Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Birds to know in San Diego: Introduction (Backyard)

You may not believe it--because it certainly was a surprise to me when I found out--but not everyone is as fanatical about bird watching as I am. Shocking, I know.

Over 500 species of birds have been recorded in San Diego County. About 300 of those are regular. I am starting a new little feature to 50 or 60 easily viewable and interesting birds in San Diego County. Towns, beaches, mountains, lagoons, oak woodlands, deserts--each different habitat has different kinds of birds. While some birds are found in nearly every habitat, others are restricted to only a few, or even just one specific habitat.

My hope is that this feature will appeal to those with some general interest in the natural world. Each monthly post will take you to a different location and habitat within the county and highlight 5-9 birds that can be found there. The birds I chose are rather obvious, often large or colorful, and I try to explain something about the life history which I think a general reader would find interesting.

Our first location is the residential backyards. Birds on this list can be found nearly throughout the county in residential areas without much effort. So no specific location is given for this first selection of birds. There are many backyard birds in San Diego. These are a few that I consider most typical.


Update: July 2019: When you are done with this article (and the 6 backyard birds presented here) you may also like my 3-part article on the 30 most common backyard birds of San Diego; the first 10 are here.


Anna's Hummingird. Anza-Borrego Desert, California. January 26, 2014. Greg Gillson.
Anna's Hummingbird
This large hummingbird was formerly nearly a California and northern Baja California endemic. But in the 1970's, following hummingbird nectar feeders and non-native winter-flowering plants, they extended their range northward. They are now resident north to British Columbia, and have expanded eastward to Arizona. There are several other hummingbirds in the West, but this is the only one that is widespread throughout the year. The back and rump are green. Similar San Diego birds: Costa's Hummingbird, Allen's Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Black-chinned Hummingbird.

House Finch. Imperial Beach, California. March 2, 2014. Greg Gillson.
House Finch
These finches are very common around human settlements in loose flocks where they frequent backyard bird seed feeders. Formerly found only in the West and Mexico, they have expanded into nearly the entire Eastern United States, too. They reach only to the southern edge of Canada. Brown-striped, the males show reddish-orange on forehead, breast, and rump. The bird shown above is a rare yellow variant. [See a more recent photo of a typical red-colored House Finch here.] Similar San Diego birds: Purple Finch.

Lesser Goldfinch. Julian, California. July 3, 2015. Greg Gillson.
Lesser Goldfinch
These are tiny flocking birds of chaparral and tree-edged grasslands. They are found from Oregon and southern Idaho south to Middle American and east to western Texas. They are found in residential gardens where they eat thistle seeds and are attracted to water. They have a pleasant lilting song. Similar San Diego birds: American Goldfinch, Lawrence's Goldfinch.

Northern Mockingbird. San Elijo Lagoon, California. March 7, 2008. Greg Gillson.
Northern Mockingbird
This robin-sized gray bird sings nearly non-stop throughout the year and throughout the day and night. The repertoire is practically unlimited, each phrase repeated a few times then on to another one, without any pattern. These mimics often copy the songs of other birds but also mechanical noises. One neighborhood bird in Ventura, California, several years ago did an exact imitation of a gas-powered lawn mower starting on the third pull: "trumm, trumm, trrrrrrrrrrr...." When it flies, it may spread its wings and tail to display the big white wing patches and white outer tail feathers. It eats berries and insects. Look for it singing from tall garden trees and residential wires from the NE US, across the southern plains to California and southward into Mexico and islands of the Caribbean. Similar San Diego birds: Loggerhead Shrike, Western Scrub-Jay, California Thrasher.

Mourning Dove. San Elijo Lagoon, California. March 7, 2008. Greg Gillson.
Mourning Dove
The sad-sounding refrains of this dove are one of the first memories I have of birds. They are found from southern Canada into Middle America in a variety of open habitats, including residential backyards. They primarily eat grain. The long pointed tail helps separate this dove from other similar doves. Similar San Diego birds: Rock Pigeon (Domestic Pigeon), Eurasian Collared-Dove, White-winged Dove, Band-tailed Pigeon, Common Ground-Dove.

