My Favorite Bird Photos! (photo-essay)

Since I got my Canon SX100si camera a couple of months ago, I've taken many, many shots of our Northern California birds... So, I thought I'd put some of my very favorite ones in one article for you to see!

Here's a bird we have a LOT of around here in the oak woodlands of Northern California (I caught this photo of a female in the oak tree in my front yard): A woodpecker!

And here's another type of woodpecker called a "flicker"... This one is a female "red-shafted flicker" that I also found on the property where I live here in Cloverdale in Sonoma County:

They're SUCH intriquing looking birds with their black and white spots and red tails! Don't you think?

We also have lots of different types of sparrows. Here is one in "macro" -- the (male) "white-crowned sparrow":

How about that bright yellow on his little cap?

Speaking of bright yellow -- Here's a shot of a "yellow-rumped warbler" called "Audobon's":

But for bright yellow and orange color, you can't beat the fabulous "Bullock's oriole"!

Here's a rare find -- a male "cedar waxwing"! I just LOVE their little black masks edged in white! They look to me like they're going off to attend a masquerade ball!

One day, this little juvenile Anna's hummingbird flew up and lit on a tree branch not 4 feet in front of me and I was able to take several "macro shots" of him... This is my favorite one because, to me, he looks like he's SMILING! (Look at that little "squinty" eye!)

For comparison, I wanted you see the amazing color that the mature male Anna's has on his head:

It looks like it's "sequined" to me!

Next is the mated pair of "California quail" that regularly take their daily "constitutional" down the driveway in front of my house:

The little female looks like she's not too happy about me taking her picture, doesn't she?

Another very common bird around our neck of the woods (and, I suspect, many of YOUR necks of the woods...) is the wild turkey. I caught this photo of a "rogue" male at Luther Burbank's Gold Ridge Farm in Sebastopol, California (about 30 miles or so from where I live) but we have lots of them around my house here in Cloverdale, too:

While we're on the subject of "other places", I just loved this shot of a "mallard duck" that I snapped while we were out on my stepson's speedboat on Clearlake in Lake County, Northern California (about 100 miles from where I live) because of how the water looks in the shot:

What photo-essay about local birds would be complete without a shot of the "red-tailed hawk" in flight? Magnificent!

And I always think the little "marsh wren" looks so "perky"!

And here's a colorful little male "spotted towhee" with his black hood, white "vest" and orange wings!

And here's a wonderful bird that I'd never even SEEN before (much less photographed) before I caught this shot at Lake Sonoma in Sonoma County (just a few miles from my house): The "belted kingfisher"!

The belted kingfisher holds special meaning to me since one appears on my paternal family's coat of arms!

Occasionally, it's not the rarity or the beauty of the bird itself in the photo that's the best thing about it... As demonstrated in this silouhette shot of a little "oak titmouse":

And because both the male and female "bushtits" were captured together in this next shot:

Aren't they just the SWEETEST little things?

I've saved the best for last... The "money shot": The male "western bluebird"!!!

I hope you enjoyed seeing my photographs of our local Northern California birds as much as I enjoyed showing them to you!

Happy birding!

jean