Juncos: The same, but different

In 1973 a half dozen forms of juncos, formerly all treated as separate species, were all lumped as one: and thereafter known as the Dark-eyed Junco. Because they look quite different from one another, birders often report the various forms with their previous names--even after 45 years.

Recently I found a flock of juncos in San Diego County that contained several forms: Oregon, Slate-colored, Cassiar, and Gray-headed. If I looked longer I may have been able to find Pink-sided, too, to complete all the forms expected in the county. The Oregon form is a resident of the San Diego mountains and a common winter visitor throughout the county. The other forms mentioned above are numerically rare, but regular annually in winter.

I was able to successfully photograph the Oregon, Slate-colored, and Gray-headed forms on a recent morning visit to Oak Hill Memorial Park Cemetery in Escondido. I was not able to get a photo of the Cassiar Junco that was also present. It is a disputed form, some think it a hybrid between Oregon and Slate-colored, others disagree. [See: Not a Slate-colored Junco! The Cassiar Junco.]

"Oregon Junco"

"Slate-colored Junco"

"Gray-headed Junco"

"Gray-headed Junco"

My favorite form right now is the Gray-headed Junco, because it is a form I have rarely seen before. It breeds from southern Idaho and Wyoming to northern Arizona and New Mexico. It is resident in the Grand Canyon area. It is regular, but rare in winter here in the San Diego area. In fact, the only Dark-eyed Junco forms north of Mexico that aren't regular here in winter are White-winged and Red-backed.

California Towhee

Here are a couple of photos of an obliging California Towhee from a couple of weeks ago. The dark background on the second photo is especially pleasing, I think.

California Towhee. Imperial Beach, California. November 30, 2016. Greg Gillson.

I'm trying to envision how to draw this lower photo with its brown bird against the stark black background with graphite pencil. It has good contrast so I'd have to push the black as deep as it will go. I want to try it, but don't have the confidence in my abilities right now. I think that with more practice on other drawings I will have the necessary technique and confidence to tackle this challenge in the future. Of course, there's no reason not to redraw this bird several times to get better and better. Hmm...., but not today.

Update: December 30, 2016. I decided to give it a try...

Ruddy Duck sketch

It's been a dozen year since the last time I did any drawing. I've never had any training, but did some acceptable pen-and-ink drawings and pencil sketches in the past. For the past month or so I've been watching videos by Jack Laws and bought some pencils and a sketchbook and have been following the drawing techniques that Mr. Laws discusses on his blog posts and videos.

I did some drawings last week based on photos I took last month, but think I've followed the directions more closely in this recent drawing. I'd never done shading before. Still need some practice with water....

Here is the result (a photograph of my drawing--the original is on white paper, not gray).

Here is the original photograph on which the drawing was based.

Ruddy Duck. Dixon Lake, Escondido, California. November 30, 2016. Greg Gillson.

Oddly, I tipped the bill towards the viewer too much. And I need help with the eye. But it's a start. The rest is practice. I need to draw more to get better, not necessarily learn more techniques. "Each drawing is just practice for the next one," as Laws says.

Black and yellow

Well, I went looking for a reported rare Pine Warbler, a bird I've never seen before. I still have never seen a Pine Warbler...

But I did manage several photos of a bright Townsend's Warbler. These birds breed in the pine mountains of the West. Most winter in Mexico, but not this one.

Townsend's Warbler. Imperial Beach, California. November 25, 2016. Greg Gillson.

Black and red

A very few Vermilion Flycatchers are resident in San Diego's North County. Otherwise they are rare annual winter visitors. One winter location they are regular is in the Tijuana River Valley. There are four birds that recently arrived for winter at the Sunset Avenue ball fields in Imperial Beach.

These are small flycatchers, phoebe-like in behavior. Their winter habitat is large lawns--golf courses, cemeteries, ball fields. They frequently perch on lone saplings and fence posts, and sally out to chase flying insects at lawn-level.

Adult males are a hurt-your-eyes reddish-orange on the crown and under parts. They have a black mask, nape, back, rump, wings, and tail.

