Some of the September Regulars

It's getting dark now by 7:30pm, so I find that I am stitching in the evenings once again.  All I have left is some back stitching and detail stitches; and this ark will be ready to roll away (it has wheels!)

I watch the birds most mornings for a couple of hours and count anywhere from 15 to 27 different kinds.

Lately I've seen a small group of Purple Finches. 

It's very hard for me to tell male Purple Finches from House Finches.

But when a gal shows up and has a white eyebrow (on left), I know that it is a group of Purple Finches.

I am now seeing several Robins in the morning and evening.

I saw my first Fox Sparrow for the autumn. 

 

Note the dark head, and the brown and white breast.

In comparison, the Song Sparrow has a lighter brown head with cream stripes, and cream and brown breast.

I had a male Lesser Goldfinch come by on Tuesday after not having seen one for well over a week.

This time of year he is much more colorful than the male American Goldfinches. 

I also had one young Evening Grosbeak stop by momentarily.

I wish they were winter guests here, but they are just flying through.

I love their big thick seed-crushing bills.

I continue to have lots of Cedar Waxwings.

I expect as long as there are ripe berries in area, they will hang around.

 

I like it when they roost in trees close by... 

...and I can get a good clear look at them.

July Stitch September Birds

After setting aside Lizzie Kate's July Flip-it for several days, my Mom has resumed stitching and is working on the lighthouse.

 

September is a pretty good birding month as some of the summer birds are still here, while winter birds are arriving.

The Band-tailed Pigeons will leave in October.

Cedar Waxwings do not migrate, but I do not see them in the winter.

What a group of them at the bird bath!  No wonder there was very little water in it when I filled it up in the evening.

The House Finches and Purple Finches will be Winter Regulars.

While most of the California Quail now look like adults, there are still four small babies.  

I often have over thirty birds in the backyard.

The black throat makes it easy to identify the males. 

Here's a Mama and baby.

Since our latest rain, I've been seeing more Robins.

I also saw a Swainson's Thrush for the first time, but was not able to get a photo. 

The bird bath is a communal place!

I have at least two Red-breasted Nuthatches and there are more down at the feeder in my sister's Dahlia Garden.

After at least three weeks without a sighting, a male Black-headed Grosbeak came by.

He must have booked the last flight out of town!

Ark Building and Moon Watching

Wahoo!  The Ark is built!  And now Noah is on the seen as are a couple of sheep.  I need to stitch the swans and then work on all the back-stitching.  The end is in sight!

"Did you take a look at the moon last night?"

"All you had to do was look up!"

On the west coast the moon rose showcasing the full eclipse.

This is the umbra - "innermost and darkest part of a shadow, where the light source is completely blocked by the occluding body (the earth). An observer in the umbra experiences a total eclipse." (Wikipedia)  

"Seriously people, turn off your Smart Phone, go outside, and look!" 

We did get a nice view as the penumbra slowly slid across the surface of the moon.

"The penumbra is the region where some or all of the light source is obscured." Wikipedia

Just the littlest bit left...

And bam!  Back to a full moon once again.

"Told ya!  It was pretty cool!"

Goodbye Rufous

Sadly, the Rufous Hummingbirds have left for the year. 

This series of photos has taken on the 18th, and I've not seen a Rufous since.

The last bird was a juvenile male.

He has already learned the basics of guarding his territory.

And flashing his jeweled head and throat.

There are still several Anna's - four or five I would guess.

And some of them will stay all winter long.

So I'll leave up and maintain the feeders.

There are several females, and this one male.

It's all about defending one's territory.

And flashing feathers!