Anna's Hummingbirds ☼ Backyard Blooms

I'm delighted that my new Calla Lily and Lily of the Nile are attracting hummingbirds to my backyard! How wonderful to watch them dart from flower to colorful flower and enjoy a beautiful sip of nature...

Let's go birding!

 

Backyard Anna's Hummingbird

This isn't the greatest footage I've ever taken (it was shot through a tinted window), but I just had to share this little sweetheart who visited us while our succulents were in bloom...

Let's go birding!

 

Delightful Greeter

We were greeted at the Sacramento NWR Visitor Center by this beautiful hummingbird...

Let's go birding!

 

Backyard Birds ☼ New Friends

I'd like to introduce you to my backyard buddy! This Black-chinned beauty has been camped out at my hummingbird feeder, and I have to say that it's comforting to look out and see him there every day.

He's claimed our feeder as his own, and doesn't tolerate any visitors. This immature male Anna's hummingbird was promptly chased away, but not before voicing his protests...

I'm also excited to announce the sighting of our first-ever Ash-throated Flycatcher! At first glance, I thought it was a Western Kingbird, but this guy's yellow belly is more pale and has a peaked crown. "Peaked crown" is what allaboutbirds.org calls it, but I, of course, referred to it as "that kingbird's hair was all messed up."

Let's go birding!

New Year, New Birds

I'm raring to grab my camera, go out and find me some birds to photograph!

Which birds are you hoping to spot this year?

Summer Hummers

It's been incredibly hot here in good ole Californ-i-a, so we haven't been able to go to our usual birding haunts--our local wildlife refuges. However, I have had a TON of activity at my hummingbird feeders! Is anyone else out there going through a gallon of nectar a week like I am?

Anywho, here are a few of my greedy backyard visitors in all of their sequined beauty...

Too HOT To Handle

Greetings from sweltering, sunny California!

Guess what. It's been much too hot to go birding :(

Hanging out of your car window in the triple digit heat, looking for birds to take photos of on the refuge auto tour, isn't as fun as it sounds. So, here are some of my backyard birds to tide you over until the outdoors become bearable again.

Anna's Hummingbird

Savannah Sparrow

Western Scrub-Jay

Eurasian Collared Dove

American Goldfinch (at the wrong feeder!)

House Sparrow

Here's hoping that summer doesn't hang on until Halloween like last year!!!
~RV

Another shot of whiskey--

--town, that is!

The highlight of our visit to Whiskeytown Lake has to be the Common Mergansers we saw at Clear Creek.

As we were crossing the little footbridge, we noticed three females on the rocks below.

As we were leaving, we heard a whacka-whacka sound coming from the trees in the parking lot and low and behold there was an Acorn Woodpecker!

These awesome looking birds are my favorite woodpeckers!

They have the prettiest eyes and who wouldn't love that red mohawk hair-do?!

Oh, and this pretty little hummingbird was chirping away in the trees, too...

Tomorrow, I'll be posting pics of the Cormorants we saw airing out their wings at Whiskeytown Lake.