Robins a-Rovin'

At this time of year quite large flocks of American robins search for food, stripping trees of their berries and moving on to the next ones… These were active at dawn this morning in the almond tree whose buds are starting to think about busting out.

Wilson's Snipe

I joined the Davis Bike Club slow ride this morning as the adjunct birder. We toured West and North Ponds and found snipe at each. Frosty morning with no wind turned into a gorgeous day by noon…

White-crowned sparrow

On Sunday morning, I heard a sickening thwack. It was really hard. No bird hitting a window that hard could survive it, and this one didn’t.

American Robin

Sitting almost dazed, soaking up the sun (it’s chilly).

Crow

Happy New Year.

I have some sketches to scan but here’s one for now, to be getting on with. Disruptions of odd schedules are over. I’m hoping to be getting more regular sketches posted on Bird by Bird; thanks for bearing with me!

Cooper's Hawk

As Numenius said, we’ve had a Cooper’s hawk hanging around looking for small birds. Today it was perched in the almond tree and seems very tame: I was able to get close enough to paint it for quite a while.

Ferruginous Hawk

Hope you’re not getting sick of ferruginous hawk sketches, because I’m certainly not getting sick of having one in the yard! We’ve had an awful lot of rain the past few days and this bird seems to be hoping for drowning gophers. I actually saw it hovering, something I knew red-tails did occasionally but had no experience of with ferruginous hawks…

Happy Solstice, everyone, and welcome back to the light…

Sharp-shinned Hawk

The heavy frost from two nights ago and some north winds have denuded the walnut trees fast. This sharpie was sitting in a walnut tree waiting for his chance for some robins, or waxwings, or juncos.

Ferruginous Hawk

A heavy frost this morning, and the ferruginous was back, sunning itself on the phone pole. I went and sat on an inverted box in my dressing gown to draw it before it flew off.

I’m not sure my poor beet seedlings can take too much more of this cold; I should cover them this evening, though it may be too late.

Say's Phoebe

A quick flash of sepia belly… it snowed today, though I didn’t see it.

These birds are longer than black phoebes but get harrassed by them a lot.