This is the time of the year that birders are looking
for fall migration visitors or spotting many of our local juveniles testing
their skill at hunting and surviving in their new world. It can be a
bittersweet time with feelings of concern for their safety but thrilled at
their progress as they face daily challenges. A time of year when the warmth of
summer will be exchanged by chills of approaching winter. A few shots of the
birds at the end of summer at our San Elijo Lagoon.
Deciding to head east on the trail at the end of Rios Ave but finding not
much in bird subjects. I was heading back to the trail head and got a shot of
this little guy just starting to get his new plumage. An Anna's Hummingbird
showing some new bright plumage.
Looks like a young male coming into his adult plumage.
He is already chasing away other males from his area.
Lots of small "peeps" were foraging on the mudflats. Hard
to ID these guys. Could be a stint of some kind but need to ask the experts. Note: Greg Gillson has helped me ID this shorebird as a Least Sandpiper. Also informed us that in Europe, flocks of tiny little shorebirds are called "stints" and in North America they are called "peeps". I would like to recommend his wonderful new addition to his blog called " Annotated Checklist: Birds of San Diego " . Great info for birders!
Walking by this egret, I had to give it a double take.
Looking at a white egret in our lagoon your mind automatically says "Snowy" so
you keep your camera down because you have a huge number of shots of the egret.
Looking at it again, the beak is the wrong color for a Snowy. It flashes in my
mind that this is a Cattle Egret!
He shows us his profile. Cattle Egret,
Bubulcus ibis measures 20 inches long with a wingspan
of 36 inches. Originally from Africa, they made their way to United States in
1941 and nested here by 1953. They quickly spread throughout the continent and
became the most abundant of the North American herons. Info from
Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
They are the smallest of the white herons.
Cattle Egrets have much shorter legs and bill than a
Snowy with a thicker neck.
Noticed that the head is rounder looking too.
Beak is shorter and thicker than a snowy. This youngster looks as though his dark beak is just turning yellow and will be bright yellow when he is a full adult.
Legs are short and dark on this juvenile but when fully matured, they will have yellow legs. Also, an adult Cattle Egret in breeding plumage will have golden plumes on their heads.
They have a purposeful looking walk.
He picks up his leg quickly.
A nice side view as he walks along the mudflats.
Looks stout compared to our Snowy.
Another angle showing the shorter neck on the Cattle
Egret. They are also called by different names around the world. Usually by the
animals that they are seen by such as rhinoceros egret, cow cranes, cow herons, hippopotamus egret or elephant birds.
He flies over to the other side of the bank and starts
to forage for prey. They have been known to fly towards wildfires to catch
insects fleeing the fire. Also will eat some birds. In Florida, they have been
observed hunting migrating warblers.
He sees something in the pickleweeds and struts forward
with his chest forward and head straight.
I call this the "Cattle Egret strut" - an exaggerated
movement forward with his chest sticking out.
Shows excitement with raised crown as he closes in on
his prey.
Got it!
A large grasshopper is snagged in this bill made
perfectly for grabbing insects. They usually follow livestock or tractors
looking for insects that are stirred up by their movement.
He squishes the bug.
Swallows it and moves forward looking for more.
Got another one. They are so efficient at grabbing these
insects.
Has a pickleweed branch that broke off as he grabbed
this grasshopper but no problem in tossing it aside.
Squish and ready to swallow.
Down the hatch.
Lol, looks like the grasshopper is giving a little bit
of fight as he goes down the egret's throat.
The Cattle Egret takes off for the center of the
lagoon. A shot that shows the short neck and legs as he flies north.
Deciding to check out the west trail at Rios. Walked
down the peninsula trail to find a beautiful juvenile Red-tailed Hawk finishing
up a big meal in the pickleweeds.
I watch quietly for a few minutes. When he is finished with
his meal, we get to see this beauty in flight.
Red -tailed Hawk, Buteo
jamaicensis measures 19 inches long with a wingspan of 49 inches.
This juve looks huge!
Wow, look at the crop on this beauty. Looks like she is
doing well and getting plenty to eat.
The color on this hawk is absolutely gorgeous
Showing us her classic markings.
Female Red-tailed Hawks are usually larger than the
males. This one looked huge! It's nice to see her in the San Elijo Lagoon without a group of crows
harassing her every move. It was kind of strange not to see one crow in the
area.
When this youngster turns into a full adult bird, she
will have the classic red tail feathers.
A good look at the under wing marking
Last shot as she disappears south over the houses.
Resting on the bench at the end of the peninsula trail
just enjoying the quiet of the morning, I spot a Osprey flying overhead. Another
Osprey can be heard in the distance warning off this youngster. She decides to
head back south away from the annoyed male that comes flying aggressively towards
her.
Giving me a good look-over as she flies by.
Soon after this shot was taken, the aggressive male
catches up with this juvenile but no contact is made. It's all part of life's
lesson on establishing territories and how to interact with aggressive
encounters. It is wonderful to see our youngsters looking healthy and thriving.
Hope to see much more of them in the future.
Have a super week everyone!
The tiny shorebird with a short tapered bill and yellow legs is Least Sandpiper. They and the black legged Western Sandpipers make up the bulk of the smallest shorebirds in the huge fall flocks in estuaries and mudflats. As a group these diminutive shorebirds are called "stints" in Europe and "peep" in North America.
ReplyDeleteThank you Greg for your ID of the shorebird and interesting bit about what they are called in Europe and North America.
ReplyDeleteI want to tell you how much I like your new "Annotated Checklist: Birds of San Diego". Wow!!! It is so very useful! The time you have devoted to making this wonderful list is very much appreciated. There is so much good information for us to see and use. I will be using this list a "go to reference guide" when looking for certain birds from now on!