Vermilion Flycatcher. Imperial Beach, California. November 25, 2016. Greg Gillson.

Paler male, likely one year old.

There were two birds that appeared to be young females.

American Pipits in Imperial Beach

A rare Red-throated Pipit had been spotted at the baseball fields on Sunset Avenue. Several birders had searched unsuccessfully the next morning. I joined them for a while. And while no Red-throated Pipit, with their strongly striped backs, was present I did have an opportunity to photograph American Pipits. These turned out to be some of the best photos of these birds I've yet taken of these hyperactive birds.

Breeding on mountaintop snowfields, in winter pipits feed by chasing insects on the bare ground or short grass fields or shorelines. They merge and split into flocks of various sizes on the ground, but easily take low flight together when approached too closely or alarmed by a bird of prey flying overhead--when they may flush high and away completely.

Here, however, they've grown accustomed to dog walkers and others using the fields when no games or practices are occurring. As they walk quickly forward with horizontal posture they jerk their head forward with each step and constantly bob their tails. Thus, many of my attempted photos have been blurred by the movements of head or tail.

Sometimes, though, they pull up suddenly, raise their heads erect, and freeze--but just for a second.

American Pipit. Imperial Beach, California. November 25, 2016. Greg Gillson.

Grackle bath time

I recently came upon a Great-tailed Grackle taking a bath in the lagoon formed at the San Luis Rey River mouth.

He had waded belly-deep into the shallows and spread his tail widely...

Great-tailed Grackle. Oceanside, California. November 6, 2016. Greg Gillson.

He made an amazing splashing...

How? He opened his wings slightly, rocked side-to-side and flapped his mostly-closed wings, dipping his head underwater, bringing it out and shaking it. Notice the nictitating membrane covering his eye...

Now, not quite so violently; letting the spray settle...

Resting before starting again...

It feels so good!

Great Horned Owl at San Elijo Lagoon

On a recent hike at San Elijo Lagoon, on the Nature Center trail, I was alerted to this sleeping Great Horned Owl by a couple of hummingbirds buzzing around it like mad bees.

Great Horned Owl. San Elijo Lagoon, California. November 6, 2016. Greg Gillson.

Great Horned Owls begin their nesting season early--often by late December. They are frequently heard calling during this period. They don't build their own nests, but use the old nests of Common Ravens, Red-tailed Hawks, and Red-shouldered Hawks.

These owls are uncommon but spread out over the entire county--even in the cities. People in general are more tolerant of birds-of-prey than in the past. Thus, ravens and hawks are thriving in urban and residential areas, and the old raptor nests that the Great Horned Owls need are readily found.

In the chaparral around Dixon Lake

I went out birding for the morning on November 20th in the chaparral north of Dixon Lake on the edge of Daley Ranch.

The two primary plant species in this area are chamise and laurel sumac, with yucca (our Lord's candle), and mission manzanita, with scrub oaks and coyote brush in the ravines. So it seems to fit the sparse waist to chest-high chamise chaparral habitat type tending toward the thicker southern mixed chaparral in the wetter ravine bottoms.

I took the 1/2 mile long and unlabeled Chaparral Nature Trail starting at Jack Creek Picnic Area of Dixon Lake Park and found the typical chaparral species--California Towhee, Wrentit, California Thrasher, Bewick's Wren, Spotted Towhee, House Wren, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, California Gnatcatcher. I was also looking for wintering Fox Sparrows. There are three forms possible: Sooty, Thick-billed, and Slate-colored. I don't have any photos of the local Thick-billed Fox Sparrows (stephensi?). I heard a half dozen Fox Sparrows, but didn't get good looks until I saw a Slate-colored form at the Jack's Creek picnic area--the most common, based on my relatively few personal winter sightings.

Inquisitive Oak Titmouse in scrub oak, Dixon Lake, California. November 20, 2016. Greg Gillson.

California Thrasher

Hermit Thrush

eBird list for the morning.

Birding site guide to Dixon Lake.