter/the non-breeding season. You can see they're still in winter plumage here. I suppose they'll be gone soon, but it's sure a treat to see them! And, hey, I got a little closer than my last photo Goldfinch in fall. They're such beautiful little birds, aren't they?

More Black Phoebe :-)

I was taking some product photos for our stores late this afternoon, when I realized the Phoebe was up on the old antenna again. So, in my continuing quest for the perfect Black Phoebe photo, I changed my camera settings before I moved, went over to the step, and aimed up. I caught a couple of cute shots I thought I'd share for tonight's post. I love how I caught him staring at me, beak open, lol! Such a funny little bird - sing, sing, sing, swoop:-)

Sighting of the Day - Hawk

So, I was walking past a window, and as I looked out, saw a bird flying past. I waited to see if I could tell what it was, and when it landed, realized it was a hawk. I ran back to my room, grabbed my camera, and aimed through my window (I knew he wouldn't stay if I tried to go outside, and he did fly off when he saw the motion of my curtains). This photo is as good as it gets, lol! Between the window and the distance, I’m surprised I got anything. We don’t often see hawks perch down here, so it was a great sighting!

I believe this is a Cooper’s Hawk. However, if it’s a Sharp-shinned, please let me know:-) We’ve been hearing him a lot, and seeing him fly around. Way across the field behind us, there’s a house where we’ve been hearing guinea fowl, and this is where he seems to be the most. The oranges are on the other side here. The white on the oranges and leaves is from the spraying. As I’ve mentioned before, oranges get sprayed a lot! Anyways, I hope he sticks around a while, although the people with the guinea might feel differently… Last year, we had a kestrel hang around for a bit – would love to see him again, too!

Seasonal Visitor

In autumn of 2008, we noticed a cute, noisy, and very active little bird flitting around our home. We researched, and quickly learned that our visitor was a Black Phoebe. They’re a type of flycatcher, and according to All About Birds, they’re most common in the southwest. I’m including the link to All About Birds, because it’s an awesome site! Anyways, the Black Phoebe stayed for several months. We learned that s/he (males and females seem to be marked the same) was only after the insects, and had no interest in the feeders or suet we had up at the time. I also learned that Black Phoebes are very fast little flitterers:-)


S/he returned this autumn, and I have yet to get that one really “Wow!” photo. This little bird is constantly on the go, even if it’s just singing all along the wall surrounding us. S/he is always chirping away – it’s a loud and cheerful call. When not singing, the Phoebe is on the hunt, flying from the wall to the field out back over and over again.


If the Phoebe isn’t on the go from hunting, s/he is quick to fly off if I try to go outside and get photos. So, I’ve taken them through the windows, which at least provides a record of our visitor. The one shot on the weed is all the way out on my 55-250mm lens, and was taken outside. The antenna photo was also taken outside as I stood on the steps we have next to the wall, and angled my body and camera around our shed to see up there. As you may have noticed, there’s an interesting cross on the Phoebe’s chest. This is from the actual old antenna, which is just above the Phoebe here.


These photos are the best I’ve taken so far of our fun little seasonal visitor. However, I haven’t given up on getting something better (to my eyes, at least:-). I love the challenge, and I also love the joy that having this unique seasonal bird brings to us!

What seasonal birds do you have? We have different hummingbird species that pass through later on, though some Anna’s stay all year. I’m also crossing my fingers that our Hooded Orioles come back this spring, and I get better photos of them, too. I love birds, and these special visitors liven up a location that really needs all the beauty it can get!