Red-naped Sapsucker - Spyyrapicus nuchalis

Sapsuckers are well-named, as they are famous for their behavior of drilling a series of holes in the bark of a tree and later returning to the oozing holes to drink the sap or catch insects there. Before the 1980's there were only 2 birds in the Sapsucker genus, Sphyrapicus, The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Williamson's Sapsucker. In the mid-1980's the Yellow-breasted Sapsucker, S. varius, was split into 3 species. The Pacific Coast group of birds, the reddest, were separated out as the Red-breasted Sapsucker, S. ruber, and the Rocky Mountain group was given the name Red-naped Sapsucker, S nuchalis , a species we don't often see along the west coast. 

The Red-naped is quite similar to the Yellow-breasted Sapsucker found across the lower U.S. from Texas over to the east coast. The most significant difference is a red patch on the back of the neck, the nuchal area or "nape". The males of both species have a red throat with a black border, although the black border on the Red-naped is thinner.

First photo shows the red throat with the thin black border, and just a hint of red on the nape. 

Second photo and third photos are crops to show a bit more of the red nape. We can also see a bit of the yellow wash on the shoulder and belly.

Fourth photo show the yellow wash best, and the last photo gives us a look from below, showing the broad black chest band and the extensive red in the throat, and looking like a giant hummingbird. A female Red-naped Sapsucker would look much the same as this male, but she would have a white in the area of the chin, just about the red neck.

For those wishing to read more, especially about the rare occurrence of a female Red-naped with a totally red throat, see this article:

http://cfobirds.org/downloads/In%20the%20Scope/004%20In%20the%20Scope%20October%202007.pdf

Photos were taken looking up at quite an angle, so it's hard to show the pattern on the back and the nape. It was also quite a challenge to compose a shot, as the bird stayed only briefly at each visit.

Greater Yellowlegs -Tringa melanoleuca

While doing a Richardson Bay survey I spotted a Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) along the shore, and couldn't resist taking a few shots. Melanoleuca  means black and white, and I like to think of it as "salt and pepper". In breeding plumage the bird indeed appears more black and white, but in winter the upperparts are more gray, with a brown tinge, as seen here. I like these shots because they show how the base of the bill has some color, which helps distinguish it from the Lesser Yellowlegs (T. flavipes). The bill of the Greater YL is also longer, slightly upturned at times, and thicker at the base than the bill of the Lesser. 

Here'a another shot, showing the view more from the rear.

It's interesting to note the DNA studies suggest that the Greater Yellowlegs is closely related to the "shanks", i.e. Greenshank and Spotted Redshank, both large birds in the Tringa genus. The lesser Yellowlegs is in fact more closely related to the Willet. A good example of convergent evolution at work.

Red-shouldered Hawk - Buteo lineatus

The color of the iris of some birds changes with age, especially in the raptors. The juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus, has a medium brown iris, which will darken with age. The keen vision of hawks, and in fact of many birds, results in part from their large eyes in relation to their head size, as well as the anatomic structure of the eye itself. The Birder's Handbook (Ehrlich,Dobkin,Wheye) has a great essay, "Hawk-eyed" p. 229-231, that explains some of the structural features of a hawk's eye that gives it a visual acuity that far exceed the sharp vision of a human. Too much to relate here, plus you should all have this book on your shelf, as it is a most readable and interesting source that goes far beyond what you'll find in a bird guide book.l I know, most already have the book, but like me you probably don't refer to it often enough!

Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk on Bush Lupine, Pierce Pt. Road -
Point Reyes National Seashore

Closer view show the color of the iris better: Juvenile birds have streaky chests, whereas our western adult Red-shouldered Hawks are a rich orange.

Closer still:

This young bird was oblivious to our presence, and in fact seemed to follow us along the path, catching grasshoppers that fled at our approach.

Cackling Cackling Goose - Branta hutchinsii minima

At the Las Gallinas ponds recently a bunch of Canada Geese barreled in noisily to pond #1 and settled for a bit. With them was a flock of about 53 smaller versions of the Canada Goose, a species call the Cackling Goose. What was really cool was the manner in which the smaller geese stayed in close proximity to each other, effectively excluding any of the nearby big honkers from crashing their party.

I'd never seen the size disparity between Cackling and Canada Geese as well, so I figured it was worth sharing some documentary photos.

Pretty sure the subspecies of Cackling Goose here is the "minima", a race formerly called the Cackling Goose when it was part of the Canada Goose complex. When they split off Cackling Goose (4 subspecies) from the Canada Goose (7 subspecies) the "minima" became only one of four types of Cackling Geese, so we now have to call it either "minima", or the Cackling Cackling Goose, Branta hutchinsii minima. I'm not making this stuff up! The other common subspecies of Cackling Goose seen here is the Aleutian Cackling Goose. Sibley writes about it a lot better than I do, and at great length (source below). Other sources also included for the brave amongst you.

Sibley on Candada/Cackling, 2004: http://www.sibleyguides.com/2007/07/identification-of-cackling-and-canada-goose/

Roberson (Creagus) - 2 pages: 

http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/MTYbirdsCACG.html

http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/MTYbirdsCACG2.html

Mountain Plover - Charadrius montanus

The Mountain Plover, Charadrius montanus, has declined significantly in population and is considered near-threatened, with a total population of perhaps 15-20,000. The decline is attributed mostly to habitat loss, both in breeding grounds (short-grass plains east of the Rockies) and wintering areas, where agricultural practices have reduced foraging grounds. They prefer barer ground, i.e. grazed, plowed or burned fields. Unlike most plovers the Mountain Plover is not found near water and prefers arid substrates where it hunts for beetles, grasshoppers and crickets. Up to 85% of all the Mountain Plovers will winter in the Central, San Juaquin and Imperial Valleys of California, with most in the Imperial Valley. Others winter in southern New Mexico and Northern Mexico, with some in southwest Texas.

Their nesting behavior is interesting. The female lays about 3 eggs in one nest, then leaves that clutch for the male to incubate and watch over until chicks fledge. Meanwhile she goes to a second nest and lays another 3 eggs, which she incubates and tends herself, apparently with better average success than the male. The chicks are precocial, i.e. they find their own food.

As you can see from the photos, Mountain Plover is long-legged and rather plain, with soft brown back and wings, and white face, neck and underparts. About Killdeer size but with a shorter tail. They blend in with the colors of the plowed fields, so can be hard to spot. In breeding plumage the forecrown gets black, as in many other plover species, and black develops in the lores.

The BNA account (#211) by F. Knobf is good, but a more accessible account can be found in Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Plover