Three to get ready

I drove Ken and my mom up to Bodega Bay for lunch.  It was a cloudy cool day, but felt good to get out near the water and breath some fresh air.  Mom and I caught up on all the latest chit chat and we all had a delicious lunch.  I think the pelicans were doing a good job of getting some food too.  Everybody's tummies looked full. Thanks for lunch, Mom!  I thought these were storks until I looked them up.  The colors on their necks, bills, and heads are marvelous and remind me of the colors of our U.S. flag.  Maybe this should have been our national bird.  Of course, with all the political stuff (stuff is a nice word - I really mean ridiculous crap - which still sounds too nice) going on these days, who knows how long we will continue to be a nation.

Brown Pelican

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brown Pelican
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Pelecaniformes
Family:	Pelecanidae
Genus:	Pelecanus
Species:	P. occidentalis
Binomial name
Pelecanus occidentalis Linnaeus, 1766

The Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is the smallest of the eight species of pelican, although it is a large bird in nearly every other regard. It is 106–137 cm (42–54 in) in length, weighs from 2.75 to 5.5 kg (6.1 to 12 lb) and has a wingspan from 1.83 to 2.5 m (6.0 to 8.2 ft).
The Brown Pelican occurs on both coasts in the Americas. On the Atlantic Coast and Gulf Coast they distribute from Nova Scotia to Venezuela, and to the mouth of the Amazon River. On the Pacific Ocean they are found from British Columbia to south central Chile, and including the Galapagos Islands.^[2] Some immature birds may stray to inland freshwater lakes. After nesting, North American birds move in flocks further north along the coasts, returning to warmer waters for winter. Their young are hatched in broods of about 3, and eat around 150 lbs. of fish in the 8–10 month period they are cared for.
This bird is distinguished from the American White Pelican by its brown body and its habit of diving for fish from the air, as opposed to co-operative fishing from the surface. It eats mainly fish and amphibians as well as crustaceans. Groups of Brown Pelicans often travel in single file, flying low over the water's surface.
The nest location varies from a simple scrape on the ground on an island to a bulky stick nest in a low tree. These birds nest in colonies, usually on islands.

Bird of the Week

My picture frame got stuck on this picture, so I get the message.  The Marabou stork is the "bird of the week".  Taken in Tanzania, these big birds are daunting to look at, but actually are very beneficial.  That's how I try to be at work.  Well, I'm not very big, but I try to look the part (clean and mean?) to teach my students the importance of learning.  Well, I don't want to be known as an undertaker.  That wouldn't be a very good message in my job.  I don't want to bury my students - I want to bring them to life.  And, I'm not bald yet, though I do have much less hair than I had in my younger days.  Oh, and there's my husband helping me at my job.  He comes in once a week.  It's always nice to have another set of feet (or hands) and eyes. 

Marabou Stork

Because of its daunting and sinister appearance, people often refer to the Marabou stork as the "undertaker bird." It is a massive wading bird with grayish-brown eyes, a bald, spotty, scruffy head, a huge bill, skinny white legs, cloak-like wings and dark, flimsy feathers spread out across its head and neck. It can reach a height of 60 inches and may weigh as heavy as 20 pounds.
The Marabou Stork is known to be a voracious breeder and they usually build their nests in trees in Africa during the dry season. They are also called scavenger birds and are known to eat a variety of animals, whether dead or alive. They commonly feed on small mammals and reptiles. Some marabou storks have been seen preying on caterpillars, rodents, doves and even crocodile eggs.
These predators are found across tropical Africa. They have been located breeding in the South of the Sahara. They like to stay in wet and humid environments, such as land patches near lakes and rivers. The Marabou Stork prefers to fly over areas where their potential prey can be found. This is why they are commonly seen flying and resting in slaughterhouses, fishponds and waste dumps.
Marabou storks may look scary but they are very beneficial to the environment. They aid in speeding the decomposition process by feeding on rotting carcasses. They can break down even the thick hides of large animals because they have very strong beaks. The Marabou Stork is an essential predator and are themselves prey to other bigger carnivores.

