[EBB Sightings] UC Botanical Garden, 20 Jan 2007

Recent posts about White-throated Swifts made me realize how long I'd been 
slothful about posting this note on a walk at UC Botanical Garden a month ago.

On January 20, 2007, Dennis Wolff and Chris Carmichael led a bird walk at 
the University of California Botanical Garden in Strawberry Canyon. Birds 
seen were:

Sharp-shinned Hawk (oh)
Red-shouldered Hawk (heard only)
Red-tailed Hawk (2, oh)
White-throated Swift (at least a dozen, overhead)
Anna's Hummingbird
Northern Flicker (red-shafted)
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Oak Titmouse
Bushtit
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Varied Thrush
Wrentit
California Thrasher (heard only)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (heard only)
Spotted Towhee
California Towhee
Fox Sparrow (sooty)
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Lesser Goldfinch

The Varied Thrush were in numerous places. One was kind enough to pose on 
an exposed lower branch for the photographer in our group.

A note on Swifts: Because, as Phila Rogers has pointed out, "Swift's wings 
are also longer and narrower compared to their body length than swallows 
and the bend in the wings is closer to the body," their wing beats look 
very stiff, like someone flapping his or her arms without bending the 
elbow. Once you've seen it a few times, it's very distinctive.


Tom Condit
tomcondit at igc.org