10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2019

Off the coast of northern California, Sooty Shearwater are common and are seen on virtually all pelagic birding trips. I had the wherewithal to video a bit of the show (below) and here’s the eBird checklist. The video provides some sense of the moment. The evening of September 7, 2012 was a truly memorable birding experience.

San Francisco 127

San Francisco Portland Whales Whaling 127

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 19, 2014

When doing some research for a presentation on cavity nesting birds of Northern California, I came upon a reference titled “ Cavity Nesting Birds of North American Forests.” ” My presentation consisted of several photographs of cavity nesting birds as well as videos, some mine, some from the internet. v=-wpM1LwKaak.

Falcons 169

Falcons Pelicans Europe California 169

10,000 Birds

APRIL 9, 2014

There is a hidden cove in Anderson River Park in Northern California where birders know they can almost always find Wood Ducks (Axi sponsa). I shot some video footage of what appears to be pair bonding behavior between them. Click on photos for full sized images. This male appeared to be the mate of the female watching from the log.

Ducks 192

Ducks Raised California Rights 192

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

” The recently renamed California Scrub-Jay ( Aphelocoma californica )… the California Ground Squirrel ( Otospermophilus beecheyi ) … and the Black-tailed Jackrabbit ( Lepus californicus ). I put together a short video of the water feature and its recent visitors. So who are some of my “regulars?”

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Nashville Squirrels California 2000 104

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

The Bank Swallow was listed as a threatened species in California in 1989 by the California Fish and Game Commission and the number of breeding pairs has declined steadily since then. In California, much of the Bank Swallow’s nesting habitat in the southern and central areas has been eliminated by flood and erosion-control projects.

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North America 2014 California Birds 187

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2013

All photos by Keiller Kyle, courtesy of Audubon California. After all, there are only a few hundred thousand left of these birds to gaze at, in a range that’s based mainly in California. federal level, and a Species of Special Concern in California. (For To learn more, check out Audubon’s video about the program.

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Blackbirds California Cattle Farming 184

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

First, you get to tour one of their California centers , you get a special opportunity to see a Pelican getting its final medical exam and numbered leg band, plus you get the honor of releasing one, or in my case, two of their rehabilitated pelicans! There are advantages to being a “Pelican Partner” for International Bird Rescue

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Bird Rescue Pelicans Rescue Birds 192

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

The temperatures in northern California have been in the high 90’s to 104 degrees so having the only water hole in half a mile probably helps attract birds to my water feature. I was lucky enough to shoot a video of the Black-throated Gray and Yellow Warbler taking a bath together too! Click on photos for full sized images.

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California Woodpeckers Birds 134

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

The Black Oystercatcher ( Haematopus bachmani ) can be found along the Pacific Coast of North America from Alaska to Baja California. Being interested in bird behavior and especially nesting birds, I found the video above really interesting. Click on photos for full sized images. I hope you did too.

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North America Alaska California Birds 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2016

I live at 1600 foot (488 meter) elevation in Oak Savannah/ Gray Pine habitat in Northern California. Band-tailed Pigeons don’t usually migrate through this area until May or June but have been reported as early as late February in Humboldt County on the California Coast 1. References: 1 Birds of North America Online.

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California North America America Breeding 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2012

In California, the Cliff Swallows usually arrive in February so the agency in charge of enforcing these laws, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), considers February 15th to September 1st the swallow nesting season. Completed nests during this breeding season cannot be touched without a permit from the U.S. Authors: T.

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San Diego illegal California South America 165

10,000 Birds

MAY 23, 2012

The Oak Titmouse , pictured above (click on photos for full sized images), would be a California endemic if not for its spill over into Southern Oregon and Baja California. This first video was filmed late Saturday, only a few hours before sunset. Range map courtesy of Nature Serve.

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California Oregon Species Birds 179

10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2017

Although some of the most popular Pacific pelagic trips depart from Monterey Bay in California, there are also regular trips out of Half Moon Bay, California; Newport, Oregon; and Westport, Washington. Channel Islands NP , also in California, supports most of the other 50%. The target birds tend to be similar.

Albatross 137

Albatross Hawaii Alaska Puerto Rico 137

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 22, 2014

This past weekend I took a trip to the small town of Portola in Plumas county for a Northern California Audubon Council meeting hosted by Plumas Audubon Society. They are listed as a Species of Special Concern in Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, and as Threatened in California. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7tVjohOIdI. v=Q7tVjohOIdI.

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Nevada North America Utah Oregon 160

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2013

We are lucky enough to see them every winter in California where they take advantage of coastal beaches and marshes, stubble fields in the fall, and recently-plowed fields in the spring as well as mud flats and river courses. I shot this video this last Thanksgiving weekend from the Sacramento NWR on my way back from visiting the family.

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Sacramento Wildlife California Sparrows 162

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2017

and a short video of the nestlings begging for food and being fed. and a short video of the adults feeding the nestling and drumming. Another of my favorite Lassen Park nesting birds is the Brown Creeper ( Certhia americana )… This is a video of the nesting activity of a pair of Brown Creepers at Summit Lake.

Woodpeckers 101

Woodpeckers Sacramento Raised Squirrels 101

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

I feel rather fortunate having this visitor to my yard as Birds of North America Online states that they are an “uncommon fall migrant in California” usually in August and September. Here’s a short video of the Nashville Warbler taking that bath.

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Nashville North America Jordan Mississippi 182

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2015

The Blue-winged Teal ( Anas discors ) is not that common in California except along the coast, so I was pretty excited to discover several pair and a few non-paired individuals of the species at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge on the day I had reserved photo blind #2. Click on photos for full sized images. www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxTQfMazAD4.

