Golden highlights

  

Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta), Bodega Head, 12 November 2022

Oriole views

The Hooded Orioles have continued to visit our yard, so I've compiled some recent shots of the juveniles (there are three).

They seem especially attracted to the flowers of the Pineapple Guava tree:

They young orioles are also drawn to the water bath, but they're still trying to figure it out:

This is one of my favorite views (below), perhaps because you don't often get to watch songbirds sleeping and because the light on the feathers is interesting.  

Sometimes the juvenile orioles find a quiet place to take a nap.  Here's a zoomed in view of one of the juveniles with its head turned and its bill tucked under the feathers on its back:

 

It's been a treat to watch and listen to this family in our backyard!

A family visit

This morning we noticed the flash of a medium-sized bird flying into the plum tree in our backyard, but then we didn't see additional movement after that.  Curious, Eric picked up the binoculars and looked around.  Here's what he saw hiding among the leaves:

 

Hmmm...can you tell which species this is?

Here's another view when it flew out into the open:

 

A hint: We've been seeing the adults of this species in our yard recently, so I've posted photos of an adult female and adult male during the past 12 days.

Perhaps a view from the side will help:

 

Although paler than the adults, and the bill is shorter in comparison (as well as being pink and gray, rather than black with a blue highlight), perhaps you've guessed that this is a juvenile Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus)?

We think there were two or three juveniles spending time in our yard this morning.  They seemed quite interested in the flowers of a Pineapple Guava tree.  At one point, I noticed one of the juveniles actively begging from the female:

 

Another bird family to add to our yard list this year!

Cooling off

It was warm in Cotati today (24 May 2020), with air temperatures reaching the high 80s.  In the late afternoon a male Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus) visited our backyard water bath:

 

Here's a close-up where you can see the decurved bill and the pretty light blue color at the base of the lower mandible:

 

Fleeting

Although we often hear Hooded Orioles (Icterus cucullatus) in our neighborhood, when they stop in our yard, their visit is usually fleeting.  I've had a hard time getting photographs of them.

Recently an oriole has been coming to our water bath, so Eric prodded me to stage my camera nearby so that I was prepared as soon as she arrived.

Voilà!  

 

In Cotati on 19 May 2020.

Splashes of white -- Part 2

Okay, here are the mystery feathers from last night:

 

I realize that was tough because there's not much context, so here are a few hints.

I encountered the feathers in a coastal grassland.  Along with the feathers shown above, some had even more white:

 

Most of the other feathers in the area were brown with darker barred patterning.  The longest feathers I found were ~5-6 inches (12-15 cm) long.

 

 

I was moving along, scanning the various feathers, trying to put together a picture of the bird's identity.  Along with the tail and wing feathers shown above, there were brownish body feathers with somewhat similar colors and markings:

 

Then I looked ahead and spotted some feathers that clinched the identification.  I think the next photos will help you figure out the identity of this medium-sized grassland bird, too:

 

 

The bright yellow and black body feathers, along with the large amount of white on the outer tail feathers, leads to Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta). 

John mentioned the U.S. Fish and Wildife Service's Feather Atlas as a resource for identifying feathers.  Here's an example of meadowlark tail feathers from the Feather Atlas.  And here's a link to some older photos of Western Meadowlarks on Bodega Head.

I don't recall encountering meadowlark feathers before.  It was fun to see the patterns up close.  I also wondered what happened to it — who caught the meadowlark?  A falcon?  A harrier?  Have you seen a predator chasing adult meadowlarks?  

(I just tried to learn more about meadowlark predators.  Along with falcons, I was somewhat surprised to see Great Egret and Burrowing Owl listed as possible predators on adult meadowlarks.  Who knew?)

Yellow in the orange

 

This female Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus) has been visiting a citrus tree in our backyard in Cotati.  She's very secretive, so it's been difficult to get a picture.  In the early evening, we are alerted to her arrival by soft "chut chut chut" notes.  I'll have to try to record them.

P.S.  To see a photo of a male Hooded Oriole in the same tree last year, see "Orange in the orange" on 18 June 2015.

 

Orange in the orange

 

This Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus) has been visiting our yard in the evenings.  He's shy, so I haven't been able to get a better picture yet — this was my first.

I was curious about the species name — cucullatus.  Quite appropriately, it means "hooded."  When I was searching for the meaning, I realized there were quite a few birds, and other organisms, with "cucullatus" in their name.

This is tough, unless you're familiar with the scientific names of birds.  Can you think of other birds named cucullatus?  Or here's a small hint: other birds that are hooded?

- Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)
- Dodo (Raphus cucullatus)
- Village Weaver (Ploceus cucullatus)
- Bronze Mannikin (Spermestes cucullatus)

I suppose it's not surprising, but I also noticed many other species with cucullatus in their name — fungi, flowers, snakes, a grasshopper, a beetle, and a copepod.

Fun!

I hope the oriole comes back for another visit.

Enjoying the flowers

 

Well, these pictures don't do this bird justice, but because Baltimore Orioles (Icterus glabula) are rare in Sonoma County (there are only ~7 records), and because this is the first one I've seen on Bodega Head, it seemed worthwhile to post a couple of pictures.

And, if you're interested in seeing this bird, it might still be possible.  It seemed drawn to the eucalyptus flowers (see below), so perhaps it will stick around for a little while.

 

Photographed in Owl Canyon on 27 May 2015.

P.S.  Madrone Audubon has a map showing Owl Canyon.  And Colin Talcroft has provided an aerial view with a written description.