Western Kingbirds Near Hornitos
 |
| Trio of juvenile Western Kingbirds (Tyrannus verticalis) near the town of Hornitos, Ca |
Members of
the Tyrant Flycatcher family, Tyrannidae, Western Kingbirds (Tyrannus
verticalis) catch flying insects on the wing, hunting during daylight hours. They inhabit much of the Central Valley during
the summer months, preferring open habitats such as low elevation grasslands,
open woodlands, sagebrush and agricultural land.
 |
| Western Kingbirds, in the branches of a Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii) |
I heard this
trio of three juvenile Western Kingbirds before I spotted them, huddled
together in a blue oak (Quercus douglasii) earlier this summer.
Their mother was not far off, flying back and forth catching insects to
feed to her not-yet-independent offspring.
 |
| Looking towards their momma, returning with supper |
I sat on the ground under the tree and watched these little ones for quite some time as they bobbed up and down with their branch swaying in the summer breeze. And I think they were curious about me too!
 |
| I've been spotted! |
About Me
Named after the Sierra Nevada Mountains, I am a naturalist and avid birder based in Central California. Above all, I am a follower of Jesus Christ, our amazingly good Creator God whose magnificent creation is an unending source of awe and inspiration for me. I hope to inspire others to appreciate, respect and protect this beautiful earth we share, and invite you to come along with me as I explore the nature of California and beyond!
- Siera Nystrom -
You Might Also Like:
On a recent birding trip to Merced National Wildlife Refuge, I tallied up a list of sixteen different species of ducks. Only a few more species, around twenty in total, are expected in the Central Valley of California's freshwater marshes during the winter, so I consider that to be an excellent day for ducks! North American ducks are broadly separated into two categories, largely based on their methods of foraging for food. Dabbling ducks , also known as "puddle ducks," tend to frequent shallow water, where they are commonly seen tipping bottoms-up to feed on plant matter and invertebrates in the water and on the muddy bottom. They are most at home in water, but walk easily on land as well, as their legs are positioned near the center of their bodies. The wings of dabbling ducks are relatively large, which allows them to take off from the surface of the water, straight up into their air. Dabbling ducks almost all nest on the ground, near water....
The other day, while exploring one of the remaining patches of wetlands around my county, I came across a furry little critter that was a complete surprise for me: an American Mink! Contentedly going about his (or her) business at the edge of the wetland, staying under the dense cover of an old clump of willows, the mink slipped out of sight before I was able to get a photograph. But this mink sighting got me thinking about other mammals I've encountered here in California's Central Valley, and as it turns out... there have been quite a few! California Ground Squirrel: A common sight in the Valley, and an important part of the ecosystem! Though the Central Valley is no longer the land of wild abundance it once was (at least not in terms of wildlife), more species of mammals than one might imagine still manage to make their living on the fringes of urban and agricultural land up and down the valley. National Wildlife Refuges provide much-needed havens for a ...
For those of us living in the Great Central Valley, autumn is the time to head to the coast. Of course, there is no bad time to visit California's magnificent coastline. But as the heat and haze of summer drag on in the Valley, the sea becomes increasingly tantalizing: September and the onset of autumn bring sunny weather and an abundance of migratory seabirds and shorebirds to our coast. A new birder visiting California's Central Coast will undoubtedly be met with a splendid array of very confusing birds. Among these are small shorebirds like "peeps" (sandpipers), Sanderlings and various plovers . But the larger birds can be just as confusing, until you learn a few distinguishing features. Four large shorebirds that are commonly seen (and commonly confused) along California's Central Coast are Godwits, Curlews, Willets and Whimbrels. Marbled Godwit (upper left), Whimbrel (upper right), Long-billed Cu...
Though I often extol the virtues and merits of winter in the Central Valley , especially when it comes to birding, the whole truth is that we experience "bad" weather also, just like anywhere else. But even when the winter weather rolls in, the birds are still out there! And sometimes, despite our best planning efforts, a birding day happens to coincide with crummy weather. In that case, what's a birder to do? Usually, we go birding anyway! Birders far more intrepid than I regularly brave the ice and snow of northern winters to see their favorite birds, so perhaps you should look to them for real tips on winter birding! For those of us in the valleys of California, the worst weather we see - wind and rain - is really comparatively mild. Birding on an extremely windy day! I don't know of anyone who actually likes birding in the rain. But I would argue that birding in the wind is just as aggravating as trying to bird in the rai...
Several times this year I have been lucky enough to see North American River Otters ( Lontra canadensis ) in both the San Joaquin and Tuolumne Rivers. They have been too leery of me to allow for any great National Geographic quality photos (let's be honest, that's not entirely the otters' fault!) but I have gotten a few shots in which they are at least recognizable as river otters, not just obscure brown blobs on the riverbank! River Otter along the banks of the Tuolumne River. The presence of otters in our rivers is a wonderful thing. As a top predator species in the ecosystem, river otters are often heralded as indicators of the health of the entire watershed. Like their seafaring counterpart, California's Southern Sea Otter ( Enhydra lutris nereis ), the North American River Otter was once hunted extensively for its thick pelt. Where otters once thrived, over hunting, followed closely by habitat loss and degradation, has taken...
Earlier this January, we spent several days exploring the lush, ferny redwood groves and mossy Sitka spruce forests of northwestern California, and while hiking through this enchanting habitat, observing the plants, birds and other wildlife, it occurred to me that in a sense, winter in California's Humboldt and Del Norte counties is a little bit like summer in North America's vast boreal forests. Varied Thrush Also called taiga, the world's boreal forests form a lush, green ring around the top of our planet, covering much of Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia and Russia. These dense forests are comprised largely of coniferous trees, particularly pine, fir, and most notably, spruce. At such high latitudes, long, cold winters are characteristic of the boreal forest, but even so, these often-snowy forests are vital to the health of our planet. Boreal forests are massively important on a global ecological scale, as they hold more surface freshwater than any other biom...
Comments
Post a Comment