Dove-Mourning
We’ve become so accustomed to the plaintive cooing of the dove that we forget this is the soothing sound of Arden Oaks at its best. Sometimes people think the dove’s sound is the hooting of an owl, but the dove’s sound is softer – it almost sounds like a human moan at times – and of course you don’t hear doves at night
Finch-House(male & female)
Maybe not as glamorous as the goldfinch, the house finch sports a red head and red throat against a greenish-brown body, quite stylish in its own way.
Flicker - Northern (female)
Northern flicker: This is when it really pays off to carry binoculars, when you catch a glimpse of the polka dot breast, long beak, and rust colored tail, pecking away up a tree trunk. Large and visually striking, it boasts a large black triangular badge on its neck, and black stripes all over its body.
Flicker-Northern(male)
Male Red-shafted Flickers have red mustaches; the mustaches of the females are pale brown. The northern flicker or common flicker is a medium-sized bird of the woodpecker family.
Goose-Canada
The Canada goose is a large wild goose species with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. Native to arctic and temperate regions of North America
Hawk-Cooper's
Cooper's Hawk: These birds are famously agile, relatively small hawks common to wooded habitats around the world and also the most diverse of all diurnal raptor genera. As in many birds of prey, the male is smaller than the female.
Nuthatch-White Breasted
White-breasted nuthatch: The best tree climber around! You will find these birds skittering up, down, and sideways on tree trunks and branches, and they seem to be upside more often than not. They are very small, low and sleek, and have a long flat head and a long beak to poke into holes in trees.
Phoebe-Black
Black phoebe: Zipping around on fence posts or mailboxes, with its tail wagging up and down, phoebes are everywhere and don’t seem to mind being close to people. They gad about, back and forth, making short, dipping flights to catch bugs in the air.
Robin-American
It’s not officially spring until you see and hear the famous robin red breast. We're happy to report that the archetypical bird we all learned about in kindergarten is thriving in our neighborhood.
Scrub-Jay-Western
Despite the grating sound of its persistent squawk, the scrub jay is a gorgeous cobalt blue that rivals the color of the sky.
Titmouse-Oak
Oak titmouse: This jittery bird is a tiny grey puffball with big eyes and a pointy crown, but it might be hard to spot flitting through oaks. They come to our bird feeder all year round, although they are more shy than the finches, who bully them around a bit. Nevertheless, the titmice get their share of birdseed
Towhee-California
California towhee: Not as showy as their spotted cousins, the California towhee is even more bold. I’ve walked within six feet of one, and it didn’t give up its spot underneath the bird feeder. So much for social distancing. They are small and grey, and like to stay in the brush, foraging in shade.
Towhee-Spotted
Spotted towhee: We see these birds everywhere, you can identify their song because it sounds like a wheezing kazoo. Small and fairly bold, they have a reddish chest, a black head, and white spots on their back. Sometimes you’ll see them on trees, but more often, they like to poke around on the ground.
Turkey-Wild
The largest of the neighborhood birds by far, the turkeys are not at all conforming to social distancing. The males are full of spring fever, puffing up and displaying their feathers, while the females are having a great time ignoring them.
Warbler-Yellow- Rumped (male)
While not a very flattering name, the yellow rumps have brush strokes of bright yellow that accent their mostly grayish wings, with yellow patches on their throats, under-wings, and yes, rumps.
Waxwing-Cedar
Cedar Waxwing - with their velvety beige breast, cedar colored under wings, a sporty back-swept crest, and long sleek black eye masks that extends from their beaks well past their eyes — gives them an air of nobility, like Zorro.