Evening Grosbeak

We try to make it into the high Sierras in early June. Many of the migrants have made their way to breeding grounds there or are passing through. Most are in bright breeding plumage and are singing which makes them easier to find. The Evening Grosbeak, however, is not a migrant in Sierra County, it is there all year long.

Of the four years we have trekked into the area between Sierra City and Yuba Pass, California, we have seen a few of this species at a time. This year (2020) there were many at road sides and in in the woods eating the young buds of conifers. The bird in the photo was in the process of eating young buds. The roadside birds were apparently consuming a coarse volcanic ash that occurs in the area and I suspect this is to provide abrasives for their digestive systems.

White-headed Woodpecker

This Woodpecker is found only the the higher elevations of the Far West United States. In California, it occurs mostly in the Sierra and Cascade Mountain Ranges.

One year we had one drilling a hole in the side of cabin we were staying in and it sounded a lot like someone knocking on a door. The bird made it past the exterior wall and started pulling insulation out from between the inner and out walls.

Bullock's Oriole

Today we decided to brave the crowds and drove to Joseph D. Grant County Park, aka “Grant Ranch”. This has always been a special place for us because of the birds and the beauty of the area, at least in the spring and fall when it is not too hot. While walking on one of the dirt roads in the park we came across a group of oak trees that were alive with Bullock’s Orioles. This species has a distinct chatter-like call so it’s easy to find them when the are vocalizing. The contrast between the oak leaves and the yellows and oranges of the bird is striking.

Yellow-headed Blackbird

This blackbird is common in the western half of the United States and occurs from Mexico into Southern Canada. Its song starts with a flute-like whistle and becomes a metallic buzz like metal scrapping on metal. They inhabit marsh areas and sometimes occur in very large flocks. When in flight, large flocks show flashes of yellow as the heads of the male reflect sunlight.

Wilson's Warbler

On the Central California Coast birders know that spring has arrived when we hear Wilson’s Warbler singing in the damp brush of forested areas. This perky warbler is often seen flying around in brush capturing insects and stopping a few seconds for a photo op.

Blackpoll Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

Talk about an athlete, this warbler, which weighs less than half of an ounce, makes an 1800 mile non-stop flight over the Atlantic Ocean to get to its breeding grounds which are in far northern Canada and west to Alaska.

Black-throated Green Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

A warbler with a lemon-yellow face that is common in the Northeast United States and Southeast Canada in the northern summer. In the summer it feeds mostly on caterpillars in coniferous and deciduous forests. This species spends the northern winter in tropical America where it eats the buds of the cecropia  tree.

We have seen this species in Northern Ohio as it makes its way across the lakes to northern forests in Canada.

Photo taken at Magee Marsh, 2018.

Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat

This cute warbler usually inhabits marshy areas, often in and around reeds or other vegetative tangles. This is a photo of a male. The female’s colors are subdued. They skulk around in dense vegetation making them hard to see, but every once in awhile one will appear for a photo. In the spring they can more easily be found by their song which sounds like whichety-whichety-whichety and is quite a racket for a tiny bird. In the northern summer, this species can be found across the entire United States and the southern half of Canada.