feb 1
Well, I am not exactly in NYC.
From Eaton Canyon, near the nature center, and the house in Altadena, CA:
Great Blue Heron (flyover)
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Band-tailed Pigeon (house)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Anna’s Hummingbird
Allen’s Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Nuttall’s Woodpecker
Say’s Phoebe
Western Scrub Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Wrentit
Oak Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
ROCK WREN (1)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Western Bluebird
Hermit Thrush (house)
American Robin (house)
Northern Mockingbird
California Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing (25+)
Yellow-rumped Warbler
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Fox Sparrow
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW (1, white-striped morph)
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco (house)
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Lesser Goldfinch
LAWRENCE’S GOLDFINCH (3: 1 male, 2 female)
Notes: ID’ed the WT Sparrow by seeing just its butt in some brush - I had basically just stepped off the plane and thought nothing of it for about thirty seconds… then realized I was on the other coast, and waited for it to pop out entirely to confirm the ID. Rock Wrens used to be in the canyon when I was a child, but this was the first I have seen since coming back as an adult. And goldfinches are more fun when they are mixed together and you can have a three-goldfinch morning… I love my job.
This entry was posted on Friday, February 1st, 2008 at 6:02 pm and is filed under Birds, Lists, Los Angeles |
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February 3rd, 2008 at 11:34 am
Give some details of the Lawrence’s sighting. That’s such a cool bird. I have only seen them twice in my life, and always in small flocks!
February 3rd, 2008 at 1:29 pm
The Lawrence’s were actually lifers! I was with my father, and we were off against the side of the canyon… my father giving his usual litany of “this is what I had here ten years ago but we won’t see it today” and he had JUST mentioned that twice in his life, against this very canyon wall, he had had a small flock of Lawrence’s… the next thing that came out of his mouth was a surprised “oh, OH” as a grey-yellow blur (grey and yellow in a very interesting sort of way - you know what I mean) flew by. We found them when they landed - unmistakeable. A very pretty bird, miles away from our attitudes towards American Goldfinches, no? I would be back today, trying for a photo, except that it’s raining. Who knows if they will hang around; early migration is not entirely out of the question here. The male was getting into breeding plumage.
February 3rd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Also, they were distinctly not associating with the masses of mixed-together American and Lesser Goldfinches, they were on their own.
February 3rd, 2008 at 3:39 pm
The very few times I have seen Lawrence’s, was much the same way. On their own, in a small single species flock, and when you least expect it. Definitely a very cool looking finch. Looks European or something.
As far as behavior, I could watch colonies of Acorn Woodpeckers all day.
February 3rd, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Me too - they roost in the pines in our backyard (not one of their acorn trees, but a good place to spend the night), and make quite a racket in the evenings…