Well, I Never....Really? In my own Backyard? Hooded Orioles

It's been a week now since I reported seeing a Hooded Oriole in my backyard. It was an astounding moment, being that Hooded Orioles (Icterus cucullatus) have been one of my most challenging species to observe. In the three weeks since the first sighting in our county, only about five birders have reported seeing any at all.

It turns out, though, that as rare as they seem to be around the region, they're a common sight in my backyard. Our hummingbird feeder is not in an easily visible spot from inside our house. There's no place to sit and watch it. We have to notice feeding birds as we walk from one room to another, and despite this, I've seen an oriole at the feeder at least a dozen times now. And yesterday, the oriole visitors included at least one female!

Like many bird species, the female Hooded Orioles are not quite as showy and colorful as the males, but they are quite beautiful just the same. They are almost entirely yellow with black and white wings. The fact that there is at least one pair in the immediate vicinity leads me to wonder if there is a nest nearby. The orioles weave hanging nests constructed in part from palm leaf fibers, so our neighborhood palm trees are getting increased scrutiny these days...

Western Bluebird at the Future River Park in Waterford

This little Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana) might look bedraggled, but I think it's actually quite happy (the Bluebird of happiness?). Things have been quite dry out here (in case you haven't heard, we are in the midst of a horrific drought), but some of the irrigation canals are being primed, and there was an inch or two of water in the bottom. He was preening in the old tree next to the canal.

The canal is the one that passes through the future river park in Waterford. The park will be situated on some bluffs that overlook the Tuolumne River, and a stairwell will descend to the floodplain with a healthy-looking riparian habitat. I'm looking forward to the completion of the project, as I think it will open up some excellent birding possibilities. We will see...

Bird of the Day: Red-shouldered Hawks on Superbowl Sunday

More birds from an extraordinary day of bird-watching, last Superbowl Sunday. We decided to head out of town, and hadn't even made it to the bridge over the Tuolumne River when I spied a colorful looking hawk on a telephone pole. I don't see a lot of hawks inside the town limits, so I stopped and got a couple of pictures. It's a Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus), a medium-sized raptor with a very strange distribution. They are widespread around the eastern United States from New England to Texas and into Mexico. Then there is a west coast population, confined to Alta and Baja California, although a few have been noted in Oregon and Arizona.

We continued down the road to the Bear Creek Unit of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge near Los Banos, passing dozens of hawks on the highway, but at the refuge, there was another Red-shouldered Hawk posing for us. It turned out to be quite a day for raptors (except the ones from Seattle...)