[EBB Sightings] Sighting of Tufted Titmouse, Pleasant Hill

[EBB Sightings] Sighting of Tufted Titmouse, Pleasant Hill

Mfs37
Mon Apr 17 10:52:38 PDT 2006
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    We have had a tufted titmouse living in our trees (by the creek) who sings  a 
    "Peter, peter, peter" or as we call it "Neener, neener, neener" song.  He  
    has been here singing for months but he would hide out in the tree and  leave 
    when I got out my binoculars. I couldn't determine who was making the  noise.  I 
    finally saw him in early March, a textbook Tufted Titmouse, with  white 
    breast, and golden orange under the wings, sharp crest - just  beautiful. When I 
    realized it was a titmouse, I checked online and found  his song is what I was 
    hearing.  I have tapes of the song, but I haven't  been able to see him since 
    then as he is very shy.  He is still living in  the trees and still sings 
    throughout the day, though not as much as he did  earlier in the year.  I 
    understand that they are very rare here and are not  supposed to be much west of the 
    Mississippi River.  
     
    The bird flies off whenever I get my camera or binoculars out, so I haven't  
    been able to take a picture of him yet.
     
    The local mockingbird is including the tufted titmouse song in  his 
    repertoire now.
     
    We have many oak titmice (brownish) and some juniper titmice (prettier  shade 
    of gray, not as chubby as the oak titmice) that come to our feeders.  
    Junipers are usually not west of the Sierra.  But we have a creek setting  and the 
    birds seem to like it here.
     
    I live at 11 Heritage Oaks Townhouses in Pleasant Hill/Martinez.  It  is 
    located on Heritage Oaks Road, off Alhambra Ave, about 2 miles north of  Taylor 
    Blvd.  The trees the bird seems to spend time in are just off the  second guest 
    parking area, oak trees and some kind of eucalyptus creek tree that  we have 
    never identified.  The bird seems to sit near the top of the trees  when he is 
    singing. 
     
    He's a beautiful bird, and I just found out that this group would be  
    interested in seeing this bird, if possible.
     
    Thanks
    Marge Wasserman 
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