Sipping from the fountain in Mountain View

October 19, 2012: Rancho San Antonio, Mountain View

How much information is enough? Is the hint of color, shape, and size enough to make a good guess as to whom is trying to sip from this fountain at the park?

Investigating a mystery in Sunnyvale

October 14, 2012: Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road, Sunnyvale

I'd been hearing unusual calls for a few weeks near the Orchard Supply Hardware in Sunnyvale, so today I went out with my camera to document what I was hearing. I didn't see or hear anything unusual near OSH and Safeway, but while walking south along Sunnyvale-Saratoga, I was brought to alert by calls to the south-west, over the Little Caesar's pizza place. Indeed, it was the mystery flock! Can you identify these birds that so surprised me?

Shades of brown at Shoreline

September 29, 2012: Shoreline park, Mountain View.

Living near the bay but not in the bay: can you identify this patterned little brown bird who kept busy hopping from twig to twig?

Expert fishing bird at Shoreline

September 29, 2012: Shoreline park, Mountain View.

This expert fishing bird pauses for some preening in Charleston Slough at Shoreline park. As a bonus, can you identify the host of smaller birds also in the scene? Some of those smaller birds aren't actually that small! See this previous post for an action shot of one such fellow from earlier the same day.

Long legs at Shoreline

September 29, 2012: Shoreline park, Mountain View.

Check out those legs! These showy black and white birds can generate a lot of volume when enough of them start vocalizing at the same time. They were quiet on this late September day though. Can you name this common south bay bird?

Birds wading in the shallow water at Shoreline

September 29, 2012: Shoreline park, Mountain View.

A bunch of little birds were poking around in the shallow waters at Shoreline park in the late afternoon. Can you identify them and guess what they might be looking to find for dinner?

Bold action at Yahoo!

September 27, 2012: Yahoo! campus, Sunnyvale.

While visiting the Yahoo! campus over lunch, this fellow swooped right down, landed, and ripped into my corn bread. Multiple shooing motions with my hand barely budged him. Talk about fearless! I have some confidence I could have grabbed him had I wished.

Do you know what kind of bird was getting all aggressive over free lunch at Yahoo!? This campus is situated right on the baylands of the southern part of the San Francisco Bay.

Update: I spent some time with the Aperture editing tools to pull out some detail in the feathers. The below photos capture more of what I saw directly: a black bird, but with notably lighter coloration in spots and a curious white patch on the belly.