California Quail

We went to visit K's aunt today and there was a quail family out in the patio area.  The babies were like little wisps running and tumbling so quickly I could not get a picture of them.  It was a beautiful day and felt good to willow the hours away.  The last few days have been spent cleaning and organizing in the classroom and the school dreams have returned.
The California Quail is a handsome, round soccer ball of a bird with a rich gray breast, intricately scaled underparts, and a curious, forward-drooping head plume. Its stiffly accented Chi-ca-go call is a common sound of the chaparral and other brushy areas of California and the Northwest. Often seen scratching at the ground in large groups or dashing forward on blurred legs, California Quail are common but unobtrusive. They flush to cover if scared, so approach them gently. 

Keys to identification Help

Gamebirds

Typical Voice

• Size & Shape

  California Quail are plump, short-necked game birds with a small head and bill. They fly on short, very broad wings. The tail is fairly long and square. Both sexes have a comma-shaped topknot of feathers projecting forward from the forehead, longer in males than females.
  

• Color Pattern

  Adult males are rich gray and brown, with a black face outlined with bold white stripes. Females are a plainer brown and lack the facial markings. Both sexes have a pattern of white, creamy, and chestnut scales on the belly. Young birds look like females but have a shorter topknot.
  

• Behavior

  California Quail spend most of their time on the ground, walking and scratching in search of food. In morning and evening they forage beneath shrubs or on open ground near cover. They usually travel in groups called coveys. Their flight is explosive but lasts just long enough to reach cover.
  

• Habitat

  You’ll find California Quail in chaparral, sagebrush, oak woodlands, and foothill forests of California and the Northwest. They’re quite tolerant of people and can be common in city parks, suburban gardens, and agricultural areas.
  

Nesting

I've been staying home and nesting that's why this week's bird is a weaver bird.  Check out its nest.  This might be a baby.  Anyway the carpet is on order and I'm catching up on housework, gardening, and getting together with friends... and it feels good.  This was taken in Tanzania.

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7972777536386580318#editor/target=post;postID=8823623840003362140

The Rufous-tailed Weaver (Histurgops ruficaudus) is an East African songbird. Despite its name, it is placed the Old World sparrow family (Passeridae).
It is a quite unusual sparrow species, and was included in the weaverbird family (Ploceidae) by many authors even after the other Old World sparrows were separated from the weaverbirds proper, hence its common name. Due to its distant position among the Old World sparrows, it is placed in the monotypic genus Histurgops.^{[citation needed]}
It is an endemic breeder in Tanzania, but vagrants occur in Kenya too.

Speke's Weaver (Ploceus spekei) is a familiar East African songbird.

Immature male, Serengeti NP, Tanzania

The eyes are pale and the bill is on the large side for a weaver. Unlike many weavers, it has the same plumage all year. The adult male is yellow with black throat (edged rusty), face, and bill, and variable black mottling on the back. The adult female's upperparts are dull olive-gray with dusky brown streaks; the underparts are pale yellow, whiter on the belly and grayer on the flanks. The juvenile is similar but duller.^[1]
The song is variable; one version is transcribed as "pew…pew…tew, chinkichi-chewchew-skerinkitsitew. Calls include harsh chatter at the nest and "a sharp tseep!" ^[1]
This species nests in colonies or occasionally singly. The nest, often woven in an acacia, is spherical with a short entrance tube opening sideways or downward. Many grass stems project sloppily, sometimes obscuring the shape.^[1] It nests in both the short rainy season and the middle of the long rainy season. Typical clutches comprise four eggs, which are unmarked deep blue, somewhat pointed at both ends, 24 to 26 mm long and 15 to 17 mm wide.^[2]
Speke's Weaver is found in northern and eastern Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya (mostly the central highlands), and northeastern Tanzania.^[3] It inhabits savanna, bush, agricultural land, and towns.^[1] In parts of its range it is common,^[1] notably the densely populated area of Nairobi and environs, where it visits bird feeders.^[3]
This bird was named in honor of John Speke.^[4]

The U. S. Capital and its bird

It's hard to believe we were going to choose the turkey over this distinguished looking
bird.  This is a serious looking creature.  It says don't mess around with me - I am very proud.  I was lucky to get to visit our nation's capital this summer and help make decisions on what we would like our National Education Association to do and endorse this coming year.  I was a part of 11,000 delegates from all over our country listening to debate and making decisions.  I learned first hand how a caucus works.  We also had people come talk to us - the Vice President and his wife, the Teacher of the Year, and even President Obama via phone.  It was 10-12 hour days with fun activities in the evenings.  I even got to see the 4th of July fireworks over the Capitol.  What an experience!  Well, on to some information about eagles.  I actually took this picture in Ft. Collins, Co.

