Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularia

Appearance:

Medium-small shorebird

Pale eyebrow and dark eyeline

White wedge up onto shoulder
Breeding plumage:

• Orange bill with black tip
• Brown head, back and upperwings with small black bars
• White underparts with round, dark spots

Non-breeding plumage: (pictured below)

• Dark bill with pale base
• Pale brown head, back and upperwings with dark and buff bars
• White underparts, without dark spots

Listen to its call.

I may be dating myself but for some reason this bird made me think of the classic line from the old children's reader Fun with Dick and Jane -- "See Spot. See Spot run".  It had a distinct and constant teetering motion when it walked. "Funny, funny Spot".

Learn more about the Spotted Sandpiper.

Additional pictures:

non-breeding

 

California Quail

Callipepla californica

Appearance:
Plump, ground-dwelling bird

Short tail

Round wings

Small head
Curved, forward-tilting topknot

Male:

• Black face with white border
• Dark brown cap
• Pale buff forehead
• Blackish nape stippled with white spotting
• Dark blue-gray chest
• Brown back and upperwings
• Buff belly with darker scaly markings and chestnut center
• Brown flanks with white streaks

Female: (not photographed)

• Grayish-brown head, chest, back and upperwings 
• Chestnut flanks with white streaks
• Pale belly with darker scaly markings

Listen to its call.

 

As we were driving down Charlton Road today on our way to Hastings Flats, two of these birds crossed in front of our car before ducking under a decorative hedge.

I love the head plumes on these birds - they looks so regal - but did you know that what actually looks like a single feather is really a group of six feathers? Just another little bit of trivia for you.

Learn more about the California Quail.

American Pipit

Anthus rubescens

Appearance:

• Medium-sized songbird
• Slender bill
• White eye ring and eye brow
• Gray-brown upperparts with fine black streaks on back 
• Blackish wings with buff edges
• Buff underparts with dark streaks on breast and flanks
• White throat with dark streak on cheek
• Black tail with white outer tail feathers
• Black legs and feet

Listen to its call.

I initially thought these were small shorebirds when I saw them walking along the bank at Panama Flats. Their size and behaviour were similiar to the Western and Least Sandpipers I had seen in the same area the previous week. However, as I got closer, I noticed that they looked more sparrow-like but without the conical bill.  They also had a habit of bobbing their tails up and down as they pecked at the ground, while at the same time running along in a haphazard manner.  Sort of like patting your head and rubbing your belly at the same time!

Learn more about the American Pipit.

Cliff Swallow

Petrocheidon pyrrhonota

Appearance:
Chestnut face and throat
Whitish forehead
Dark cap, back and tail
Buff-coloured rump and nape
White belly and chest
Short, square-tipped tail
Tiny bill

Listen to its call.

I saw this bird hanging out with a flock of barn swallows at Panama Flats yesterday. There don't seem to be any cliffs in the area but there's definitely a lot of mud around for these birds to use for building nests. Apparently, they gather mud from the flood plains and carry it back to their nests in their bills.

Learn more about the Cliff Swallow.

Long-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus scolopaceus

 

Appearance:

• Medium-sized shorebird
• Long, straight bill
• Long, greenish legs
• Short neck
• Dark crown and eyeline
• Black bars on tail feathers wider than white
• Breeding plumage:
•      Mottled brown upperparts
•      Rich chestnut underparts
•      Barred sides
• All gray in winter

Listen to its call.

 

What better way to spend a cloudy Saturday morning than probing in the mud with half a dozen friends? Okay, so that might not appeal to everyone but these birds seemed to be having a great time bobbing their heads up and down in the shallow waters of Panama Flats.

Learn more about the Long-billed Dowitcher.

Turkey Vulture

Cathartes aura
 
Appearance:
Very large bird
Small, unfeathered, red head
Hooked, ivory-colored bill
Brownish-black plumage
Long wings with gray flight feathers underneath
Long, rounded tail
Pink legs and feet

Listen to its call.

Leaving Island View beach this afternoon, I noticed two of these birds roosting in a dead tree by the side of the road. I was surprised at their rather comical appearance; the head is extremely small in relation to the body. After watching them for several minutes they took off over the fields. A little while later I caught sight of them soaring overhead without seeming to flap their wings at all.  They just seemed to float on the air currents. It was quite beautiful to watch. I have trouble relating these birds to the dirty, unscrupulous scavengers that their reputation affords them.

 

Learn more about the Turkey Vulture.

Blacked-headed Grosbeak

Pheucticus melanocephalus

Appearance:

Medium-sized, stocky songbird

Large, cone-shaped bill.

Male:

• Deep orange breast, collar and underparts
• Black head and upperparts
• Black and white wings 
• White undertail coverts
• White spots in black tail

Female: (not photographed)

• Black and white crown stripes
• Buffy underparts with streaking at the sides
• Dark gray upperparts

Listen to its call.

I heard this bird long before I saw it perched at the top of a tree near Blenkinsop Lake last evening. The weather was ideal for a stroll after dinner and the vocal performance given by this bird was enjoyed by many along the boardwalk.

Learn more about the Black-headed Grosbeak.

Additional pictures:

Juvenile