Reflections of the Natural World

By Jim Gain Learn 100 Common Valley Birds is a photo blog series highlighting 100 of the most common Valley bird species. Post #11 in the Learn 100 Common Valley Birds series. (Species 16 and 17/100.) “Your first indication of their presence is the distant sound of baying hounds. As you look up, you see Read more

Aix sponsa By Jim Gain Learn 100 Common Valley Birds is a photo blog series highlighting the 100 most common Valley bird species. Post #10 in the Learn 100 Common Valley Birds series. (Species 15/100.) INTRODUCTION  The Wood Duck is arguably the most spectacularly beautiful duck in the Central Valley. It is a Fairly Common Read more

Charadrius vociferus By Jim Gain Learn 100 Common Valley Birds is a photo blog series highlighting the 100 most common Valley bird species. Post #9 in the Learn 100 Common Valley Birds series. (Species 14/100.) Status The Killdeer is a Common Resident to California’s Central Valley. Killdeer belong to the plover family (Charadriidae) with 68 Read more

Colaptes auratus By Jim Gain Learn 100 Birds is a photo blog series highlighting 100 common bird species found in California’s Central Valley. Post #8 in the Learn 100 Common Valley Birds series. (Species 13/100.) Common Year-round Resident Introduction The Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) is a medium-sized bird of the woodpecker family. It is native Read more

By Jim Gain Learn 100 Birds is a photo blog series highlighting 100 common bird species found in California’s Central Valley. Post #7 in the Learn 100 Common Valley Birds series. (Species 11 and 12/100.) This is a three-fer post featuring the three species of Goldfinch that occur in the Central Valley. The first two, Read more

By Jim Gain Learn 100 Common Valley Birds is a photo blog series highlighting the 100 most common Valley bird species. Post #6 in the Learn 100 Common Valley Birds series. (Species 10/100.) The Loggerhead Shrike is a Fairly Common Resident to California’s Central Valley and can be found in grasslands, freshwater wetlands and chaparral Read more