One of my favorite birds is the American Kestrel; a small falcon. These colorful birds perch in tree tops, power lines and other places where they can hunt for prey. They eat insects, invertebrates, rodents and small birds. One interesting Kestrel practice is called “kiting”, i.e. they hover then, when the timing is right, pounce on their prey.
Kestrels nest in tree cavities though they don’t excavate their own; they take over abandoned cavities.
Note: Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.
The Blue Elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. caerulea), also known as the Mexican Elderberry, or Tapiro is a deciduous shrub or small tree, growing to as tall as 30 feet. It is native from Oregon to Baja and into western Texas. It has cream or yellow flowers in the spring and purple berries in the fall. Its berries are one of the most important sources of food for birds in California. [i] It was also an important source of food and medicine for the Native Americans and early European settlers who inhabited this region.
In the book “Seaweed, Salmon and Manzanita Cider”, Rhonda Robles of the Ajachmem, explains that the elderberry was well known to her ancestors. The elderberries are said to be helpful for bronchitis, sore throats, coughs, asthma, colds, and constipation. They also induce perspiration to break a fever. She also states that recent research has found that elderberries stimulate and build up the resistance of the immune system, and they also directly inhibit the influenza virus. In addition, elderberries are loaded with minerals, antioxidants, and vitamin C. Indeed, elderberry products can be found in the cold and flu section of pharmacies and other stores.
The book “Living Wild” has recipes for champagne and wine made from the elderberry flower and syrup and pancakes made from the berries.
We must be careful however in using elderberries. They must be dried or cooked before eaten. Never eat elderberries raw. They contain a cyanide-inducing glycoside. Eating a sufficient quantity of these cyanide-inducing glycosides can cause a toxic buildup of cyanide in the body and make you ill.
Birds, however, like elderberries a lot and don’t appear to get sick when they eat them raw. Over the course of the season, I was able to photograph several birds enjoying elderberry fruit.
On the way home from a Christmas trip, we got off to an early start, Much to our good fortune, we hit the Oregon-California border just as the sunlight was breaking to the east and was treated to a magnificent site – the skies above Mt Shasta appeared to be on fire. The peak was covered with a thin lenticular cloud that looked life a flowing gossamer fabric. Sometimes nature rewards you with some awesome treats.
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A few more birds, mostly from 2019; the Herring Gull is from Iceland in 2017.
The icebergs at Jokulsarlon are a magnificent site to behold. But I became fascinated by the life around them. Birds soared through them, presumably hunting. I am sure there were bird noises as well as people noises, but I don’t remember any. I was in a zone of quiet concentration.
My normal encounter with Brewer’s Blackbirds is in the parking lot of fast food restaurants and supermarkets. They are opportunistic hunters. It was nice to observe them in more natural environments.
Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.
A week ago, we visited Staten Island, CA. It is an island in
the Sacramento-San Jouquin River Delta. More importantly, Staten Island is
owned by The Nature Conservancy and is managed to allow conservation friendly
agriculture and as a place for birds to stop on winter migrations as well as to
winter over. For this area, it means we have an opportunity to see Sandhill
Cranes, Tundra Swans, White-fronted Geese and many other birds. On this visit,
we got to see the Sandhill Cranes, Cackling Geese, Snow Geese and Sora.
The Sora (Porzana Carolina) was my surprise bird. I didn’t even know they existed. It is one of those drab, gray birds that hide in the brush, along streams and irrigation ditches. But drab and gray is not a fitting description. They are quite beautifully marked and have a bright yellow bill. Three Sora gave me the rare opportunity to see them in the open and photograph them.
Please click on caption to see images in higher resolution.
Today I am sharing images of swans I’ve photographed over
the past several years.
Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus Buccinator) are North America’s
largest waterfowl. Thy can have a 6 foot wingspan and weigh as much as 26
pounds. According to All About Birds, a Website from Cornell Labs: “They breed
on wetlands in remote Alaska, Canada, and the northwestern U.S., and winter on
ice-free coastal and inland waters.” The odd thing here is that I found some on
the icy Yellowstone River in February.
The Tundra Swan (Cygnus Columbianus) is a winter migrant to
the US. We see them winter over on the Pacific Flyway from late October through
about the end of February. They nest on arctic tundra. The Tundra Swan is
sometimes called a Whistling Swan.
The Mute Swan (Cygnus Olor) is not native to North America; it’s
a European immigrant. It is the swan we see in ponds and lakes at parks, farms
and estates. According to All About Birds: “ All of the Mute Swans in North
America descended from swans imported from Europe from the mid 1800s through
early 1900s to adorn large estates, city parks, and zoos. Escapees established
breeding populations and are now established in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic,
Great Lakes, and Pacific Northwest of the U.S.” The ones I am presenting may be
from a wild colony or may be feral.
I found the Whooper Swans (Cygnus cygnus) in Iceland. According to Wikipedia, Whooper swans can migrate hundreds or even thousands of miles to their wintering sites in southern Europe and eastern Asia. They breed in subarctic Eurasia. Icelandic Whooper Swans breed and winter over in the United Kingdom and Ireland. They can have a wingspan of 9 feet and weigh over 30 pounds. Whooper Swans pair for life.
Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.
In Sacramento, we are privileged to live along the American
River. This mighty river is one of many that provide spawning territory for
salmon. Spawning is the last great act of these creatures; after they spawn,
they die. Though it is the end for them, their death provides nutrients for
plants and other animals. When the Salmon run gets underway, migrating Turkey
Vultures and Gulls arrive and supplement the year-around population and clean
up the carcasses.
Scavenging is not limited to the Salmon carcasses. I’ve also
found a Raven with the carcass of a dead bird. Hunting and killing is not
normal behavior for the Raven so most likely it found the carcass.
Look closely at the rocks among the vultures. Some of what looks like rocks are part of the carcasses.
Note: Please click on caption to see images at higher resolution.
When I see pictures of the hippopotamus, it is usually the 2 iconic
images: just the nose, eyes and maybe ears sticking out of the eater or just a
little of the body above the waterline and with Oxpeckers on its back. I was
recently going cleaning and organizing my photo library and took a new look at
the images from our Africa trip 3 years ago. In it, was a good collection of
hippos in the routine activities of their daily life. So, I thought I’d share
them with you.
Some of the images involve a battle over a water hole. Watching that
battle unfold was one of the most fascinating events I ever witnessed. I’ve
observed that when deer, antelope, sheep and goats battle, it involves locking
horns and pushing back and forth until one succumbs and backs off. The hippo
battle was similar. They open their mouths wide and attack then push back and
forth until one succumbs. But, it also has some similarities to the sumo
wrestling I have seen. Two large, muscular, creatures embracing in battle for
short periods, back off for a short while, then go at again.
The Red-billed Oxpeckers in the photos are feasting on the bugs in the hippo’s wounds.
Note: Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.
Earthwatcher 