Birds

Birds are one of our main areas of focus here – we are, after all, the owners of the local wild bird store. And birds are among the most visible and well-loved parts of the natural world. Here are all the bird-focused articles we’ve written so far.

View our most recent posts about birds

Overviews and Family Guides

  1. Backyard I: Finches & Sparrows
  2. Backyard II: The Rest of the Top 20
  3. Hawks I: Neighborhood Hawks
  4. Hawks II: Wildland Hawks
  5. Shorebirds I: The Minor Families
  6. Shorebirds II: The Sandpipers
  7. The Ducks
  8. Doves & Pigeons
  9. Swallows
  10. Woodpeckers
  11. The Winter Sparrows
  12. The Winter Warblers

Deep Dives

  1. Orioles
  2. The Brown-Bird: California Towhee
  3. The Titmouse, Voice and Soul of the Oaks
  4. In Defense of the Blue Squawker
  5. Hummingbirds
  6. Robin Sings at Dawn
  7. The Mighty Red-tail
  8. Chickadees: The Antidote of Fear
  9. Herons & Egrets: The World Well-Made
  10. Acorn Woodpecker: The Harlequin Carpenter
  11. Wild Pigeons: The Living Wind
  12. Flickers: The Ringing Voice, the Wings that Burn
  13. The Enchanter & the Hermit Thrush
  14. A Chime in the Shadows: The Varied Thrush
  15. The Jewel in the Trees: John Townsend’s Warbler
  16. Waxwing Revelations
  17. Blessed Halo: The California Linnet
  18. Earthbound but Undaunted: Wrens
  19. Voluble Discontent: The Red-eyed Towhee
  20. The Sky Elf: The Violet-green Swallow
  21. This Goldfinch is Not Lesser
  22. Mourning Doves: The Meek Inherit & the Lost are Found
  23. Vulture: The Beautiful Purifier
  24. Mockingbird: Dusky Demon, King of Song
  25. I Can Hear When They Call: American Crow
  26. Autumn Kings: The Crowned Sparrows
  27. In the Darkness She Will Listen: Great Horned Owls

Birding by Ear

  1. How to Learn Birdsong
  2. Ten Backyard Birdsongs
  3. Ten Woodland Birdsongs
  4. Ten Backyard Bird Calls
  5. Ten Woodland Bird Calls
  6. Ten Fall Bird Sounds

Other Bird Articles

  1. List of Novato Birds
  2. Five Ways to Use eBird to See More Birds
  3. The Best Field Guides to Bay Area Birds
  4. How to Use Binoculars
  5. How to See Baby Birds
  6. Bird Conservation at the Backyard Level

Jack’s 2018 Thoreauvian Big Year

  1. Introduction
  2. Three Week Update
  3. March Update
  4. April Update
  5. July Update
  6. October Update
  7. Conclusion

More Listing Adventures

  1. 2018 Big Day
  2. 2019 Big Day
  3. Birding Your Five Mile Radius

Marin IJ Columns

  1. How to Start Watching Birds in Marin
  2. Learn our Birds with Citizen Science
  3. The Winter Sparrows
  4. The Winter Berry-Eaters: Robins and Waxwings
  5. Finches, the bread and butter of our daily bird feast
  6. The Nesting Season Begins
  7. The Winter Warblers
  8. You Should Learn Birdsong
  9. Hummingbird 101
  10. Spring Migration is Underway
  11. Orioles, the Golden Birds of Spring
  12. Swallows, Spring Migrant #1
  13. Where have the birds gone?
  14. The Towhee, the Backyard Brown Bird
  15. In Defense of Jays
  16. Attracting Birds in Summer
  17. The Titmouse Dimension
  18. How to Use Binoculars
  19. Wonder of Hummingbirds
  20. Fall Shorebird Migration
  21. The Mighty Red-Tail
  22. How to Have More Birds in Your Yard
  23. The Sounds of Autumn
  24. All That is Evergreen: Chickadees
  25. How to See a Hundred Birds in a Day
  26. Herons & Egrets: The World Well-Made
  27. Acorn Woodpeckers
  28. Jack Fixes the Bird Names (An Ode to Plumgudgeonry)
  29. Wild Pigeons
  30. Flickers
  31. Feeding Winter Birds
  32. Varied Thrushes
  33. Birdsong Season Begins
  34. Townsend’s Warbler
  35. Waxwings
  36. The Halo of Linnets
  37. Wrens
  38. The Dawn Chorus
  39. Red-eyed Towhees
  40. Violet-green Swallows
  41. This Goldfinch is Not Lesser
  42. Mourning Doves
  43. Beautiful Vultures
  44. Mockingbird, King of Song
  45. Robin Sings at Dawn
  46. California’s Brown Chippies
  47. Jays Plant the Oaks
  48. Count the Crows Among the Thinkers
  49. Fall Migration
  50. The Crowned Sparrows Have Arrived
  51. Winter Hermits
  52. Unceasingly Alive: Ruby-crowned Kinglets
  53. Great Horned Owl Duets
  54. Anna’s Hummingbird Courtship
  55. Anna’s Hummingbird Nests
  56. Robins in Winter
  57. Siskins, Salmonella, and Safe Feeding
  58. Red-tails in Flight
  59. The Unpredictable Pleasures of Waxwings
  60. Safe Birdfeeding in Early Spring
  61. Titmice Sing, Titmice Talk
  62. The Palm-Leaf Orioles
  63. Doves and the Grace of Gentleness
  64. The Elfin Violet-green Swallow
  65. Biking with the Birds
  66. The Songs of Linnets
  67. Mount Burdell in Spring
  68. Song of the Green-backed Goldfinch
  69. Seeing Baby Birds
  70. Tools for Learning the Birds
  71. Crows in California
  72. Brown Chippies Stick Together
  73. The Birds that Never Leave
  74. Here Come the Birds of Fall
  75. Titmice are the Soul of the Oaks
  76. Woodpeckers of Marin
  77. Listening to Waxwings
  78. Attracting Birds in Winter

Photo at top: Dark-eyed Junco by S. Hunt