The other night K heard owls in the yard and aimed his camera in their direction in the dark. He got a cool capture of a great horned owl looking back over its shoulder, which I used as reference for this sketch.
Bubo virginianus
Tag: birds
Beaut binos
I couldn’t attend the Audubon bird walk at the lagoon this past weekend, but I’ve been using my beaut new binos here at home every day. I’ll be hanging with the birders again in January. Maybe I need to get myself one of those harness straps like the serious birders wear.
prosthemadera novaseelandiae
My eldest daughter shares her name with a gorgeous New Zealand bird, so I sent her this painting as a Christmas gift.
The tūī is a boisterous, medium-sized honeyeater, with blue, green, and bronze colouration and a distinctive white throat tuft. Tūī are known for their noisy, unusual, sometimes soulful calls, different for each individual, that combine bellbird-like notes with clicks, cackles, timber-like creaks and groans, and wheezing sounds. They can imitate human speech, along with sounds like glass shattering, car alarms, classical music and advertising jingles.
Merry Christmas, Tui!
Photo reference by Sid Modsell, used under Creative Commons 2.0
melozone crissalis
The plants in front of the kitchen window have effectively stopped the bird strikes, and are providing a source of enjoyment for both humans and avians. It was fun to watch this California towhee hop on to the fuchsia frame to eat the ripe berries.
Plegadis chihi
I was walking the dog in Legacy Park when I spotted the distinctive shape of an ibis! It’s the first time I’ve seen one in America (they are very common in Australia). The white-faced ibis Plegadis chihi is sighted so infrequently in these parts that my birding apps didn’t even offer it as a possibility. But I checked with my naturalist friend Suzanne, and she confirmed the ID. It was a pretty metallic bronze-green colour. Made my day!
sayornis saya
I spotted my first Say’s Phoebe yesterday morning. Such a pretty belly!
cracking the mussel
I had fun watching this gull repeatedly drop a mussel from considerable height onto the exposed rocks. Eventually the shell cracked enough for the bird to get its dinner.
fulica americana
American coots have the craziest feet! Each of the forward-facing toes has wide, scaly, flexible lobes that seem reptilian or even alien.
When under water, the lobes help the foot to push through the water. But on land, the lobes fold back when the foot is lifted, making it easier (than if the feet were webbed) for the bird to walk on grass, mud or even ice.
Coots aren’t the only birds with lobed feet; some grebes and phalaropes also have similar structures, though not quite as long or broad.
phalacrocorax
I did a bird walk at Malibu Lagoon with the Audubon Society yesterday morning, and learned so much! With friendly help, I spotted 37 different species.
My camera and binoculars are not of birding quality, but several people generously shared time on their scopes. I plan to nature journal my learnings over the coming weeks so as to help the new knowledge stick.
And I for sure want to attend their future monthly Lagoon visits. Some people travel long distances for these events; I’m so lucky to live close by this birding hotspot.
sayornis nigricans
These handsome flycatchers have been evident in the garden lately. So dapper!
hashiworks 