10-12 Snowy Plovers on wide sandy beach at the mouth of the Carmel River.
Link to other Snowy Plovers nearby: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/244329597
Snowy Plover (Anarhynchus nivosus) is a small, 16cm (6 inches) long shorebird in the Plovers and Lapwings (Charadriidae) family. It was formerly in the Charadrius genus. Snowy plovers are distinguished from other plovers by having an all-black and slender bill, and gray to black legs.
Conservation Status: Near Threatened (NT) (IUCN Red List) Threats: The species is threatened by the disturbance of coastal habitats (e.g. unleashed dogs, tourists trampling nests and disturbing roosts on beaches) and loss of habitat.
Snowy Plovers are "distributed along the Pacific coast of North America, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile, in several inland areas of the US and Mexico, along the Gulf Coast, and on Caribbean islands. The coastal populations consist of both residential and migratory birds, whereas the inland populations are mostly migratory. It is one of the best studied endemic shorebirds of the Americas, and one of the rarest. Snowy Plovers are pale brown above and white below, with a white band on the hind neck. During the breeding season, males have black patches behind the eye and on the side of the neck; the neck patches are separated from each other and do not form a continuous breast band as in many other plovers. Snowy plovers can also be distinguished from other plovers in having an all-black and slender bill, and gray to black legs. The typical call is a repeated "tu-wheet".
Ebird with species description, range map and sound recordings: https://ebird.org/species/snoplo5
Snowy Plover is a "small, pale plover with broken collar. In breeding plumage, black ear patch is distinctive. Thin black bill separates from other small plovers at all times of year. Also note relatively long, grayish legs. Typically uncommon. Found on sandy beaches on the coast and inland; usually singly or in small loose flocks. Larger numbers gather at key sites after breeding in summer and fall. Quickly darts around searching for invertebrates in the sand."
The Cornell Lab (Birds in U.S. and Canada): https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Plover
Audubon Guide to North American Birds: https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/snowy-plover
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 2008,
pp. 128-129.
Monterey Birds, Don Roberson, 2nd ed. 2002, sponsored by Monterey Peninsula Audubon Society,
p. 184.
Xeno-canto Bird songs, sound recordings, and species range map: https://xeno-canto.org/species/Charadrius-nivosus
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 7th ed., 2017
Merlin Bird ID: How to use/get the portable App (Bird ID help for 8,500+ species) https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/
Found Feathers Resources (comprehensive list with links by INat featherenthusiast): https://foundfeathers.org/resources/
Found Feathers: INaturalist Project: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/found-feathers
Found Feathers (worldwide) I.D. Tool: https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/idtool.php
Irene's Feather observations on INaturalist, worldwide: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?project_id=125924&ttl=900&v=1725598515000&place_id=any&verifiable=any&subview=grid&user_id=3188668
Irene's Ebird Profile: https://ebird.org/profile/MTIwNjIzMg and my worldwide bird checklists: https://ebird.org/mychecklists
Irene's Plovers and Lapwings (Charadriidae) family observations on INaturalist, worldwide: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?taxon_id=4783&user_id=aparrot1
Irene's (aparrot1) Profile Page on INaturalist listing Nature Resources (includes online references with links) for Plants, Birds, Fungi, Lepidoptera, Arachnids, Reptiles, Amphibians, Marine Life, Plant Galls, and more: https://www.inaturalist.org/people/3188668
there r so many of these guys in campus
That is the longest bill I’ve ever seen on a Hummingbird. I wonder if anyone ever gets impaled watching high numbers of hummingbirds swarming at feeders? Location was high up in the mountains at Hacienda El Bosque in Manizales County in Colombia.
Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) is a slender hummingbird with an exceptionally long bill in the Brilliants, Coquettes, and Allies (Lesbiinae) subfamily that is 14cm (5.5 inches) long. It is found in dry to wet upper montane forests and forest borders. Female bill is longer than male bill.
Ebird: with species description, range map and sound recordings: https://ebird.org/species/swbhum1
"it has the longest bill in relation to its body size of any bird in the world. In addition to the striking bill, look for the overall muted green body color with a bronzy head. It is found in the temperate zone of the Andes from Venezuela to Bolivia, from around 2,500m to 3,500m, in montane forest and edges, where it uses its bill to feed from long tubular flowers. It visits feeders."
Birds of Colombia, by Steven L. Hilty, March, 2021 (excellent color illustrations, species distribution maps, QR codes,), p. 94.
Ebird Checklist (#36 in list): https://ebird.org/checklist/S191402450
Confirmed observation of Sword-billed Hummingbird nearby: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/242016759
Irene's Hummingbird (Trochilidae family) observations on INaturalist, worldwide: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&taxon_id=5562&user_id=aparrot1&verifiable=any
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Merlin Bird ID: How to use/get the portable App (Bird ID help for 8,500+ species) https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/
Found Feathers: INaturalist Project: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/found-feathers
Comprehensive Feather I.D. tools and more: https://foundfeathers.org/resources/
Found Feathers (Worldwide): https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/idtool.php
Irene's Ebird Profile: https://ebird.org/profile/MTIwNjIzMg and my worldwide bird checklists: https://ebird.org/mychecklists
Irene's (aparrot1) Profile Page on INaturalist listing Nature Resources (includes online references with links) for Plants, Birds, Fungi, Lepidoptera, Arachnids, Reptiles, Amphibians, Marine Life, Plant Galls, and more: https://www.inaturalist.org/people/3188668
The peaked crown on Oak Titmouse is often not visible (same with cockatoos, for example, who raise their crown when interested, excited, or agitated). Oak woodlands and riparian habitat are nearby.
Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus) is a small, gray insectivore in the Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice (Paridae) family. It is 5 inches long, grayish brown with a short head crest blueish-gray feet, and a pointed bill (thicker than Bushtit). Oak Titmouse is commonly seen in oak and mixed woodland habitat. It forages by hopping about in branches and larger twigs of trees, sometimes hanging upside down, searching for insects among the foliage and on the bark. It opens nuts and acorns by holding them with feet and pounding with bill. It will come to bird feeders for seeds or suet. Diet consists of insects, nuts, and seeds. It feeds mainly on insects, including many caterpillars, beetles, true bugs, leafhoppers, aphids, scale insects, and small spiders. It also eats acorns, weed seeds, and sometimes berries or small fruits.
Link to my favorite Oak Titmouse observations with "classic" raised crest: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/228958277 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/190842051
The Cornell Lab (Birds in U.S. and Canada, includes Compare with Similiar Species) https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Oak_Titmouse/ and https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/search/?q=Baeolophus%20inornatus
Audubon Guide to North American Birds https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/oak-titmouse
Law's Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada, John Muir Laws, California Academy of Sciences, 2007, p. 286
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 2008, pp. 292-293.
Xeno-canto Bird songs, sound recordings, and species range map: https://xeno-canto.org/species/Baeolophus-inornatus
Ebird with species description, range map and sound recordings: https://ebird.org/species/oaktit/
Monterey Birds, Don Roberson, 2nd ed. 2002, sponsored by Monterey Peninsula Audubon Society, p.353.
Irene's Paridae family (Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice) observations on INaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&taxon_id=13547&user_id=aparrot1&verifiable=any
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Merlin Bird ID: How to use/get the portable App (Bird ID help for 8,500+ species) https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/
Found Feathers: INaturalist Project: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/found-feathers
Comprehensive Feather I.D. tools and more: https://foundfeathers.org/resources/
Found Feathers (Worldwide): https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/idtool.php
Irene's Ebird Profile: https://ebird.org/profile/MTIwNjIzMg and my worldwide bird checklists: https://ebird.org/mychecklists
Irene's Birds (Aves class) observations on INaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&taxon_id=3&user_id=aparrot1&verifiable=any
Irene's (aparrot1) Profile Page on INaturalist listing Nature Resources (includes online references with links) for Plants, Birds, Fungi, Lepidoptera, Arachnids, Reptiles, Amphibians, Marine Life, Plant Galls, and more: https://www.inaturalist.org/people/3188668
friend hangout and we found a dead bird
caught by fishers on the pier
Low light + shaky hand = bad waxwing photo
had a super red belly, but couldn't catch it on my phone :(
It takes a lot of time and effort for a Swallow to collect wet mud in their small mouth and bring it back one mouthful at a time to build a large mud nest. Very impressive animal architecture!
Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) is a fast-flying, migratory, highly social bird in the Swallows and Martins (Hirundinidae) family. They live in colonies and are best known for building mud nests, often on man-made structures.
The Cornell Lab: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cliff_Swallow/
"Cliff Swallows often swarm around bridges and overpasses in summer, offering passers-by a chance to admire avian architecture and family life at once. Clusters of their intricate mud nests cling to vertical walls, and when a Cliff Swallow is home you can see its bright forehead glowing from the dim entrance. These common, sociable swallows are nearly always found in large groups, whether they’re chasing insects high above the ground, preening on perches, or dipping into a river for a bath."
E Bird: https://ebird.org/species/cliswa/
Cliff Swallow is a "compact swallow with a short, square tail. In flight, looks slightly less angular than other swallows, with more rounded wings. Note pale buffy-orange rump, which separates Cliff Swallow from most other swallows in this range. Also look for dark throat and pale forehead. Widespread and fairly common, especially in western North America. Breeds under bridges, eaves of buildings, overpasses, and culverts. Winters in South America. Before man-made structures, it built its jug-shaped mud nests on the sides of cliffs. However, the sides of barns and the supports of bridges provided sheltered sites that were far more widespread than the natural ones. Taking advantage of these artificial locations, the species has moved to many areas where it never nested before. Although it is continuing to spread in the east, it is still more common in the west, where practically every culvert and highway bridge seems to have its own Cliff Swallow colony."
E Bird: https://ebird.org/species/cliswa/
Audubon Guide to North American Birds https://www.audubon.org/bird-guide and https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/cliff-swallow
Bird songs and sound recordings from around the world https://xeno-canto.org/explore?query=Petrochelidon%20pyrrhonota
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BIRD (References in general):
The Cornell Lab (Birds in U.S. and Canada, includes Compare with Similiar Species) https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/
Xeno-canto: Bird songs, sound recordings, bird range and migration map: https://xeno-canto.org/about/xeno-canto
Audubon Guide to North American Birds https://www.audubon.org/bird-guide
Ebird with species description, range map and sound recordings: https://ebird.org/explore
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 7th ed., 2017
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 2008
Monterey Birds, Don Roberson, 2nd ed. 2002, sponsored by Monterey Peninsula Audubon Society
Merlin Bird ID: How to use/get the portable App (Bird ID help for 8,500+ species) https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/
Comprehensive Feather I.D. tools and more: https://foundfeathers.org/resources/
Found Feathers (Worldwide): https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/idtool.php