Backyard Birding - Northern Mockingbird

Enjoying the wonderful sunny and pleasant weather over this Thanksgiving weekend here in Morgan Hill... and I've been noticing this first-year NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD occasionally in our backyard. This morning I snapped this photo as the bird was warming itself in the sunlight, posing in its favorite spot on top of the hedge near the fence. It's not very often we see this species here... so this was a nice bonus sighting.

Backyard Birding - Red-breasted Sapsucker

For only the third time in over ten years, a Red-breasted Sapsucker has taken over one of our backyard trees. While on the patio, the unmistakable sounds of a woodpecker tapping was heard... and I was lucky enough to get a few photos before it flew off. As you can see from all the holes, this bird has been visiting this tree for a while. We have lots of Nutall's Woodpeckers and Acorn Woodpeckers, but the Red-breasted Sapsucker is very unusual for our backyard here in Morgan Hill.

Monterey, California in November

A great way to spend a weekend in Northern California is to visit Monterey... especially on a perfect autumn day to enjoy the sunshine, flowers, and Pacific Ocean waves.

Barbi & I went to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in Pacific Grove with the Morgan Hill Photography Group (MHPC)... and the gathering of overwintering butterflies is underway!

Then to the coastline to watch the impressive Pacific Ocean waves pounding the rocks while enjoying the perfect weather and lunch, with some birding and scenic photography added in!

November Rose Garden

With the arrival of the month of November, the morning air is cool and crisp... and yet the rose garden is still very much alive with color and beauty.

This beautiful colorful ROSE captured my eye more than the White-Crowned Sparrows in the backyard... so it's onto Dave's Birding Blog!