Backyard birds of... Sacramento, California

Golden-crowned Sparrow, Jackson Bottom, Hillsboro, Oregon on 8 December 2007 by Greg Gillson.

 

The following common yardbirds are found in Sacramento, California and the nearby Cosumnes River Preserve, about 22 miles south of Sacramento.

The seasons listed are those when most common, though some individuals may occur at other seasons.

California Quail, year-round
Rock Pigeon, year-round
Mourning Dove, year-round
Nuttall's Woodpecker, year-round
Downy Woodpecker, year-round
Northern Flicker, year-round
Black Phoebe, year-round
Ash-throated Flycatcher, spring, summer
Western Kingbird, spring, summer
Tree Swallow, spring, summer
Cliff Swallow, spring, summer, fall
Barn Swallow, spring, summer, fall
Western Scrub-Jay, year-round
Yellow-billed Magpie, year-round
American Crow, year-round
Plain Titmouse, year-round
Bushtit, year-round
White-breasted Nuthatch, year-round
Bewick's Wren, year-round
House Wren, spring, summer, fall
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, winter, spring
Western Bluebird, year-round
Hermit Thrush, winter, spring
American Robin, fall, winter, spring
Wrentit, year-round
Cedar Waxwing, fall, winter, spring
European Starling, year-round
Orange-crowned Warbler, spring, fall
Yellow-rumped Warbler, fall, winter, spring
Common Yellowthroat, spring, summer, fall
Wilson's Warbler, spring, fall
Western Tanager, spring, fall
Black-headed Grosbeak, spring, summer
Blue Grosbeak, summer
Lazuli Bunting, summer
Spotted Towhee, year-round
Savannah Sparrow, fall, winter, spring
Song Sparrow, year-round
Lincoln's Sparrow, fall, winter, spring
Golden-crowned Sparrow, fall, winter, spring
White-crowned Sparrow, fall, winter, spring
Dark-eyed Junco, fall, winter, spring
Red-winged Blackbird, year-round
Western Meadowlark, fall, winter, spring
Brewer's Blackbird, year-round
Brown-headed Cowbird, spring, summer, fall
Bullock's Oriole, spring, summer
House Finch, year-round
American Goldfinch, year-round
House Sparrow, year-round

This checklist is based on information provided in the
Cosumnes River Preserve bird checklist; Cosumnes River Preserve Site Guide; and Sacramento Audubon Society.

Juvenile Green Heron

Green Heron, Fernhill Wetlends, Forest Grove, Oregon on 7 September 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

It was a gloomy morning on Monday. Low clouds scraped the hills nearby. The vegetation at Fernhill Wetlands was dripping with water from recent rain. What else would you expect on a holiday in western Oregon?

There were several Green Herons around the ponds. They were mostly hidden by the tall grass at the pond's edge. They would fly out before I would see them on the shore. This young bird stayed out a bit in the "open" long enough for me to get off a couple of photos.

In the Pacific Northwest, Green Herons nest in small quiet ponds west of the Cascades and in the Klamath basin. They barely reach sw British Columbia. They are transients east of the Cascades.

They are tiny compared to the Great Blue Heron, just a bit over 1/3 of the size, in fact. They always stay hidden around the pond edge and don't stand out in the fields or spend much time on the open mudlfats like the Great Blue Heron.

Adults differ from this juvenile bird in that they are greenish-blue on the wings, with a chestnut-colored back and side of neck.

Orange-crowned Warbler... So where is the orange?

Orange-crowned Warbler, Hagg Lake, Washington Co., Oregon on 15 May 2008 by Greg Gillson.

 

Have you seen the violet on the Violet-green Swallow? Have you seen the neck ring on the Ring-necked Duck? Have you seen the orange crown on the Orange-crowned Warbler?

Sometimes it seems that the people who named some of the birds chose the most obscure marks and skipped the obvious. Perhaps that is excusable with the Orange-crowned Warbler. After all, it is an unremarkable little green warbler. It has no contrasting wing bars, tail spots, or spectacles as do some of the other warblers. It has no black throat patch, no stripes on the back, no bright rump patch.

But rather than name this bird the Unremarkable Warbler or the Dull-green Warbler, naturalist Thomas Say searched carefully and found that the base of the feathers on the crown of the male are, indeed, orange in color. He then cleverly chose the scientific species name celata, which means "concealed," in reference to this hidden orange crown.

Orange-crowned Warblers breed in forest edges across Canada and Alaska, and in the West from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast, south as far as Texas and nw Baja, Mexico. They winter in the Gulf States and into Mexico.

The population of these birds breeding in the Pacific Northwest, from the Cascades westward (as in the photos above and below) are, if you can believe it, brighter and more colorful than the northern and Rocky Mountain forms, which have grayish heads.

Do you see the orange crown now? Orange-crowned Warbler, Hagg Lake, Washington Co., Oregon on 3 May 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

These birds are the earliest warblers to arrive in the Pacific NW (not counting Townsend's and Yellow-rumped Warblers, which winter west of the Cascades). They usually start to appear in mid March. They are abundant migrants in April and early May. They start leaving our area in August, and most are gone by mid-October. But some birds may attempt to winter west of the Cascades in brushy tangles near unfrozen water where insects may remain.

You may have these birds visit your yard during the peak of spring migration. However, they prefer to breed in tangled deciduous or mixed woods, usually in willows near water. If you live along the coast or lower foothills in such "woodsy" habitats, you may have them in your yard all summer. But for most bird watchers in the Northwest, finding this bird regularly will require visiting nearby wet streamside woods.

What bird is that?... Questions and answers

Goldfinch Wine? American Goldfinch, Washington Co., Oregon on 16 May 2008 by Greg Gillson.

 

Question: Hi Greg. First of all, very beautiful photos on your site!

Secondly, I'm looking for a list of birds that make their homes in Washington, Oregon and Northern Cal. The bird must exist in all three states, and these states should be where most of the population of these birds exist. It would be especially good if they were found in vineyards.

I'm trying to name a wine after one of these birds. Can you help me?

Oh, and I need to have the name figured out by Thursday...

Thanks!

Peggy

Answer: Interesting question, Peggy.

Oregon bird checklist
Washington bird checklist
California bird checklist

Can I make a few suggestions as to birds that may be found in vineyards in
these three areas and may be appropriate names for wines? How about...

Cedar Waxwing
House Wren
Western Bluebird
Black-capped Chickadee
Mourning Dove
Barn Swallow
Swainson's Thrush
Western Tanager
Purple Finch
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
American Goldfinch

Great Blue Heron in flight

Great Blue Heron, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 26 August 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

Here is a recent photo of a Great Blue Heron. For more information check our earlier discussion about this species.