I'm convinced spring is here.
Of course, since it's southern California, technically spring is always here anyway. It's 90 degrees out right now. What I wouldn't do for some darn snow!
The swallows arrived a month or so ago, of course. You know what they say: The early bird gets the worm
(Okay fine, that doesn't even make sense. Whatever, you get the idea).
NRWS at Laguna Niguel.
They're already seeking out nesting sites! SJ Wildlife Sanctuary.
Today, I was surprised by one of my favorite summer friends....
I was reminiscing about spring migration and getting ready to put my feeder back out for the beloved Hooded Orioles. The feeder was buried under a mountain of dust and trash under my bed and the nectar had been sitting in the refrigerator for a year (yeah, I'm probably going to throw it out) when my brother called me over.
"There's a SPOTTED TOWHEE on the plate!"
Now, naturally I was surprised because Spotted Towhees NEVER come to my feeder. They prefer to shamefully scratch under the cover of the briars and thorns. I toss out handfuls of sunflower seed out on the ground for them and the White-crowned Sparrows. '
Of course, it wasn't a Spotted Towhee.
The Black-headed Grosbeaks are back in my yard!!
Last year they had a lot of fun annoying the House Sparrows by pecking their feet at the birdbath (We no longer have House Sparrows here. That's not because of the Grosbeaks, though).
"Is that a House Sparrow?"
"Get out of here, pipsqueak!"
BOOM!
A couple days ago I also sighted the first Hooded Oriole of the year (which was why I was getting out the Oriole feeder) sitting in the magnolia tree. These guys were a blast last year. 10+ would come scrabbling and fighting on the feeder silently. They were all quite amusing to watch!
"Outta here! This is MY turf!"
"Uh-oh - it's stuck!"
Male Oriole having a splash.
(No pun intended)
Different orioles like to eat in their own different ways.
I haven't seen any spring warblers yet, unfortunately. It's only a matter of time....
What are some of your favorite summer bird residents?
For the next two days, there won't be any updates. I'm going on a two-day birding trip and will give full details and info when I get back!
Happy birding,
chiccadee
I like your blog. There is a good balance of pictures and writing, which along with your good writing, makes it interesting to read. Nice shots, too!
ReplyDeleteEven I have seen a wood-warbler this spring! I had a Palm Warbler in my yard yesterday!
At least Black-headed Grosbeaks partially resemble Spotted Towhees from long range. How old is your brother?
You don't know what your lifelist is? *gasp* I keep track of mine in a spreadsheet on numbers on my Mac. I write down date, number, species, their ABA code, place, city, ect. Lots of details.
Orioles and Grosbeaks here are signs of Summer! :D