Tag Archives: chicks

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Several species of swallows migrate northward to the Mendonoma Coast to build their nests, lay their eggs and then diligently feed their chicks. Craig Tooley wrote, "These little Barn Swallows are perched above the front door of friends of ours. Our friends have graciously decided to enter and exit their house through the back door until the chicks fledge. The swallow parents are hard-working.”

Later Craig noticed this Barn Swallow skimming over the sand, presumably scooping up insects from the wrack on the beach.

Interested to know what beach wrack is? Here's an explanation from the web:

Natural material that washes onto the beach is referred to as wrack and includes algae, sea grasses, and some invertebrates such as sponges and soft corals. Wrack serves as the primary source of nutrients to beach communities and is the foundation for the food chain.

Good to know!

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: http://www.ruffimage.com

It's beautiful here on the Mendonoma coast today, temps in the 70s with a stronger afternoon breeze.

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I love the liquid sound of California Quail calls, and I've been hearing them at our place in Anchor Bay. John Batchelder photographed several chicks recently.

Bob Marton spotted what looks like two coveys of Quail chicks - 24 in all! That's a lotta chicks.

Thanks to John and Bob for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To hear the calls of these beautiful birds, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/California_Quail/sounds

Today, Friday, is sunny with a hint of coolness in the air - quite nice!

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Several people have sent in photos of CA Quail chicks. One is Craig Tooley.

And Jon Loveless saw a family too. I count 11 balls of feathers. Jon said there were 13 in all.

Here's a close-up of a male by Michael Reinhart. Such beautiful birds...

Thanks to Craig, Jon and Michael for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Drippy fog this morning has evolved into brilliant sunshine this afternoon. Summer on the Mendonoma Coast!

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Pelagic Cormorants, seabirds, nest on bluff faces on the Mendonoma Coast. Karen Wilkinson photographed a pair at their nest, and when she looked at her photo on her computer, she found two tiny chicks.

You can see an eggshell (or possibly an unhatched egg!) and two chicks that look as if they just hatched! The father Pelagic Cormorant is leaving the nest in Karen's photo. He brings food back to his mate and now for his offspring. It's quite magical to watch these nests. They are very quiet and it's almost mystical to be in the moment and be quiet too.

Thanks to Karen for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

Another hot day, but it feels like it is breaking. Yep, the weather is changing again, maybe even some rain for the weekend.

Spring doesn't know...

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Nancy Morin wrote, “I thought this photo of two Pacific-slope Flycatcher chicks might be ‘sightings worthy.’ They hang out in my side garden. Adults have spent summers here every year, but this is the first time I’ve seen babies.”

They are pretty darn cute.  As adults they will be small yellow-ish birds of the forests and streams. They are insect eaters. Pacific-slope Flycatchers are only found along the Pacific coast states. I often hear them in our forest. You can hear their call at this link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pacific-slope_Flycatcher/sounds

Here is a photo of an adult, taken by Craig Tooley. The bird has an insect in his mouth. He was probably about to bring it to chicks in a nest.

Thanks to Nancy and Craig for allowing me to share their photos with you here.