When I need a break from the summer-dry hills that surround our home, one of my favorite local escapes is Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont for a walk on the boardwalk through the marsh. Photos taken June 9th, 2013 Continue reading »
Tag Archives: Birding
Weekly Photo Challenge: Up
Anyone know what kind of bird this is? I was sitting on a picnic table, waiting for my friend to arrive for our hike, when this beautiful yellow-breasted bird landed on a branch right above me. I wasn’t able to see what the bird looked like from the side or from above, so I don’t … Continue reading »
Alameda County / Fauna / Flora
Spring: Martin Canyon Creek Trail
Photos taken March 29th, 2013 Martin Canyon Creek Trail, Dublin, California Interested in going? See this post: Hiking the Martin Canyon Creek Trail Continue reading »
In the Bird House
It looks as if House Sparrows have moved into the bird houses in the front of my son’s school. I know these birds are considered to be pests, but they sure are cute! Photos taken March 22nd, 2013 Continue reading »
From the Window: Hawk
I saw this beautiful hawk land on one of the oak trees behind our home a few days ago. I frequently see them soaring in the sky or perched on telephone poles, and have even had one attack the birds at our feeder, but I rarely see them land in the trees. Now, maybe one … Continue reading »
Signs of Spring: The Return of the Turkeys
Early yesterday morning, my son ran into the living room and screamed, “The turkeys are back! Come look at them all!” Sure enough, there was a gang of ten or so, walking across the hill behind our home. The turkeys can be seen around Dublin throughout the winter, but only return to our neighborhood in … Continue reading »
Weekly Photo Challenge: Surprise
I’ve had two amazing surprises within the past week that, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture with my camera. Both were visitors to our backyard. The first was… a fox! He visited Thursday morning at 10:00am, and he it stayed for about five minutes, giving me a lot of time to watch what it was … Continue reading »
Silent Saturday: Morning Walk, Lake Chabot
A morning walk on the East Shore Trail Lake Chabot Regional Park, California December 11th, 2012 Continue reading »
Egrets, Lake Chabot Regional Park
Snowy or Great? East Shore Trail, Lake Chabot Regional Park Photos taken December 11th, 2012 Continue reading »
Western Grebe, Shorebird Park
Photo taken November 27th, 2012 Shorebird Park, Berkeley Continue reading »
Silent Saturday: Swan, Heron
A pond in Santa Cruz, California November 23rd, 2012 Continue reading »
Backyard Birds: Sparrows
We now have both juvenile White-crowned Sparrows and juvenile Golden-crowned Sparrows visiting our yard. Now that I can see both, frequently side-by-side, I can clearly see the difference. The one I thought last week was a Golden-crowned Sparrow is definitely a White-crowned one. Here are a few photos of the fist-year Golden-crowned Sparrows who visited … Continue reading »
Acorn Woodpecker, Sunol Regional Wilderness
Wow, I can really see how this bird got its name!! There were four Acorn Woodpeckers busy pecking holes in this tree and filling them with their stash. From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds site… “Their social lives are endlessly fascinating: they store thousands of acorns each year by jamming them into … Continue reading »
Backyard Birds: Steller’s Jay
For months, I’ve been trying to capture a photo of the jay that visits the feeder in our backyard. Finally! Continue reading »
Backyard Birds: Golden-Crowned Sparrow?
I need help identifying this bird. It’s been visiting our yard in the San Francisco East Bay for about a month now. At first, I thought it was an immature White-crowned Sparrow, but now I’m thinking it’s an immature Golden-crowned Sparrow. With Project FeederWatch coming up, I want to make sure I have the right … Continue reading »
Backyard Birds: California Towhee
Now that the weather is cooling down, the bird activity in our backyard seems to be picking up. Continue reading »
Project FeederWatch
As I wrote the other day (Let’s Count Stars!), we enjoy participating in citizen science projects. It’s a fun way to contribute to scientific research and learn about science at the same time. I wrote earlier in the week about participating in the Great World Wide Star Count. Perhaps stargazing isn’t your thing, but you’d … Continue reading »
The Hungry Owl Project
I have to preface this post by stating that we live on the edge of our city, on the border where the houses meet the open grasslands and oak forests beyond. We love living here because of the views and the wildlife that visit us. However, we’re not fond of one visitor… the rats. No … Continue reading »
My Love, the Dark-eyed Junco
I have to admit, I’m in love with the Dark-eyed Junco. Not only are these little birds gorgeous, but they do an incredible job of cleaning up all that birdseed the finches drop from the feeder. You may also enjoy… Finch Fun Continue reading »
Finch Fun
Yesterday morning, my son was quietly building with his Lincoln Logs when he happily exclaimed, “Look, Mommy, a goldfinch! There’s a goldfinch at the feeder!” Now I had to run to the window to check it out, because I honestly can’t remember ever having any yellow birds in our backyard. My son was correct. Two … Continue reading »
Backyard Wildlife: Mourning Doves
For at least eight summers now, we’ve had a pair mourning dove visiting our backyard. Every year, they have a child. Last year, my son and I were able to watch the parents teach the baby to fly. So cute! They showed up just a week ago with their child from this summer. I’m sad … Continue reading »
Hummingbird!
Taken July 24th, 2012, at the Botanical Garden at UC Berkeley Continue reading »
Backyard Wildlife: Black-Headed Grosbeak
We have a new bird visiting our yard this week. And it’s a pretty one… a female Black-Headed Grosbeak. Apparently this bird has a beautiful voice. I hope to hear it one of these days! *** Related: Attract Wildlife to Your Home – Create a Backyard Wildlife Habitat Continue reading »
At Home / Biology / Fun Books / Outdoor Education / Tips / View from Home
Connect with Nature: Find Your Sit Spot
I’m currently reading the book, What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World, by Jon Young, which is about awakening our awareness of the behavior of birds in order to deepen our connection with all the wildlife surrounding us. Ultimately, the author is helping us to reconnect with our own … Continue reading »
American Robin
We found a ton of these cute little guys hopping around on the forest floor between the Ahwahnee Hotel and Yosemite Village. My son has been asking about robins a lot lately, as he’s obsessed with Batman and Robin. We’ve shown him photos of robins, and he was interested, but we were excited to finally … Continue reading »
The California Towhee
The California Towhee family has been hanging out in our backyard for months and months, but I’ve been struggling to capture a photograph of the little guys. They like to hop around on the ground, eating the seeds the other birds have knocked out of the feeder. This is also the bird who ate all … Continue reading »
