The Birders Report

California Quail Pair photos by Larry Jordan

I have seen several pair of California Quail with their young in the last week or so.  They have been coming to our pond to drink.  There had to be at least twenty little quail scurrying away when I came around the corner of the house the other day but today, I wanted to get some baby quail photographs and they didn’t show up.  I did have lots of young visitors though, like this Black-headed Grosbeak fledgling.

I counted at least five of these Black-headed Grosbeak fledglings

Most of the young fledglings will show the tell tale sign of a light colored beak at the angle of the mouth, the commissural point.  You can see it on this young Western Scrub-Jay.

This juvenile scrub-jay appears to be a little older, possibly going through its 1st molt

I observed several Acorn Woodpeckers at the woodpecker feeder with some adults feeding the juveniles.  There were also at least four White-breasted Nuthatches using that woodpecker feeder as well as the upside-down suet feeder.  I also caught a Pine Siskin at the thistle feeder along with several Lesser Goldfinches.

Then there were the hummingbirds.  I captured this young female Rufous Hummingbird drinking from the waterfall at the pond.

And this young male Anna’s Hummingbird fighting for his turn at the waterfall

With the temperatures having been in the triple digits for the last couple of weeks, our pond and waterfall has been a magnet for the birds.  Of course it helps to have several bird feeders up with sunflower seed or thistle seed, and a tray feeder with mixed bird seed (if you don’t have European Starlings or House Sparrows to worry about).

Some hummingbird feeders and at least one suet feeder and you’re good to go!  If you love woodpeckers, like I do, a woodpecker feeder is a bonus and will also attract nuthatches and Chickadees!

It is such a joy to watch the birds in my yard.  Watch them feed, bathe and raise their young.  Then we get to watch as the young birds grow and learn and come back the next year, with their parents, to continue the cycle.  Anyone can do it.  All it takes a little planning.  Check out the National Wildlife Federation to get started on your Certified Wildlife Habitat.

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) photos by Larry Jordan

The Killdeer is appropriately named Charadius vociferus because of its very vocal nature.  As a matter of fact, it used to be known as the Noisy Plover by naturalists back in the 18th century.  Killdeer belong to the Plover familly of shorebirds but they are not always found near the shore, although they are usually near water.

Does it look like I have eyes in the back of my head?

Killdeer are rather conspicuous not only due to their noisy calls but they may be found on mudflats, gravel bars and short grass meadows where they run across the ground in spurts and then come to a screeching halt and bob their heads.  This is a great way to flush out insects and find earthworms, one of their primary foods.

I found this congregation of Killdeer along with a murder of crows (don’t you love the collective nouns used for birds) on this athletic field when I went back to Shasta College to observe my Western Kingbird family. The kingbirds had already left their nest tree, so I turned my attention to the killdeer and crows.

As I was saying, Killdeer are the most widespread plover in North America and can be found almost anywhere there are large expanses of grass like pastures, golf courses and even lawns.  They were eating worms along with the crows on this particular afternoon.

One of the most conspicuous traits of the Killdeer is its "broken wing" act to lure predators away from their nest site.  Here is a short video of the "broken wing" trick followed by a photo of killdeer eggs sent to me by one of my readers from Illinois.  Thanks Lisa.  Enjoy!

 To see more great bird photos, check out Bird Photography Weekly!  Maybe you should join in the fun too!

In The Cove, a team of activists and filmmakers infiltrate a heavily-guarded cove in Taiji, Japan. In this remote village they witness and document activities deliberately being hidden from the public: More than 20,000 dolphins and porpoises are being slaughtered each year and their meat, containing toxic levels of mercury, is being sold as food in Japan, often times labeled as whale meat.   Watch this video.

To really make an impact on this issue, we must get the word out in Japan and urge action from our own leaders. We believe that once the world and the Japanese people know, they will demand change. Help us save Japan’s dolphins.  Go to SaveJapanDolphins.org and demand action from our leaders!