Tag Archives: Siegfried Matull

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For several years a Steller's Jay nest has held chicks. The adults built the nest above a light fixture on the outside of our house in Anchor Bay. The nesting female was so quiet, you hardly knew she was on the nest. But when the eggs hatched, the babies could be heard when a parent approached with food.

Last week the chicks had grown and were close to fledging. Here's a look at the three chicks.

Steller's Jay chicks by Jeanne Jackson

One of the chicks was watching me pretty close as I took its picture.

Steller's Jay chick looking at me by Jeanne Jackson

Most of the twigs and small branches are from a Japanese Maple tree in our garden. The three chicks fledged last week.

Here's what two fully grown adults looks like. Siegfried Matull caught these two in flight.

Steller's Jays by Siegfried Matull 3

And here is a funny photo of a fledgling that Connie Matz took several years ago. "Feed meeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Steller's Blue Jay fledging by Connie Matz

Thanks to Siegfried and Connie for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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For courtship displays, it doesn't get any better than a Tom Turkey. Jon Loveless captured this photo recently.

Wild Turkey in full regalia by Jon Loveless

There has to be a hen or two close by. Here's a photo Cathleen Crosby got of a Tom trying to impress a gal.

Tom Turkey displaying for a hen by Cathleen Crosby

To show you the intense colors of the male, here's a popular photo by Siegfried Matull. He caught it flying out of a hedgerow.

Siegfried's Wild Turkey flying out of a hedgerow by Siegfried Matull

Thanks to Jon, Cathleen, and Siegfried for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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One of my favorite birds is the clown-faced Acorn Woodpecker. They often appear at our birdfeeder. Clay Yale and Siegfried Matull recently photographed two Acorn Woodpeckers. Both photos show a female. First here is Siegfried's photo.

Female Acorn Woodpecker by Siegfried Matull

And next is Clay's photo.

Female Acorn Woodpecker by Clay Yale

To show you the difference between a male and female Acorn Woodpecker, here is a photo taken by Jim Garlock. The female is on the right and the male is on the left. Note that the red on top of the male's head is bigger and there is no black between his white and red feathers on his face.

SONY DSC

The sound of Acorns is quite distinctive. Some describe it as "waka waka." To hear for yourself, here's a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/acorn_woodpecker/sounds

Thanks to Siegfried, Clay and Jim for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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I'll let Siegfried Matull tell this story:

“Whenever the sun shines, we have Quail taking sand baths in our yard. We have been watching this action for many hours!

Quail taking a sand bath by Siegfried Matull

“In my picture you can see two Quail on the left with their eyes open, but the Quail on the right has stuck its head down into the sand we are sure with its eyes closed. These birds throw the sand with their wings high into the air, fully covering themselves with sand, making them invisible.”

Studies have shown that dusting helps Quail maintain the optimum level of oil on their feathers.

Thanks to Siegfried for allowing me to share his photo with you here. And Happy Thanksgiving to those in the United States! This beautiful, warm day on the Mendonoma Coast is reason enough to be thankful. And we are thankful for the rains to come - there is a series of storms headed our way, with rain to begin sometime tomorrow. Hooray!

 

 

 

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American White Pelicans often head to the coast to overwinter. A flock has been seen near the mouth of the Russian River. Richard Kuehn recently photographed one giving him the eye. The second photo was taken by Allen Vinson of a pair in Bodega Bay. That is followed by Siegfried Matull's photo of one coming in for a landing.

American White Pelican by Richard Kuehn American White Pelicans off Bodega Bay by Allen Vinson American White Pelicans by Siegfried Matull SONY DSC American White Pelicans by Janet Tervo

The second to last photo is by Jim Garlock and the last by Janet Tervo. These are huge birds with a wing span of 108 inches! They are usually silent away from their breeding grounds, which is inland and to the north.

Thanks to all the photographers for allowing me to share their photos with you here.