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Sacramento Wildlife North America Ducks 151

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2016

That original installation (pictured above) was part of a series of 40 artificial burrows created at three separate locations, all made possible by a grant from Audubon California. This property is located in northern Butte County which is nearing the (dwindling) northern most historic range for this species in California.

Owls 101

Owls California 2010 Colorado 101

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2014

The video above showing the pair bonding and precopulatory behavior of the Northern Shoveler ( Anas clypeata ) was shot from the photography bind at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge , one of the refuges of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Northern California.

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Sacramento Defenders Of Wildlife Ducks Wildlife Rehabilitation 169

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 18, 2013

These Pygmy Nuthatches were seen in June nesting in a pine tree at Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California. This is a video of someone hand feeding these energetic little birds. Click on photos for full sized images. Two articles report more than 150 individuals roosting in one tree 1. What a nice, close knit family!

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North America America Collecting California 165

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2015

Black-throated Magpie-jays are common in Nayarit and are also regarded as endemic to Mexico – except for a small disputed population in southern California which most experts regard as originating from escaped captive birds. To view the full episode featuring these amazing jays and the other birds of Nayarit click on the video below:

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Mexico Ecuador Peru Science 161

10,000 Birds

JUNE 18, 2013

When you think of southern California in June there are a variety of things that could come to mind. My arrival in southern California didn’t happen until 14 June but the bird had stuck around and was reported daily on the local birding listservs. Not bad for southern California in June!

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Los Angeles San Diego Alaska North America 154

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2011

We are fortunate in Northern California to have four lakes that support 76% of the total number of nesting grebes in California 1. Eagle Lake, Lake Almanor and Clear Lake have all been identified as Audubon California Important Bird Areas (IBA), meaning that they provide essential habitat for breeding, wintering, and migrating birds.

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California Eagles North America Breeding 215

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2015

California is blessed with 51 NWRs and Wildlife Management Areas (WMA), second only to North Dakota with 77. I have put together a video to help you feel the experience I was a privy to on this beautiful fall morning at the refuge. The video will be posted as soon as it is uploaded to YouTube.

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Wildlife San Francisco Sacramento North Dakota 158

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 23, 2011

If you live north of the San Francisco Bay area in California like I do, or north of Delaware on the east coast, you would most likely be looking at a Greater Yellowlegs. I actually find that a pretty good way to make the identification a bit easier. I must say, however, that geography can play a role also. References: 1 O’Brien, M.,

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San Francisco Delaware Jordan New York 165

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2011

• Explore These Related Posts Another California Bird? Pochards: Last Lifer of the Trip About the Author Larry Larry Jordan was introduced to birding after moving to northern California where he was overwhelmed by the local wildlife, forcing him to buy his first field guide just to be able to identify all the species visiting his yard.

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Wildlife 2011 Sacramento Jordan 155

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2011

The male is the only Black-necked Stilt in the second segment of this video, along with several Greater White-fronted Geese, and the third bird that comes into view in the final segment that is larger than the other two birds. The male of the species has the upper portion of the head, back of neck, back and wings all glossy black.

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South Dakota Jordan Sacramento North America 182

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2011

So that you can get the feeling of having these birds swarm around you and hear their calls, I have included a video of this flock from the same location at Singer Creek in Chico, California. I saw no copulation attempts during the filming of this video www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3UiB__qkPc www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOZh_hZ_fCY

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South America North America California Turtles 167

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2014

as well as a rare mammal, the California fisher. RATS persuades local governments to pass anti-poison resolutions using facts, figures, photos, and a Claymation video ( “Raptor Blues” ) made by high school student Ian Timothy (which, Lisa observes, often makes people ‘get it’ far faster than the written word).

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Rats Barn Owls Rodents San Francisco 238

10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2012

Here in Northern California I am fortunate to have at least three of the western hummingbirds of North America visiting my yard. If you haven’t seen a hover of hummingbirds around a feeder before, you may want to watch this video I filmed off my back porch. These little “jewels of the sky” are a blast to watch!

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North America Breeders America Breeding 205

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 25, 2018

There are many raptors found at the refuges in the Sacramento Valley of California. I will close with a video from Colusa National Wildlife Refuge. The photo blind at Delevan National Wildlife Refuge gave me this close up of a Peregrine Falcon ( Falco peregrinus ). What a joy!

Wildlife 101

Wildlife Sacramento Bald Eagle Falcons 101

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2013

In this mad internet age, you may well have seen photos, even video of the specific, individual bird that is your target, in the specific location where it was last seen. I recognized it right away, having seen some in California in my time, but in the same moment I didn’t recognize it, because I knew I shouldn’t be seeing it.

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California Sparrows Fish Wildlife 157

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2011

With an 8 to 9 1/2 foot wingspan and weighing in at up to 30 pounds, it rivals the California Condor for size and weight. I found this great video showing the cooperative foraging activity plus it shows the pelican in flight, a beautiful thing to see! The American White Pelican ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos ) is a huge bird!

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Pelicans Fish California Condor North America 165

Critter News

JULY 8, 2011

Farm Sanctuary’s shelters in New York and California provide lifelong care for rescued farm animals. Similar legislation, on hold as a result of today’s agreement, was planned in Washington State and Oregon.

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Welfare Farm Sanctuary Battery Cages Factory Farm 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2021

And, that sparrow I heard in California that sounded so different really is a Song Sparrow?” I am also very surprised that a book on bird communication published by Cornell University Press does not mention the Macauley Library , the world-famous archive of bird sound (and video and photo images, but mostly audio files).

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North America Research Birds Groups 278

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2011

The California Quail ( Callipepla californica ) is the California state bird, inhabiting scrub, broken chaparral and woodland edges primarily in California, Oregon, Washington and Baja California. All New World Quail are highly gregarious, typically found in coveys or flocks except during breeding season.

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California Eggs Gophers Rattlesnake 215