O is for....

O is for ORNITHOLOGIST

I have been watching birds in my back yard for about 10 years now.  I keep track of the different varieties as they appear.  I have seen 25 varieties over the years and am always on the lookout for new ones. GOLDFINCHES are always favorites.  In the first photo they were waiting for us to go inside so they could get back on to their feeder.  We mostly have the lesser goldfinch which is not as pretty as the true American Goldfinch -- not as much color. 

These two below are the common house finch and the white crowned sparrow. LOTS of these around  We have counted as many as 20 at any one time -- all looking for seed from the feeder.

                                                                                                                

We have at least three different humming birds that visit. The first one is the Anna's hummingbird which is quite prevalent in Southern California . I think the next one is the black chinned, but I'm not sure and the one below that is the rufous. He does not stay all year round.

This bird is a new comer this year.  It is the black-headed grosbeak.  My friend Brenda took this wonderful photo in her yard.  He also came to visit us too but I couldn't get a good photo before he flew away.

This is the common yellow throat.  I call him Zorro because of his black mask  He is often around when the house finches and house sparrows are nearby, but doesn't mix with them.

The California Towhee is quite different from the eastern towhee.  Ours is less colorful and has a brown speckled patch on his throat and a brown patch on his rump.

The Scrub Jay is a beautiful blue but has a harsh shriek to announce his presence.  He is also very common around here.

Everybody knows a crow, but I posted this picture because this one was so cheeky he came so close and started pecking at stuff I was looking at on the patio,  so I was able to get a really good photo.  But in the end I went inside because I think he was after my glasses.

The red tailed hawk is always around but does not visit our yard as much as...

...the Coopers hawk who comes at least once a day, causing quite an uproar among the little birds and frequently catches one as they fly away.  He comes as close as several feet to the house perching on a low fence or on the feeder.

Feeding time !

Waiting for us to go inside.

Some of these photos are better than others, partly because I have become better at taking them and partly because I got a new camera for Christmas.

If you want to see really good bird photographs visit Abe Lincoln's Bird Blog