San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory - Notes from the Station

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Orange-crowned Warbler

9/15/2021

Species: Orange-crowned Warbler
Most recent capture date: 8/1/2021
Age: less than four months old

House Finch

9/12/2021

Species: House Finch
Most recent capture date: 7/25/2021
Age: Less than four months old

Notes: House Finches were once marketed as pets called "Hollywood Finches". The release of some of these captive birds on the east coast led to their introduction there. (They are native to the west coast, but not the east coast.) They are not legal as pets now, but they will be happy to frequent your birdfeeder. Because they are highly social, House Finches are prone to disease, so if you do feed birds be sure to clean and disinfect your feeder regularly to protect them from illness. This young bird (note the yellow gape at the corner of the mouth) will be grateful.

Hooded Oriole

9/9/2021

Species: Hooded Oriole
Most recent capture date: 7/18/2021
Sex: Male
Age: At least one year old

Notes: This bird was captured in the same place and at the same time as the female Hooded Oriole in the previous post: they are very likely a mated pair.

Hooded Oriole

9/6/2021

Species: Hooded Oriole
Most recent capture date: 7/18/2021
Sex: Female
Age: At least one year old

Eurasian Collared Dove

9/3/2021

Species: Eurasian Collared Dove
Most recent capture date: 7/18/2021
Age: At least one year old

Notes: This species is native to Europe and Asia but invasive in North America, our now-large population stemming from a small group of birds that were released in the Bahamas in 1974. They are a fairly common sight in the Bay Area, but this bird was the first of its species to ever be captured at CCFS! They spend a lot of time in pairs, and as we measured this bird we could see another - probably their mate - nearby. Holding the bird is one of our volunteer banders, Deanna, who as a major fan of doves was very excited to measure this massive bird.

Bushtit

8/31/2021

Species: Bushtit
Most recent capture date: 7/13/21
Age: less than four months old

Notes: All Bushtits start with dark eyes. Over time, the eyes of females lighten, while those of males stay dark. This bird is too young for us to tell whether their eyes are dark because they are male, or simply because they are young.

Northern Mockingbird

8/28/2021

Species: Northern Mockingbird
Most recent capture date: 7/4/21
Age: less than four months old

Notes: Mockingbird's eyes change color as they age. Eventually this bird's brown eyes will turn golden. The yellow at the corner of the bill (called "gape") and the bird's general fluffiness are also indicators of their youth.

Oak Titmouse

8/25/2021

Species: Oak Titmouse
Most recent capture date: 6/29/21
Age: less than four months old

Notes: The pointy crest on a titmouse is not just decorative: they can raise or lower the feathers there to communicate intention, such as during a threat display. This bird raised their crest repeatedly while I collected data; possibly I should have felt threatened!

White-breasted Nuthatch

8/22/2021

Species: White-breasted Nuthatch
Most recent capture date: 6/29/21
Sex: Male
Age: less than four months old

Ash-throated Flycatcher

8/19/2021

Species: Ash-throated Flycatcher
Most recent capture date: 6/29/2021
Age: at least 1 year old

Notes: Perhaps, like me, you generally think of flycatchers as small birds? This fellow is happy to disabuse you of that notion.

About

You never know who you'll catch when you're bird banding! We wanted to share that sense of surprise, so we'll be posting here some of the birds we catch in the course of our research. Some birds will be here because they are unusual in some way; others just because they took a nice photo.

Authors

We are biologists who study landbirds in the south San Francisco Bay Area through bird banding at Coyote Creek Field Station. We have extensive training (and official permits) for our bird handling, and we prioritize bird safety over all else.

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