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Monday, March 18, 2024

Turning the corner

  

A Coast Larkspur (Delphinium decorum) to help usher in spring!

The Vernal Equinox occurs on 19 March 2024 at 8:06 p.m. PDT.

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Round two

  

Well, I wasn't sure we'd see the juvenile Anna's Hummingbirds (Calypte anna) again, but we were in the area this afternoon and started to hear the begging call.  Eric was able to locate one of the fledglings as mom flew in for a feeding (above).  The juveniles have been out of the nest for 4-5 days now, but apparently the mother keeps feeding them for 1-2 weeks after they leave the nest.

I watched the fledgling for a little while.  Fun to see the juvenile probing some leaves/buds while sitting on a branch.  I had been wondering how they start to feed on flowers and this view provided a clue:

 
 
And also fun to see the juvenile take short flights.  Here's a takeoff and a landing:
 
 
 
Thanks to Eric's sharp eyes, we also observed something today that surprised me at first.  The female already has a second nest in progress, in the same tree!  

It sounds like two broods per season are typical in Anna's Hummingbirds, but I didn't know she would start again so soon...or while she was still feeding the fledglings from the first nest.  The Birds of the World species account reports several records of this, with females feeding young that are 3-5 days out of the nest while also incubating a second clutch of eggs.

Here's mom on the new nest (below).  I don't know if she's incubating yet.  It looked like she was still gathering nest material (including from the original nest), but she was also spending quite a bit of time on the nest:
 
 
Time will tell how the second nest attempt turns out!  If it's successful, fledging could occur in late April/early May.
 

Saturday, March 16, 2024

May luck be your friend

  

A couple of photos to help celebrate St. Patrick's Day!  

Above, a Sierran Treefrog (Pseudacris sierra) framed by Douglas Iris (Iris douglasiana) leaves.  

Below, Coast Rockcress (Arabis blepharophylla) and clover (Trifolium sp.) leaves:

 
With many thanks to Eric for the great photos!

Friday, March 15, 2024

Warm enough for tortoises

  

Wow, hard to believe, but air temperatures reached ~75°F (~24°C) on Bodega Head today.  And yesterday they were only ~5° lower than that.  

There have been lots of California Tortoiseshells (Nymphalis californica) flying by.  Here's one on Claytonia perfoliata.  It was probing the surface of the leaf with its proboscis, but I'm not sure if it was after moisture or salt?

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Final hurrah!

  

Okay, one more hummingbird post!  Eric was in Davis all week, so when he arrived in Cotati tonight we went by to check on the Anna's Hummingbird family.  No juveniles in the nest, but we found one in a tree not too far away.

Eventually we heard the mother hummingbird calling in the area, and then to my surprise, the juvenile starting calling, too.  I hadn't heard a juvenile hummingbird call before, so it was a fun moment for me (and check out the video below!).

 
The juvenile's begging call is a very high-pitched seet note.  It is described as a begging call, but it also seemed like a contact call alerting its mom to its location.  Then the mom flew in for a feeding:

 
When the juvenile started calling, I decided to try to record a video with my camera to capture the sound.  Although I was mostly trying to record audio and wasn't really trying to get a video, the juvenile is in the video and called a few times, so here you go!  

The call note is somewhat faint and very high pitched, so it might be hard to hear.  If needed, you can try using headphones, and turning up the volume of your speakers.  Watch for the juvenile opening its bill and listen for the call notes at ~2 seconds, 7 seconds, and 20 seconds.  (There are some background sounds  dogs barking, kids playing, a bat hitting a ball, etc.)

[If you are reading this in an e-mail and can't see the video player below, click on the title of the post to go to the NHBH website.]



I'm doubtful that we'll see the juveniles again, but this was a fun final hurrah!

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Time to fly!

  

Well, I was on the fence about checking the hummingbird nest tonight.  I was running a little late, and I thought perhaps they'd still be in the nest tomorrow.  But then I thought...what if they aren't?  So I swung down to check on them after work.

When I first approached, I could see one juvenile in the nest...but only one.  I tried to scan different branches in the vicinity of the nest to see if I could find the second juvenile, but I wasn't having much luck.  Then I heard mom calling and she flew in to the nest:

 
 
After the feeding, I followed her as she flew to a second spot about 8 feet away from the nest...to the second juvenile!
 
 

She fed the second one and then flew off.  I watched the newly fledged juvenile for a few minutes.  Occasionally it would try out its wings:
 
 
 
But mostly it sat very still, looking around and listening to the early evening sounds:
 
 
Adventure awaits!

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Ready for supper

  

It feels like these little hummingbirds are getting very close to fledging, so I checked on them after work tonight (12 March 2024).  They were ready for supper, just like me!