identify and photograph 43 birds

(Ardea alba) I shot this photo in the late afternoon at Lake Balboa in Encino, California on October 16, 2009.

Great egrets, closely related to the Great Blue Heron, are commonly found at various times of the year throughout the southern two thirds of the United States (as well as down to South America). They can be distinguished from other egrets or herons by their pure white plummage, yellow bill, and dark legs with dark feet. They stand about 39 inches tall and forage slowly for small fish or other prey in shallow water. I’ve also seen them in open fields looking for rodents.

(Egretta thula) I shot this photo in the mid-afternoon at the Los Angeles River near the Sepulveda Dam near Encino, California on November 7, 2009. Many people who live in Los Angeles don’t even realize that Los Angeles has a river. Most of it has been paved over and looks like a giant gutter, but there are still parts of it that look like a real river and support all sorts of life.

Snowy egrets are commonly found at various times of the year throughout the southern two thirds of the United States (as well as down to South America). They can be distinguished from other egrets by their pure white plummage, dark bill, and dark legs with yellow feet (not visible in this photo). They stand about 24 inches tall and forage very actively for small fish in shallow water.

(Pelecanus occidentalis) I shot this photo in the late morning at Malibu Lagoon State Beach in Malibu, California on November 14, 2009. These birds were basking on a sand embankment, and in this photo there is a double-crested cormorant among them. I often sees cormorants associating with pelicans. The pelicans in this photo belong to the California subspecies (P. o. californicus).

Brown pelicans are found along the west coast and the southeastern coast of the United States as well as in scattered parts of Mexico and Central America. They are the only dark pelican. They eat fish which they catch by plunge diving from the air, a practice that no other pelican does. One interesting fact I learned about the brown pelican from allaboutbirds.org is that they incubate their eggs by standing on them. This practice made them vulnerable to the effects of DDT pollution which weakened their egg shells, causing them to crack their own eggs inadvertently. Since DDT was banned, brown pelican populations have stabilized, and according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service there are about 100,000 birds belonging to the California subspecies.

(Porzana carolina) I shot this photo in the late morning at Malibu Lagoon State Beach in Malibu, California on November 14, 2009. I spotted this bird (and two others like it) accidentally while walking on a bridge over a marsh. It was foraging among the weeds.

The sora can be found throughout most of North America at various times of the year and is a winter visitor to Southern California. It is vaguely similar to the American coot, which is also a rail, except that it is more colorful (note the bright yellow bill, black face, grey underside, and brown patterned back) and doesn’t have funky feet. These secretive birds can be found in both freshwater and saltwater marshes where they feed primarily on seeds and aquatic invertebrates.

(Fulica americana) I shot this photo in the early evening at Lake Balboa in Encino, California on October 16, 2009. I think the coolest things about American coots are their legs and feet, which kind of look like branches and leaves.

The Ameican coot, which is a rail and not a duck, is found throughout most of North America during various times of the year. They eat mostly aquatic plants which they find either dabbling on the surface or diving in the water. They do not fly very well. I’ve observed these birds a lot, and I’ve always found then a little bit dumb and whimpy, but at the same time their vulnerability makes them a little bit adorable. When I’ve seen coots on the water together with ducks, the ducks completely ignore them like they don’t exist and effortlessly take all the food and the coots just let them. I often see them in large flocks grazing on the grass.

(Podilymbus podiceps) I shot this photo in the early evening at Lake Balboa in Encino, California on October 21, 2009.

The pied-billed grebe is found throughout most of North America during various times of the year on lakes, ponds and bays. They feed on aquatic invertebrates which they obtain by diving. However, rather than dive they slowly sink into the water when threatened which I’ve seen them do first hand several times when I’ve tried to photograph them. They are also rarely seen flying.

(Regulus calendula) I shot this photo in the late afternoon on October 29, 2009 in Griffith Park in Los Angeles, California. This lively bird was conspicuous because of its constant fluttering in the hillside brush. I was lucky to catch it during a brief moment of stillness.

The ruby-crowned kinglet is commonly found in southern California (as well as throughout the southern United States and Mexico) during the winter months. Although this small, plump olive-colored bird is called “ruby-crowned”, rarely is its ruby crown ever in display. Only the males have it, and it is usually hidden unless the bird is agitated. They eat small insects and their eggs, gleaning food from foliage often among groups including other species of small, insect-eating birds.

(Chondestes grammacus) I shot the photo in the late afternoon on October 21, 2009 near Lake Balboa in Encino, Calfornia. This is my fourth entry about sparrows. Frankly, until a few months ago, I didn’t think all that much of sparrows, but I have really come to appreciate the variation in appearance, size, habitat and behavior among the many different species of sparrows.

Lark sparrows can be recognized by their bold facial pattern consisting of black, reddish-brown and white. This patterning is very similar to a lark though this bird is definitely a sparrow. They prefer open habitats with scattered trees, which describes exactly the place where I saw this bird. They can be found at various times of the year throughout the western two thirds of the United States, in Mexico as well as parts of southern California. Like other sparrows, they eat insects and seeds. One interesting fact I found on allaboutbirds.org is that unlike other songbirds, lark sparrows tend to walk on the ground rather than hop.

(Melanerpes formicivorus) I shot this photo in the early afternoon on October 31, 2009 at Malibu Creek State Park near Calabasas, California. I came to this park hoping to see specifically acorn woodpeckers, and I was not disappointed. I had seen these woodpeckers the last couple of times I was at Griffith Park on the other side of town in the middle of the city but was able to get good photos. The acorn woodpecker is my favorite of the woodpeckers because of its clown-like appearance. Both genders have red, black and white heads, but the bird in this particular photo is a male because of there is no black patch in front of its red crown which is present in the female.

Acorn woodpeckers are found in the western parts Oregon and Calfornia as well as in scattered areas in the southwestern United States and Mexico. They are found in areas where there are oak or mixed oak forests. They are conspicuous not only because of their colorful appearance but they are very loud and have a complex social system. They eat insects, fruit, sap, and of course acorns. They spend most of their time drilling holes in trees to store acorns. If you look closely at the photo, you can see some holes in the tree with acorns in them. I saw one tree that must have had thousands of holes in it filled with acorns. I wonder what effect that has on the tree…

(Picoides nuttalli) I shot this photo in the late afternoon on October 29, 2009 at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, California near the “bird sanctuary” area. I came to this place specifically hoping to see woodpeckers, and I was not disappointed.

Many of the woodpeckers found in Southern California are white and black striped, but I was able to identify this particular woodpecker as Nuttall’s woodpecker because of the streaking on its belly. Also, the bird in this particular photograph is female because males have a red crown which females lack. Nuttall’s woodpeckers are found exclusively in California and the northern part of Baja California in live oak and chaparral habitats west of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Although confined to oak forests, these birds do not eat acorns. The eat primarily insects and arthropods.