Some of Our Neighbors Here in the Woods...

Non-human neighbors, that is.

Over the past two weekends I spent a bit of time on my photography platform (without the blind), photographing the comings of goings in the morning rush.

Here are some of the locals from last weekend:

A special visitor: A male California Quail. We have had very few quail coming around over the years, although we hear them in the underbrush nearby periodically. This guy just appeared out of nowhere (seemingly) and wandered around in camera-shot for a while before retiring into the thick manzanita.

The California Scrub Jays are VERY common, and are easy to photograph on the perches I set out.

The Desert Cottontails are also very common, but they rarely wander past in the morning when I am outside. This one looks rather stern here!

The morning light is a wonderful thing!

The Oak Titmice are close neighbors, and seem to be on the lookout for me as long as the sun is up (I do put a little seed out on the ground in the morning, which they have become very fond of). If I wander anywhere near the platform area, they are right there in the small oaks talking to me. They fledged young (again) this year.

The Merriam's Chipmunks are not always in evidence, but seem to have re-emerged from hiding recently. This may be the "beat up" looking individual that I photographed last spring (missing the tip of its tail). Or just a look-alike. They appear to lead hard lives. Note the notches in the ears of this one.

Here are some of the animals that revealed themselves when I was on the platform this morning. In addition, Dark-eyed Juncos were around, and I heard a White-crowned Sparrow last week. Fall is here and Winter is coming...

Immature male Anna's Hummingbird, hatched this year. Earlier in the year I saw a female hummer collect some cat hair that I had placed out in a suet cage for the birds to use for their nest-linings.

The hummingbird feeders are beset by Honey Bees and yellowjackets, and this young male is eyeing the feeder carefully before attempting a sip.

The Oak Titmice are ALWAYS here.

The Steller's Jay made an appearance. I rarely see more than one at a time of this species here.

Too bad the tail is hidden...

Merriam's Chipmunk

The pair of White-winged Doves that I described in the previous post.

White-winged Doves in the Cuyamaca Mountains

White-winged Doves are typically found in the desert regions of southern California (as well as in the other southern tier states as far east as Texas).

They are not usually found in the mountains here in southern California, although the San Diego County Bird Atlas (Unitt), describes yearly movements between the desert and the coast, in small numbers, particularly in spring and fall.

Over the past 18 months, I (and at least one of my neighbors) have periodically seen or heard White-winged Doves in the Cuyamaca Woods area here in the Cuyamaca Mountains. It likely has not been the same individual, based on the movements described above. My first observation was near our property on April 1 (yes, April Fool's Day - but it WAS actually seen!). The characteristic vocalization, usually a signature of the desert, was heard very close to my house, and with some effort, the bird was found. It obligingly perched on a tree on a neighboring property, as shown below.

White-winged Dove, Zenaida asiatica, Cuyamaca Mountains, California, April 1, 2018.

I have heard the distinctive vocalizations on and off over the next year-and-a-half, and this morning, while photographing animals from the photography platform on my property, I saw a pair of doves appear, and then move around within view of the platform, first perching in a tall dead tree, then foraging on the ground, then perching on one of the boulders just downslope from our patio.

I was able to capture a few photographs of the pair together, the best two of which are shown below.

Two White-winged Doves on boulder a few feet from our patio. October 19, 2019.

White-winged Doves in dead tree downslope from house. October 19, 2019.

I have been reporting these observations to eBird: https://ebird.org/profile/MTA0NjUyMw/world