california

This is an immature male with an all rufous mantle apparently starting to molt in its red gorget. The black feathers in the corner of the throat are iridescent red when the light hits them at the right angle. This species normally breeds along the West Coast from Oregon to Alaska and winters...

My best photo of one, always trick to photograph these secretive sparrows. They really like the poison oak.

White crowned sparrows celebrating world sparrow day :)

This is a rare visitor to California with most records in late Fall and winter. This individual was first noted on 16 February but went missing until 17 March after which it has been delighting visitors to the Guadalupe River trail daily. This morning it was giving its raspy "fee-bee” song...

After a hard freeze overnight, these warblers were feeding in the grass. You can see ice crystals from frozen dew. This bird is a male molting into breeding plumage. The name coronata refers to the usually concealed yellow crown patch visible in this photo. This is the typical Western form S...

I chose this portrait to illustrate the perforate septum of its nostrils so you can see through from one side to the other, a unique feature of American vultures. There is likely an adaptive function to this structure, increasing air flow so they can smell better than other birds. In fact they...

Chased this Vermilion Flycatcher down and back an entire fence line yesterday. He never let me get closer than 15 meters darting after another insect then back to the fence a little further away, little spooker! lol

When there's too many subjects to capture...huge flock of Turkey Vultures.

Most flycatchers are drab and cryptic, but the Vermilion Flycatcher breaks all the rules. This little firecracker is a rarity in Northern California, mostly in winter. This adult male was first seen in July-August 2019, again last Summer 2020 and now back as of last week. Thus a summering bird...

Had an amazing encounter yesterday with Bobcats, Raptors and Hummers in the River Bed. This male Anna's let me inch my way within feet and posed for minutes while his mate landed on a branch close by and did the same. They were resting not bothered by me after a lengthy chase session with each...

This is a female showing a single white cheek patch and a small white square wing patch which is often hidden on swimming birds. This small diving duck is endemic to North America but vagrants sometimes show up in Europe and Asia. They are winter visitors to our area from breeding grounds in...

The cinnamon brown neck ring that gives this species its name, is rarely seen unless the neck is stretched and the light is just right. This species is a fairly common migrant and increasing winter visitor primarily to fresh-water lakes and ponds in our area. The peaked head shape is distinctive...

This is a male. Both sexes are similar to Greater Scaup but distinguished with care by Lesser Scaup's narrower head as seen here. Also the bill has a smaller dark nail at the tip than Greater Scaup. This is a winter visitor to our area. Formerly more common, their numbers seem to have...

This young female American Kestrel let me creep in closer and closer while perching yesterday. The river bed has seen an increase in raptor activity lately which I love. :)

March 11 Los Angeles, CA My cousin finally got a picture of the tail feathers of a hummingbird and I need confirmation on whether it is rufous or Allen’s. It is not the best picture but I believe the feathers can be seen clearly enough. Any help would be appreciated.

This is a male. Sometimes called "American Scoter" they are an uncommon and locally distributed winter visitor to the coast of California. This one was diving with a flock of Surf Scoters close to shore where the waves were breaking. Formerly considered conspecific with the Common Scoter (M...

This is a rare visitor to our coast but several have been seen on some of our local beaches in recent weeks. They breed in the Arctic but usually disperse out to sea in the winter. This is an adult in winter plumage showing the "dipped in ink" wing-tips and black feet. Note the dark "ear-muffs"...

Here is a video of these falcons mating high on a cliff overlooking Devil's Slide. Sorry about the camera shake and noise during the action. I got rattled by the machine gun sound of all the photographers' camera shutters going off drowning out the sounds made by the birds. As in most...

In a typical pose with cocked tail, this iconic ground cuckoo of the arid American Southwest paused with crest raised, perhaps on the lookout for small reptiles. The blue and red eye markings are bare skin known as the postorbital apterium. This is primarily blue in females while males also show...

A female Cooper's Hawk finds a spot to call out to her mate during a game of hide n seek I had the pleasure to witness. :)

This little Anna's hummingbird seemed upset as I was trying to get closer for the shot.

Just if I had the iso maybe one setting lower.

Perched up high in a Cottonwood tree on the lookout for an evening snack.

My first of this subspecies P. s. beldingi