Black-chinned Sparrow on Kitchen Creek Road

I didn't find my first Black-chinned Sparrow until 2014, the first spring after I moved to San Diego. I see it about 5 times a year now, in the montane chaparral with dead tree limbs sticking above it--just like the photo below.

The bouncing ball song is like an Orange-crowned Warbler and Wrentit song merged together.

Black-chinned Sparrow. April 28, 2019. Kitchen Creek Road, San Diego County, California.

Queen Butterfly at Agua Caliente

Out in the desert in late April I noted many orange butterflies with black lines in the wing. I'm sure these veins have some special name, but I haven't really studied butterflies. I do, though, photograph them when I get the chance.

I was told they were Viceroy butterflies, and I knew that Viceroy and Monarch butterflies were very similar. However, later I learned that they were Queen Butterflies (Danaus gilippus)--a name I'd never heard before. Sure enough, the many white spots amid wing identify this species.

Queen Butterfly. April 28, 2019. Agua Caliente, California.

White-winged Dove at Agua Caliente

This dove was perched in such a nice location in a palo verde tree. Too bad the noon light was so harsh, casting strong shadows over most of the bird. Well, drop the contrast and bring up the shadows and drop the highlights in post-processing. Acceptable but not beautiful.

The cooing of this dove is more than a little suggestive of Barred Owl: "Who cooks for you?" The habitat preferences between the two species couldn't be more different, however (swamps and deciduous woodlands for the owl, dry scrub deserts for the dove).

White-winged Dove. April 28, 2019. Agua Caliente, California.

California Quail at Agua Caliente

You'd think that the quail of the Anza-Borrego Desert would be the Gambel's Quail. But California Quail is actually more common here. This is one of only a couple of areas where California and Gambel's Quail come into contact. They hybridize in this overlap zone. Reports of either species, especially Gambel's should pay attention to any mixed characters, especially the crown (red or brown), forehead (black or yellow), and lower breast (unmarked cream or scaled).

If you are interested in the identification of hybrid quail and their separation in the field, see my post: ID Hybrid California x Gambel's Quail.

California Quail. April 28, 2019. Agua Caliente, California.

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher at Agua Caliente

The male Black-tailed Gnatcatchers have fully black caps now that they are in their breeding plumage. The light is pretty harsh, with strong shadows, on this bird photographed at noon in a mesquite tree. So, a good documentation photo, but not an artistic one.

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. April 28, 2019. Agua Caliente, California.