I see hawks flying over the harbor on a daily basis. On occasion since I refilled our bird feeders, I've also seen them swoop overhead, although I've never seen one actually snatch a bird - or a squirrel. I don't often get a photo of them but just before Christmas I noticed one sitting in the neighbors' recently-pruned pine tree. Even though I expected he'd be gone before I could affix a telephoto lens to my camera, I grabbed it anyway. To my surprise, he sat there virtually immobile for more than an hour.
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| Based on the photos I took, it appears he didn't alter his position at all but he did swivel his head around a bit |
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| His gaze seemed focused on activity around the bird feeders in my garden in this shot. I think this was a red-tailed hawk. |
The small birds beat a hasty retreat into the surrounding trees and shrubs when a hawk swings into view; however, they've remained active almost constantly at the feeders and in the fountain.
I recently shared a photo of a bird I identified by default as a immature house finch even though its color wasn't quite right. It was subsequently identified by a commentator as a nutmeg mannikin aka spice finch or scaly-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata).
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| The nutmeg mannikin is native to tropical areas of Asia; however, the Audubon Society has included it on the list of birds present in California. Experts don't believe it migrated to California but rather that caged pets escaped into the wild. It's reportedly been sighted in Los Angeles and Orange Counties since 1997. |
Yesterday, I saw two other birds at the fountain I couldn't place either. I spent a ridiculous amount of time down the bird-ID rabbit hole. The closest I could come to a match was the Indian silverbill (Eurodice malabarica). Like the nutmeg mannikin, the Indian silverbill has been spotted in the wild in California, where it has apparently established itself as a population of escapees.
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| If I've correctly identified these birds (and that's still very much in question), it joins a long list of birds that have escaped from captivity and formed wild flocks. I've been aware of the parakeets and parrots in that category for decades as they proclaim their presence loudly wherever they go but I haven't noticed the diversity within the smaller bird flocks until recently. |
The last wildlife sighting I have to share isn't my own. On Christmas Eve, a friend made a trip to the Ellwood Monarch Butterfly Grove in Goleta, California near our undergraduate alma mater. She gave me permission to share the following photos of the monarchs in this preserve.
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| She indicated that the butterflies were just warming up to greet the day when she took this shot |
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| This is a closer shot showing many with open wings |
Meanwhile, another unusual visitor showed up here yesterday: rain. It started around 2pm and remained light into the evening hours. Hopefully, it'll deliver more overnight.
All material © 2012-2022by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party