Description

Eagles are large, powerfully built birds of prey, with a heavy head and beak. Even the smallest eagles, like the Booted Eagle (Aquila pennata) (which is comparable in size to a Common Buzzard(Buteo buteo) or Red-tailed Hawk (B. jamaicensis)), have relatively longer and more evenly broad wings, and more direct, faster flight. (Despite reduced size in aerodynamic feathers) Most eagles are larger than any other raptors apart from some vultures. The smallest species called eagle is the South Nicobar Serpent Eagle (Spilornis klossi), at 450 g (1 lb) and 40 cm (16 in). The largest species are discussed below. Like all birds of prey, eagles have very large hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong muscular legs, and powerful talons. The beak is typically heavier than most other birds of prey. They also have extremely keen eyesight (up to 3.6 times human acuity for the martial eagle) which enables them to spot potential prey from a very long distance.^[2] This keen eyesight is primarily contributed by their extremely large pupils which ensure minimal diffraction (scattering) of the incoming light. The female of all species of eagle known are larger than the male.^[3][4]
Eagles normally build their nests, called eyries, in tall trees or on high cliffs. Many species lay two eggs, but the older, larger chick frequently kills its younger sibling once it has hatched. The dominant chick tends to be the female, as they are bigger than the male. The parents take no action to stop the killing.^[5][6]
Among the eagles are some of the largest birds of prey: only the condors and some of the Old World vultures are larger. It is regularly debated which could be considered the largest species of eagle. They could be measured variously in total length, body mass or wingspan. Different lifestyle needs among various eagles result in variable measurements from species to species. For example, many forest-dwelling eagles, including the very large Harpy and Philippine Eagles, have relatively short wingspans, a feature necessary for being able to maneuver in quick, short bursts through dense forested habitats.^[7] On the other hand, eagles in the genus Aquila are found almost strictly in open country, are superlative soarers, and have relatively long wings for their size.^[7]
Here are lists of the top five eagles going on weight, length and, lastly, wingspan. Unless otherwise noted via reference, the figures listed are the median reported for each measurement in the guide Raptors of the World (Ferguson-Lees, et al.), in which only measurements that could be personally verified by the authors were listed.^{[7]
This information comes from Wikipedia and, of course, we know this is a bald eagle.}

Uniting in Utah

It had been far too long since seeing K's brother and sister-in-law.  This reunion was long overdue.  We had the best time.  They are fantastic hosts and can't wait to get together again.  Here's another reason to put on the side of reasons to retire.  The picture of the bird seems to be saying "what are you waiting for?"

he Western Scrub Jay is found in the west, from Washington and Montana all the way south into Mexico. They are non-migratory and often found in urban areas where they frequent our home bird feeders. They feed on small animals, bird eggs, young of other birds, insects, as well as nuts and berries in winter time. Western Scrub Jays inhabit areas of low scrub and brush, pinion and juniper forests, stands of mesquite and oak. They are known to hoard and bury or hide their food for future hard times.

Colorado Country

This was taken on our way to a bird sanctuary. People see geese often, but I thought these were striking, and having read The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White, I have a curiosity about what kind of geese these are.  We had a terrific time visiting our kids in Ft. Collins.  We took a hike in the Rockies in which I got beautiful butterfly pictures (no birds), but learned how to use my camera more effectively thanks to Snark.  We played games every night, went downtown for food and music one evening, and shared an enchanting evening with some of their friends over a bar-b-cue in the backyard.  I can't leave out the wonderful walks with veggie dog and getting the garden growing.  Oh the zucs and tomatoes that must be ripening as I write!

The Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) is a wild goose with a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brownish-gray body. Native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, it is occasionally found in northern Europe, and has been introduced to other temperate regions.

 

Latin: Branta canadensis
Average length: M 25-45 inches
Average weight: M 3-13 lbs., F 3-11 lbs.

Description: Both sexes of Canada geese have a black head and neck except for broad white cheek patches extending from the throat to the rear of the eye. The female of a breeding pair is often smaller. The breast, abdomen and flanks range in coloring from a light gray to a dark chocolate brown, either blending into the black neck or being separated from it by a white collar. The back and scapulars are darker brown, the rump is blackish and the tail is blackish-brown with a U-shaped white band on the rump. The bill, legs and feet are black. Most subspecies are uniformly large and pale and exhibit the characteristic "honking" call.
There are 7 recognized subspecies of Canada geese: Atlantic, Hudson Bay or Interior, Giant, Moffitt's or Great Basin, Lesser, Dusky and Vancouver. In general, the subspecies nesting farther north are smaller in size and darker in color to the west. The Giant Canada goose is the largest goose in the world, with some individuals weighing more than 20 pounds. They can also be long-lived, with a banded Giant Canada goose at 30 years and 4 months currently holding the longevity record for waterfowl. David Sibley has developed an informative webpage that can assist in subspecies identification for Canada geese. Also, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has a helpful field guide (PDF) to identify Cackling and Canada geese.