Three is a get-together

A week sure goes by fast when trying to get a good picture of birds.  Of course hummingbirds are hyper and don't exactly want to stay still, so I'll come back to them at another time.  These birds reminded me of the nice lunch I had today with travel friends Joan and Christine at Green's in SF.  Not because the three of us are looking plumb after eating or that we ate bird, but because the three of us had a great chat as these guinea fowl are doing since apparently they are quite noisy.
p.s. This was taken on our adventures in Tunisia in Dec. 2010

Helmeted Guinea Fowl

Range:

Most of Africa, except desert and heavy forest regions. A small population of Helmeted Guinea fowl can be found in Morocco.

Habitat:

Scrubland, savanna

Characteristics:

These birds have a wattle on each side of their beak and a horny "helmet" on top of their brightly colored head. They have a bead-like design on their feathers which consists of tiny white dots on a dark background.

 

Behavior:

These noisy birds usually live in large groups. In they wild there have been as many as 2,000 guinea fowl roosting together in a tree. They are capable of flight, but prefer to spend most of their time on the ground. In some places, like forests, they will roost in trees at night.

Reproduction:

The large flocks break up into smaller groups during breeding season. Females incubate 12-15 eggs for 24-30 days.

Interesting Facts:

Usually seen in large flocks, but walk through the bush in single file and imitate whatever the leader does. Helmeted guinea fowl are the original birds from which domestic guinea fowl were bred.

Balanced

This is my bird of the week.  My friend Kristin and I took a walk on the Berkeley wharf and this gull asked me to take his/her picture (not sure how to tell the sex).  How old do you think this bird is?  His leg(s) is/are pink, however the beak is yellow.  And, yes, no sign of the other leg.  What a beautiful creature - very well balanced which reminds me I need to get to a yoga class since I have missed for about a week now.  In the place of yoga on Saturday, I went to acupuncture in Oakland to try an alternative for nasal allergies.  It was a very calm, quiet, and relaxing environment. And then of course, I got to experience the sounds, sights, and smells of the Berkeley waterfront.  I'm looking forward to a balanced and successful week.

General Description

California Gull - A medium-sized gull, the California Gull has the typical 'gull-like' appearance'slate-gray back and wings, white head and body, and black wingtips with white spots. The black on the wingtips is more extensive than that of other gulls. The California Gull's eye is dark, and its legs are greenish-yellow. The beak is yellow with red and black marks. Juveniles are, to varying degrees, mottled brown and white, mixed with the adult plumage, with pink legs and beak. It takes four years for California Gulls to mature. This gull is intermediate in size between the smaller Ring-billed Gull and the larger Herring Gull, both of which it resembles.
Western Gull
The Western Gull, Larus occidentalis, is a large white-headed gull that lives on the western coast of North America. It was previously considered conspecific, the same species, with the Yellow-footed Gull (Larus livens) of the Gulf of California. The Western Gull ranges from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico,^[1] and because of its convenient colonies on the coast of California it is well studied. Despite being a well-known bird species on the West Coast of the US, it is of some slight conservation concern given its restricted range (for a gull) The Western Gull is a large gull, around 60 cm long with a white head and body, and gray wings. It has a yellow bill with a red subterminal spot (this is the small spot near the end of the bill that chicks peck in order to stimulate feeding). It closely resembles the Slaty-backed Gull (Larus schistisagus). In the north of its range it forms a hybrid zone with its close relative the Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens). Western gulls take approximately four years to reach their full plumage,^[2] their layer of feathers and the patterns and colors on the feathers. The Western Gull typically lives about 15 years, but can live to at least 25 years.^{[citation needed]} The largest Western gull colony is on the Farallon Islands, located about 26 mi (40 km) west of San Francisco, California.^[3]

Happy New Year

Pacific White Crown Sparrow on a cold but clear January morning snacking from our bird feeder hanging in the mulberry tree in the front yard.  Snacking is what I'm going to stop doing if it is sugary foods - only the healthy for me this year.  It's a big commitment which always flies out the window as soon as my tummy growls or my emotions kick in.  If only I had an alert button that would trigger when my hands and mouth automatically flutter for the food. 

White-crowned Sparrows appear each winter over much of North America to grace our gardens and favorite trails (they live in parts of the West year-round). The smart black-and-white head, pale beak, and crisp gray breast combine for a dashing look – and make it one of the surest sparrow identifications in North America. Watch for flocks of these sparrows scurrying through brushy borders and overgrown fields, or coax them into the open with backyard feeders. As spring approaches, listen out for this bird’s thin, sweet whistle.