The most notable seasonal event in backyard birding is the fall arrival of the winter sparrows. Read this article to learn about the backyard stalwarts, the white-crowned and golden-crowned sparrows, as well as their less ubiquitous comrades.
Author: Jack
Swift Migration at the McNear Brickyard
Each year in September and October, thousands of Vaux’s swifts roost in the unused chimneys of McNear’s Brickyard in San Rafael. A sunset visit here is one of the highlights of fall bird migration.
Shorebirds II: The Sandpipers
In the first part of this pair of posts introducing our local shorebirds, I covered the three smaller families of shorebirds in Northeast Marin, together comprising seven species among the stilts and avocets, plovers, and oystercatchers. Today, I follow up with the extensive and varied array of birds belonging to our most diverse shorebird family, the sandpipers.
Shorebirds I: The Smaller Families
Our local selection of shorebirds includes representatives from four taxonomic families: the stilts and avocets, the plovers, one oystercatcher , and a host of widely varying birds in the sandpiper family. Today, I’ll share the general skinny on shorebirds in our area and present a brief tour of the seven birds of the first three families; a follow-up article will discuss the remaining 16 species of the diverse sandpiper family.
Minor Trees Part II: Small Trees and Shrubs
Today I’ll tell you about our two most important small trees not yet profiled – hazel and blue elderberry – and while I’m here dealing with woody plants of modest dimensions, I’ll also give a brief glance to three of our most common and notable shrubs: coyote bush, coffeeberry, and huckleberry.
Minor Trees Part I: Riparian
I’ve been covering our most notable trees at arguably excessive length. Here, I’ll quickly take care of a swathe of less common local trees, focusing on our riparian – or streamside – species.
Big Year #5: July Update
I last updated the world on my Thoreauvian Big Year – an attempt to see as many bird species as possible within a 10-mile, foot- or bike-powered journey – in mid-April. Since then, I’ve clawed my way up to 183 species, adding 15 more birds to the year list. There are some interesting ones!
Valley Oak
The valley oak is the monarch of all western oaks, and perhaps of all the oaks of North America. Even in their grandest individuals, few other species attain the vast, sweeping spread that Quercus lobata regularly achieves. Here in Novato, we are fortunate to have some class A, first-rate, top-shelf valley oak habitat. While more coastal parts of the county do excel us in conifer forests, our relatively drier inland climate offers the ample consolation of the noble valley oak savanna.
Seeing Baby Birds
Birds follow a more or less regular schedule: May and June are when baby birds are everywhere you look. Yet except for a few ubiquitous water birds, namely mallards and Canada geese, most birds pass their brief adolescence in near invisibility as far as the human majority is concerned. This article will tell you how to lift that veil – what to look for in order to see more baby birds.