An educator and naturalist, Jim Gain is also a superb photographer. We’re proud to publish his series, “Learn 100 Common Valley Birds.” Here is post #17. Be sure to visit Reflections of the Natural World for more of Jim’s fine work. ed. Bullock’s Oriole – Species #24 The Bullock’s Oriole (Icterus bullockii) is a strikingly colored songbird found throughout the Central Valley of California during its breeding season. Adult males […]
Learn 100 Common Valley Birds #16: Common Valley Swallows
An educator and naturalist, Jim Gain is also a superb photographer. We’re proud to publish his series, “Learn 100 Common Valley Birds.” Here is post #16. Be sure to visit Reflections of the Natural World for more of Jim’s fine work. Once there, you’ll be rewarded with a couple of bonus birds for this post. ed. Tree Swallow – Species #21 The Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) is a small, insectivorous […]
Black Phoebe: Post #15 in Jim Gain’s “Learn 100 Valley Birds”
Jim Gain’s “Reflections of the Natural World” is one of the finest sources for nature’s beauty and bounty anywhere. His images of birds are especially inspiring. We’re proud to publish his ongoing series, “Learn 100 Common Valley Birds.” Here is post #15 in that series. Introduction The Black Phoebe is a dapper flycatcher of the Central Valley with a sooty black body and crisp white belly. They sit in the […]
Learn 100 Common Valley Birds #14: Wild Turkey
Perfectly appropriate for Thanksgiving Day, Post #14 in Jim Gain’s “Learn 100 Common Valley Birds” series is the Wild Turkey. We’re proud to post Jim’s fine work, and urge you to visit his Reflections of the Natural World for more of his fine work and spectacular images. Introduction The Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is the heaviest upland ground bird native to North America. It is the ancestor to the domestic […]
Western Meadowlark: #13 in Learn 100 Valley Birds
We’re proud to post #13 in Jim Gain’s Learn 100 Common Valley Birds series. The Western Meadowlark is actually species #18 in the series; some posts feature more than one species. Introduction The buoyant, flutelike melody of the Western Meadowlark ringing out across a field can brighten anyone’s day. The Western Meadowlark is a Common Year-round Resident throughout the open country of the San Joaquin Valley. The Western Meadowlark is […]
Learn 100 Valley Birds #12: Wintering “White” Geese – Part II
In Part I of the Our Wintering “White” Geese post, we learned about the larger “white Goose with the Grinning Patch”, the Snow Goose. In this post, the star of the show is the smaller Ross’s Goose. Introduction The Ross’s Goose is a Fairly Common Winter Visitor found almost exclusively in winter in the Central Valley. Similar to the Snow Goose, its preferred habitats are fresh emergent wetlands, adjacent waters […]
Learn 100 Valley Birds #11: White Geese Part I, Snow Goose
“Your first indication of their presence is the distant sound of baying hounds. As you look up, you see the sky flecked with tiny white moving shapes, which appear like snowflakes drifting lazily across the azure sky.” naturalist J. B. Grinnell There are two species of “white” geese in the Valley. The Snow Goose — Anser caerulescens — is the larger and more widespread species compared to its cousin, the […]
Learn 100 Valley Birds #10: Wood Duck
The Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) is arguably the most spectacularly beautiful duck in the Central Valley. It is a Fairly Common Year-round Resident throughout the wetlands and waterways of the valley. Similar to other dabbling ducks, the Wood Duck is an omnivore with a broad diet of seeds, fruits, and aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. Appearance Wood Ducks have a unique shape among ducks — a boxy, crested head, a thin […]
Learn 100 Valley Birds #9: Killdeer
The Killdeer (Charadrius vociferous) is a Common Resident in the San Joaquin Valley. Killdeer belong to the plover family Charadriidae, with 68 species worldwide. As their Latin specific name indicates, they are quite noisy (vociferous). Description Killdeers’ upperparts are mostly brown with white underparts. Their upper chest is interrupted by 2 black bands. The sexes are monomorphic (alike) and plumages are essentially identical throughout year. Distribution Killdeer can be found from Canada, […]
Learn 100 Valley Birds #8: Northern Flicker
We’re always excited to post another in Jim Gain’s “Learn 100 Valley Birds” series. See more of Jim’s excursions into nature at Reflections of the Natural World. Number 8 in our series, and number 13 overall, the Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) is a medium-sized bird of the woodpecker family. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands, and is one of […]