April 3

Jaci has been finding birds in the back yard. The first is an aural identification. “David and I were sitting on the porch in the evening when we heard a Western Screech-Owl call east of our house. These birds have a lovely two hoots and a falling trill. I have taken to answering them and they will fly closer and call again. I’m not sure if they are coming for true love or to kick my ass, but I love the conversation. This is the time of year we hear them most.” The literature says that Screech Owls are heard most often during breeding season, so it must be true love. They nest in cavities, often using holes built by flickers. Since we are also seeing lots of flickers these spring days, it’s nice to know that they create a diverse neighborhood. The owls are on the small end of the owl range, they are rather gray and have prominent ear tufts when they are extended. However, these nocturnal critters are heard much more often than they are seen. In the backyard theater there are always cocky Stellar’s Jays. Jaci says, “We have about a dozen that hang out waiting for the remains of the dog and duck food, along with our flock of Juncos.” Stellar’s Jays are a mountain bird, especially pine forest areas. They are noisy and, indeed, cocky. They are often found in campgrounds and picnic areas, living on scraps and crumbs. They are generally year-round birds in our foothill area, but they can move even lower when the snow is deep. There is a covey of California quail that comes through Jaci’s Sacramento yard each morning. “Their faces are so precisely drawn, very Japanese in style, with top notch bobbing and streaked breast. They move through the grass as a group until one takes off running full tilt, the plump round relaxed body then stretched and looking too much like a road runner. Then another. And another, until they are all gathered again on the other side of the yard.” These birds are native to the West Coast, as their name implies. However, they now range east through the Great Basin as a result of introductions intended to create a game population. They are social birds, usually moving about in coveys, and they are tolerant of human presence. The coveys often have a lookout posted. And, they are the state bird of California. And then there are the Wild Turkeys. They show up along Highway 299 as we drive down from the mountains. And they show up along the roadways in Sacramento. Jaci says, “I saw thirty gathered together by a great flooded field in back of Kiefer dump. Five toms. Displaying rather soggily in the rain. The rest were hens. Should be A LOT of babies soon.” These gamebirds have also been introduced in many places throughout the west. Total to 4-23 65