Oak Titmouse on the Tuolumne River

Here's a fairly rare visitor to my blog pages. I've only captured semi-decent pictures twice in the past, once at MJC, and once in my backyard (!). On my walk the other day along the Tuolumne River, I saw an Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus) perched on the Elderberry bower where I've seen a multitude of bird species. I've been able to stand inside the "bower" and have birds landing all around me. Today I was still approaching the shrub when I saw the silhouette of a bird with a crest. That usually means Phainopepla, but this one was too small. Therefore it had to be the Titmouse. It was most polite and remained perched for a dozen or so pictures.

"Be sure to get the left profile; it's my best side"

The Oak Titmouse is essentially a California endemic species, with populations in Baja (which is California, despite the international boundary). They spill over into Oregon a bit on the north end of the state. They are closely associated with the vast oak woodlands that cover the coast ranges and Sierra Nevada foothills. There is a closely related species, the Juniper Titmouse (they were once considered the same species), but there are specific differences, and the two populations are geographically separated by the Sierra Nevada (there is only a small area of overlapping range). Once again, this allows us to see evolution in action: the birds have diverged in part due to the different vegetation in the higher, colder and drier Basin and Range province beyond the Sierra Nevada.

An Oak Titmouse, the Quintessential California Bird, in my Backyard

I don't report on birds from my backyard very often. I have several feeders, but for the most part they attract California Scrub Jays, House Finches and European (House) Sparrows. But once in awhile a more unusual bird will show up. The White Crowned Sparrows have arrived on their fall migration, for instance, and today there was a Black Phoebe in the yard, which I've only seen there once before. But the other bird was a surprise, because I've never seen one here ever: an Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus).

It was fairly cautious, waiting until the other birds left the feeder, and quickly grabbing a bit and then retreating to the Mulberry tree. It came back four times, and I tried to be ready, but only got these couple of slightly overexposed shots. I'll have to spend more time back there "relaxing".

The Oak Titmouse is about as close as a bird can be to being a California endemic species without actually being one. Like the Acorn Woodpecker, it ranges through the California oak woodlands that extend from the northern edge of Baja California to the hills and mountains of southern Oregon. There is a closely related species in Nevada called the Juniper Titmouse. They were once considered to be a single species, but there are differences in their coloration, and also in their songs. They are almost completely isolated by the Sierra Nevada with only a small area of overlap in northwest corner of the state.

A bonus shot of a White-crowned Sparrow, which also visited this morning