Observations by jolynnejones

Not sure about this one, but it is the reddest of the squirrels in the area. More of a mixed red-grey coat making me think is a melano with a red gene.

I read in Roger Caras' Mammals of North America that the Eastern Red Squirrel had not gone as far south as the central coast of CA. However, his book was written in 1967.

Anybody have an idea?

Another frequent visitor to our backyard feeder. We get both male and female and later we will see them bringing young to the feeder and teaching them how to get the seed.

black head, female has white stripes on head, black and white speckled wings, underneath part of wings is yellow, female breast is a pale orange, males has darker orange breast.

Used this image as it was taken on May 25th. Adding others from another time.

Have been seeing them for 8 years here.

Was high in a tree near a pond. Drew attention to itself with a lovely tweet that I did not recognize. Even with a 400 lens, could not get a good view.

Second photo shows back side that is brown. The lower bill is definitely a yellow-orange. Forked tail makes me think it is a flycatcher.

Thanks to John D for identification

REDWING BLACKBIRD MALE
RED EPAULETS ARE BRIGHT ORANGE-RED. HE IS AMONG THE REEDS AT THE POND AT THE END OF OUR STREET. MAKES HIS CALL MORNING AND AFTERNOON WITH THE LOW SWEET WHISTLE. THERE ARE FEMALES ALSO AT THE POND.

BRIGHT GOLD, JUST BEGINNING TO CHANGE ITS PLUMAGE FOR MATING. STILL SOME SPOTS OF WINTER PLUMAGE VISIBLE. THERE WAS A FEMALE WITH THIS BIRD. THEY WERE FEEDING ON YELLOW WILD FLOWERS ALONG SIDE AN ARTICHOKE FIELD.

HAWK-LIKE BIRD, HAVE SEEN HARRIERS IN THE AREA, BUT BECAUSE IT DID NOT FLY, WAS NOT SURE. SEEMS TO BE SOME WHITE ON BACK.

FIRST TIME TO SEE THIS BIRD ON THE ONE TREE IN THE AREA. IT IS USUALLY OCCUPIED BY BLACK-SHOULDERED KITES.

SMALL WHITE SHOREBIRD, SCURRIES ALONG, STOPS AND THEN DARTS AGAIN. GREAT CAMOUFLAGE,
ALL BUT TWO BIRDS THAT I HAVE SEEN ALONG THIS BEACH ARE BANDED. I HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH A SNOWY PLOVER PROJECT AND THEY CAN IDENTIFY EACH BIRD. THEY ARE NESTING RIGHT NOW AND THE AREA IS ROPED OFF.

THEY SEEM TO NESTLE INTO THE SAND FROM TIME TO TIME. THEY DO GO TO THE WATER'S EDGE, BUT NOT OFTEN

GREY SQUIRREL, WHITE BELLY, SOME HAVE WHITE AROUND EARS, SEE AT OUR FEEDER DAILY.

When several people identified this as an Eastern Grey Squirrel, I thought, "in CA?"

So I went where I should have gone to begin with: North American Animals of the U.S. and Canada by Roger Caras - one of my favorite books!

This grey squirrel is found in WA, OR, and CA.

The Rockies are the barrier to the Eastern Grey.

See it daily, year-round. This medium size hummingbird is a year-round resident of the Pacific Coast from Washington to Baja.

This female dominates our backyard chasing away males and Allen's hummingbirds.