Western Scrub-Jay. Santee, California. October 11, 2013. Greg Gillson.
Western Scrub-Jay
This brash and noisy backyard bird is usually obvious when present. Plump and long-tailed, the head, wings, and tail are blue, the back dark gray and the breast and belly pale gray or whitish. They are found from western Washington State south to Mexico and east to Texas. Often aggressive against other backyard birds, these omnivores eat nearly any animal or vegetable matter small enough to swallow. Peanuts are a favorite food. They cache food, carrying it away to bury and hide for later. Similar San Diego birds: Northern Mockingbird, Steller's Jay; perhaps also the smaller Western and Mountain Bluebirds.

Next: Birds to know in San Diego: San Elijo Lagoon

19 comments:

  1. Thankyou. Just what i was looking for.

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  2. I have been seeing a pair of bright goldish yellow birds with black faces and black bars on their wings in our backyard in Coronado. They are about the size of a robin. The tails might have a little grey or white. They look similar to pictures I have seen of Goldfinches, but more definition between colors. I have a picture, but cannot figure out how to attach it here. Any ideas what they might be?

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    1. Lesser Goldfinch would be my best guess. A very common resident bird that matches your description.

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  3. I spotted this small, chubby bird about the size of a sparrow high in a tree in Alcazar Garden in Balboa park. It was getting towards sunset, so it was a little hard to see, but I noticed it because of its song. Head and back were dark, drab brown or grey with a light stripe over the eye. Chest was mostly pale with mottled feathers the same color as back & head. Mottling went from throat to about mid-chest, then the rest of the underside was pale. Its tail was rather long for a small bird. I sure would like to know what kind of bird that was because the song was so nice.

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    1. So many possibilities. I wonder if it was House Finch. It may have been toward dusk enough that the red chest and crown looked mottled gray or brown? They are singing away now. The size shape and pattern seems right for what you describe.

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  4. Ah, that's a yellow rumpled warbler. Not a house finch.

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    1. Wait, it IS a house finch! Check out the rounded, thick bill, lack of eye ring, and lack of yellowish patch near the wing.

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  5. I am new to birdwatching but I am fanatical about it, thank you very much. I live in Washington state and I never knew we had such beautiful birds here. I just started watching them this summer (2019) and bought a small pair of binoculars. I need to get a bigger pair, though. I just had a flock of roughly 200 to 300 brownish or grayish birds right next to my house. All of them were singing at once.Their bellies were lighter in color and they are slightly smaller than a robin. Possibly light gray or beige. I cannot identify them but will keep trying. Any ideads??? They were singing like crazy though. I have seen our state bird, the Goldfinch and the lesser Goldfinch, Cedar Waxwings, Evening Grosbeaks, many Stellar Jay's which, growing up we all knew them as Blue Jay's. Until I bought bird books that is. I know this isnt much to go on but any help would be appreciated. Thank you so much!! I DON'T think it's weird to love birds. Some of our song birds are threatened. Even our Barn Swallows are killed because they are messy but the eat so many bugs and it keeps the bug population down. People, please DON'T KILL Barn Swallows!!! Thanks for your help!!

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    1. Dustyrose, buy binoculars that will last decades, are water proof to survive wet weather, and are bright in low light. I recommend Nikon 8x42 Monarch 5.

      Your birds have to be house sparrows or house finches with that high of numbers.

      Check out an old post of mine on different blog. Google "backyard birds of Portland Oregon."

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  6. I’m seeing a small flock of small brown birds with a dark brown face and head. Most have spotted breast. Some eating grass.
    Not a sparrow or a finch.

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    1. Assuming you are in southern California, these are likely Scaly-breasted Munia, a common finch that are the offspring of escaped cage birds.

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  7. This morning I’m seeing a small flock 5-6 very small and very brown birds (chickadee size). Down on the grass, some eating grass. Not a sparrow or a finch. Very brown some reddish brown, some spotted breast, (babies?).

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    1. Scaly-breasted Munia. Escaped cage birds have built a large and growing population in southern California.

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  8. There is a bird out here that sits or lays in the middle a path or dirt road at night. When you are close it launches into the air in a flurry flapping wings. If you happen to be wearing a headlamp you will see very bright and seemingly impossibly large. It will fly down a short way down the path ,land and do it again.

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  9. There is a bird out here that sits or lays in the middle a path or dirt road at night. When you are close it launches into the air in a flurry flapping wings. If you happen to be wearing a headlamp you will see very bright and seemingly impossibly large. It will fly down a short way down the path ,land and do it again.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This site is just what I have been looking for. New to California. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete

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