Diario del proyecto Birds of Big Sur, Carmel, Pebble Beach, Monterey, Pacific Grove, California, USA

So I was sitting in my bedroom and heard what I thought was my smoke alarm battery, "Chirping," to let me know it was time to replace it. I got closer and realized that wasn't it. I went outside and the chirping got louder. I thought, "It must be the call of some bird I'm not familiar with. (Of which there are many.) 😅 Then I saw an adult male, Anna's Hummingbird - (Calypte anna) suspended way above my head. He, "dive-bombed," near me and then away. He rapidly did this four times. The sound was coming from him. I read that this sound is made by the outermost tail feather. I don't get visits very often by male hummingbirds in my garden, so this little guy taught me that a tiny bird can make a big sound. Carmel, CA. USA. Photo © Kathleen L. Ryan. 1/14/2021, 3:06 PM. Nikon D7500, ISO 500, 500mm, F5.6, 1/2000 sec.

In my experience, I've noticed that Hooded Mergansers tend to be quite timid and elusive. Soon after I spotted a male and female pair, the male quickly took off, with the female right behind him. I felt very fortunate to photograph and get a decent image the adult female Hooded Merganser in flight.

This was the first time I saw a Cinnamon Teal - (Spatula cyanoptera), and not just one, but two adult males. I watched them for about 35 minutes, in hopes they'd move or fly away, so I could get a full body photograph. They were content to remain stationary and nap.

Today was the first time I've seen a Merlin - (Falco columbarius). I initially thought it was a Peregrine Falcon, when I surveyed the scene, because that has been the only species of falcon I've seen in the area where I live. Then I used my camera's lens to take a good look, and wasn't I surprised! Suddenly, it took off, and I was able to capture several frames with the falcon in various stages of flight.

I observed two Cinnamon Teals - (Spatula cyanoptera) two days earlier, and wanted to return to the same area to see if they were still there. These were my first sightings of teals, and I was hoping for a chance to observe them again.

Upon my arrival today, I observed one Cinnamon teal sleeping. A large gull landed and walked over to the teal and pecked him. The teal jumped up in surprise, and escaped from the gull. I later observed, when the teal returned to land, his left eye, and left leg/foot were injured. I hadn't seen this before, as I'd only seen his right side in profile.

It now was apparent to me, why the teal hadn't moved when the gull approached him; as he couldn't see out of his left eye. I have a series of photos that show this encounter; seagull approach, seagull pecking, teal escaping, teal swimming, teal returning to land to display his injuries, and teal flying away.

Today I felt fortunate to see four male and three female Buffleheads - (Bucephala albeola), because usually I see none. I observed them exhibiting head bobbing, diving, and wing flapping, usually in response to each other's behavior.

On 1/28/2021, 10:34 AM PST, in the rain, I saw six Dark-eyed Juncos - (Junco hyemalis) One was exhibiting white tail feathers, which I hadn't seen before. I thought to myself, is it molting? I learned, no this wasn't what was happening. I researched it a little on line and citing from the fifth paragraph from, https://mailtribune.com/.../untold-stories-of-the-dark.... I found out why the flash of white tail feathers. "There are at least two reasons. First, it is a way to communicate with others of its kind. White outer tail feathers are common among many species that flock. A flash of white out of the corner of a bird’s eye, and it knows it is still with the flock. If a predator appears, all a bird has to do is keep the tail folded to conceal the white."