Birds I'm Watching: Orange-crowned Warbler

Looking from my living room window into the garden, I was momentarily puzzled by a bird I saw this afternoon bathing in the fountain that sits just outside. It took me a moment to understand that I was looking at an Orange-crowned Warbler. 

These birds (despite their name) almost never show the orange crown. In 25 years of birding in Sonoma County only once before have I seen any orange at all on the head of an Orange-crowned Warbler, so this was quite a surprise. Perhaps the crown showed so clearly because the bird had been in the bubbling water coming up from the fountain and its feathers were wet. I grabbed my camera and managed to get a couple of shots through the window before the bird flew off. Nearby, an Anna's Hummingbird was enjoying nectar from Echium flowers.

Miscellaneous: Local birds

After birding in Japan last week, here are a few recent photos of local residents: Anna's Hummingbird, a preening California Scrubjay, a White-breasted Nuthatch, and a Turkey Vulture.

Birds I'm Watching: Anna's Hummingbird

Anna's Hummingbirds are very common in Northern California. They come to garden flowers and often sit resting in low trees, making all manner of squeaky sounds that don't really sound like birdsong. They can be quite unconcerned by people at close quarters. Yesterday, this fellow posed for me about four feet away while I made a portrait of him against vivid yellow autumn leaves.

For more about birds and bird watching in Sonoma County, see my Website Sonoma County Bird Watching Spots.