Category: birds

House finch (Carpodocus mexicanus)

The House Finch: A brief appreciation.

Oak Titmouse

The bossy call of the mighty little Oak Titmouse is often heard in the Northern California Oak woodlands.

Chestnut-backed chickadee

Chestnut-backed chickadee (Poecile rufescens).

Scrub Jay

White-Crowned Sparrows

Mighty Sparrow

This little guy — a White-Crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii), if I’m not mistaken — appears to think he’s tough. All the birds love the iochroma. Actually, his…

White Pelicans

The white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) are back at Lafayette Reservoir. Unfortunately, I only had my cell phone, and I’ll need to go back with a better camera. (I’ll…

The morning commute

  This brings back memories of my commute to San Francisco’s Civic Center, right down to the honking and passing along the shoulder. The traffic here is just…

Brown-Headed Cowbird

This dark-eyed little beauty appears to be a Brown-Headed Cowbird. Despite the finch-like bill, she is a kind of blackbird, the smallest in North America. The males are darker,…

Plain Titmouse

Continuing with our bird theme, we see here a Plain Titmouse, occupying the same iochroma bush that yesterday’s Chestnut-Backed Chickadee was perched on. This poor guy is saddled with…

Chestnut-Backed Chickadee

A chickadee couple has joined the titmouse outside the study window. This one is on one of the iochromas. Peterson’s Field Guide to Western Birds says that “the…

Mystery hummingbird

The iochroma is flowering, and that means the hummingbirds are back. I like to photograph them, in part because this particular iochroma is right outside my study window, and…

Hummingbird and Iochroma

This hummingbird loves the iochroma. Iochroma is a Central or South American plant unrelated to fuschia but similar in appearance. The flowers can be blue, purple, red, yellow,…

Fratricide by the bay

There was a time when San Francisco’s Mitchell brothers were considered by many to be hip, heroes of the counterculture. Today, as a result of the direction their…

Great Blue Heron at Lafayette Reservoir

The Lafayette Reservoir is a pretty little lake of 115 acres. It’s a tame spot, much used by joggers, families, and dog walkers. An easy 4.7-mile trail loops…

Oil spills, volunteers, and the San Francisco Bay Area

Today beaches near the Golden Gate are closed as a noxious oil spill is washing up against the shore. A large South Korean-based Hanjin container ship struck one…

Vultures

This pair decided a while back to hang out on a telephone pole outside my door. The big guy liked to hold a pose for long intervals with…

Green flight

According to recent reports, many of the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill are moving to the suburbs — relocating to Brisbane.

Pelican Redux

By popular request, here’s another (clickable) view of our grave feathered friend.

Pelican at Santa Cruz Boardwalk

Okay, I’ll admit it, I’ve been a little lazy about posting here the past few days. I’ll have more to say about the Santa Cruz boardwalk later on….