Birds at Bridgeport

1. Birds at Bridgeport South Yuba River State Park Birds at Bridgeport Introductory sample, selected by Ed PandolfinoPictures and sound extracted from Internetby Herb Lindberg

2. Resident year around • Acorn WoodpeckerWestern Scrub JaySteller’s JayBlack PhoebeSpotted TowheeCalifornia QuailAmerican DipperAmerican Robin • Summer Visitors • Cliff SwallowBullock’s Oriole • Winter Visitors • Dark-eyed JuncoRuby-crowned KingletGolden-crowned Sparrow Bird Groups Three groups of birds:

3. Presentation Use Notes Note: In all the slides with a speaker symbol, move your mouse around until the arrow cursor appears and then click on the speaker to hear the bird’s call. This takes a bit of time for long bird calls. To jump ahead or back to a specific bird, right click anywhere and use “Go.”

4. ---RESIDENTS YEAR AROUND--- Residents Year Around

5. Acorn Woodpecker • Nest in communal groups; some guard hoard while others are away • Can be spotted on dead trees or branches where holes for acorns can be drilled • Sounds like Woody Woodpecker

6. Western Scrub Jay • Buries acorns that often sprout, so they are critical “oak farmers” • Piercing call • It’s blue, and a jay, but is NOT a Blue Jay

7. Steller's Jay • Generally at higher altitudes than Western Scrub Jay; both found at foothills altitude of Bridgeport. • Both are aggressive with piercing calls • Both are blue and jays, but not Blue Jays

8. Black Phoebe • Flycatcher • Usually close to water • Repetitive two-note song

9. Spotted Towhee • Forages on the ground doing a ‘two-foot-kick’ dance (kicks material backwards with both feet at once and a hop). • Covers wide range of altitudes. • Formerly known as Rufous-sided Towhee

10. California Quail • Male (shown here) has dark, smooth plume and black and white face and throat pattern; females are duller with fuzzy plume. • Male is chief baby sitter. • Groups often stay in contact with little sputtering sounds. • Very susceptible to domestic cats. • Male’s song is a dragged out “Chi-ca-go” :

11. American Dipper • A bird of mountain streams, and is always near the water. • Has a most interesting feeding method: perches on stream rock as here, dives into the water and fliesunderwater against strong current while eating larvae etc. on rocks and river bottom. • Also known as the Water Ouzel • Complex exuberant song -- John Muir’s favorite bird.

12. American Robin • Very familiar bird, often seen walking erect on the ground. • A clear caroling song; short phrases, rising and falling, often prolonged.

13. ---SUMMER VISITORS--- Summer Visitors

14. Cliff Swallow • Vacuums up insects on the wing. • Builds dense colonies of mud nests under eaves and bridges. Thousands of mouthfuls of mud in each nest for Spring nesting. • Winters in southern South America. • This is the Capistrano Swallow.

15. Bullock's Oriole • Winters in Central America • Formerly lumped with Baltimore Oriole as Northern Oriole • Charming, bouncy song, harsh chatter Song:Chatter:

16. ---WINTER VISITORS--- Winter Visitors

17. Dark-eyed Junco • Usually found in actively-foraging flocks. • Primarily a ground feeder, as here.

18. Ruby-crowned Kinglet • Non-stop forager with an attitude • Only shows ruby crown (male) when angry • Breeds mainly in mountains

19. Golden-crowned Sparrow • Migrates up west coast as far as Alaska • Lacks “golden” crown until mature • Plaintive “Oh .. Dear .. me” song

20. Credits • Photographs • Ruby-crowned Kinglethttp://www.nenature.com/RubyCrownedKingletPhoto.htm,http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i7490id.html • All othershttp://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/photos/fauna/com-Bird.html • Sound • American Dipperhttp://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i7490id.html • All Others:Doug Von Gausig athttp://www.naturesongs.com/species.html