Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens)
The Phainopepla is typically thought of as a desert species but after breeding season they frequently wander northward and have become regular visitors to the Sacramento area late in the year.
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Phainopepla #22, Sacramento County California 05 December 2024
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)
The first Yellow Warbler I've observed visiting my backyard bird bath in the more than 20 years I'd lived here, this bird bathed at 9 AM for three consecutive mornings and was eventually joined by two other Yellow Warblers and a Black-throated Gray Warbler.
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Yellow Warbler #32, Sacramento County California 23 September 2024
Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana)
The nest cavity this pair of Western Bluebirds were using had been excavated 12 years earlier by a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers. Mid-day lighting was very harsh so I made this photograph early in the day before the sun had cleared the mountains to the east.
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Western Bluebird #90, Sierra County California 20 June 2024
Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)
A common summer bird of the Sierra Nevada, frequently found (as this bird was) in patches of willow.
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Wilson's Warbler #11, Sierra County California 26 May 2024
American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus)
I first leared of this American Dipper nest site 40 years earlier. The site hasn't been occupied every year since then but this year's pair was exceptionally cooperative in several ways: they landed on a rock near the little waterfall before approaching the nest, they often foraged at the base of this waterfall instead of in the Yuba River several hundred yards away across a highway, and they were active in the earlier part of the day before direct sunlight with its harsh shadows reached the waterfall.
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American Dipper #23, Sierra County California 16 May 2024
Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus)
Photographed at the University of California Davis Botanical Garden, this hummingbird spent several minutes testing and feeding from these flowers.
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Rufous Hummingbird #14, Yolo County California 12 April 2024
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubesens)
Until 2023 I had rarely observed Downy Woodpeckers in my yard. This is one of the western subspecies, most likely turati which is found from central Washington to central California.
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Downy Woodpecker #24, Sacramento County California 08 February 2024
Nuttall's Woodpecker (Dryobates nuttalli)
This species is one of several found exclusively or almost exclusively in California, in this bird's case in oak woodlands west of the Sierra Nevada from the Oregon border to Baja California.
The very similar Ladder-backed Woodpecker may be found in the eastern Mojave Desert through the arid regions of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, and south through much of Mexico.
Nuttall's Woodpecker #36, Sacramento County California 07 February 2024
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
Flocks of Cedar Waxwings visit the Sacramento area each winter but it can be difficult to predict exactly where they can be found. Food supply is a dominant factor and berries or fruit are favorites. When the abandoned orchard across the road from my house produces fruit it's a good bet the waxwings will find the yummy persimmons and within a day or two the flock will consume the fruit before moving on to fruitier sites.
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Cedar Waxwing #14, Sacramento County California 02 January 2024
all photographs Copyright © Douglas Herr
last updated 20 February 2025