We watched The Big Year with Paul recently and he became very interested in birds, so we decided to learn the names of all of the different birds here. Paul and I took a notebook and my ipad outside and listened to "I Like Birds" by Eels over and over while reading what birds were in the area and then matching the pictures and the calls to the birds we have here. We have a small leak in our water line that has created a little birdbath right next to the car port. It is a gathering spot for all the birds, especially first thing in the morning and right before the sun goes down. I love to watch all the birds play in it while I wash my dishes.
Most of these pictures are off the internet because I don't have a zoom lens to take pictures, but we have all these species in our yard and can see one out the window at almost any moment.
1. Chimango Caracara: These are hunting birds in the Falcon family and while they're not as common as the smaller birds, they're all over. I've seen one in my yard eating a smaller bird - so gross and yet so cool. I've seen groups of them circling over the trees in the hills behind our house, looking for an unsuspecting victim to eat for lunch. The other birds don't like them and the blackbirds and Chilean Mockingbirds attack them when they stop here for a drink.
2. Southern Lapwing (Treile, Queltehue): These birds have the creepiest call, like a woman screaming in a horror movie, and they scream all night long. We're all used to it now, but none of us could sleep at first. There is a male and female raising a chick in our yard and one day their baby got trapped in our drained pool so I had to go rescue it.
Look, I'm even standing like a mama bird! Actually I'm making sure the very angry mom doesn't attack me. The adults have bone spurs under their wings for fighting.
My good deed of the day.
3. Austral Thrush: These are cocky birds who prance around the yard like they own the place. They are very fast and almost pounce on bugs. We have quite a few of these in the yard and they are usually on the ground. Their call is ugly and guttural. They are good sized, but not as big as the hawks or lapwing.
Some Austral Thrush outside my kitchen window.
4. Long-tailed Meadowlark (Loica): My favorite bird. These fat birds are striking with their black backs, white stripe over the eye, and round red bellies. They LOVE water and visit the birdbath frequently, as well as chase the sprinkler water in an attempt to get a nice shower. Then they fluff all up and do a little crazy shake. Very entertaining.
A Loica outside my kitchen window.
5. Chilean Mockingbird (Tenca): These birds are territorial and will relentlessly attack any Chimango Caracaras who stop by for a drink. They are also highly suspicious and won't stop for water if we're outside. Smart birds.
6. California Quail (Codorniz): These birds remind me of chubby old women wearing hats as they waddle along. As always the male is more striking than the female. A couple comes by for water every evening, but they are such wimps it takes them like 2 hours to get one drink. They get close, then run away, then get close, then run away...
Mr. and Mrs. Quail chillin' on a tree stump.
7. Rufus Collared Sparrow: These birds are very fashionable with their spiked hair and red scarves. The males have Paul and my favorite call. It's like 4 or 5 notes and goes up and down rather than being a constant chirp.
8. House Sparrow: In all my research I learned that the males look more striking in breeding season. Since it's currently spring, they are in breading season and look like they've all grown beards for the occasion. The females are just plain brown. This is the second most common bird in our yard.
Left: A male house sparrow on the power line outside my bedroom window.
Right: We love looking for nests in the trees. We found one that was close enough to the ground that we could look at the eggs. I'm pretty sure it's a House Sparrow egg. So much more fun that going to school...
9. Diuca Finch: We have tons of these little grey and white birds in our yard. They just call them Diucas here.
10. Blackbirds
11. Shiny Cowbird (looks like a blackbird who has been swimming in oil).
12. House Wren
13. Dove - different varieties.
13. Dove - different varieties.
14. Vulture (we have a lot of these circling the trees behind our house too. There used to be a pig farm nearby and they feasted on the dead pigs).
We can go outside at any moment and within 15 minutes see most of these species. Or we can sit inside with a Coke Lite and look out a window and see them. I will definitely miss them when we go!
"I don't care for walkin' downtown
Crazy auto-car gonna mow me down
Look at all the people like cows in a herd
Well, I like...Birds" (Eels).
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