Local Wildlife

We have coyotes and they usually come out at night. Once in a while you will see one in the day time on our street or crossing the main highway. I heard from a lady on the track below us that they had a mountain lion on their street and that it was stalking her and her dogs when she went out for a walk, but the people on the street were feeding it (a definite no no), and so it became accustomed to being around people, and being fed there.There are other birds that I used to see but they too are scarce now. When we first move up here I saw a mountain quail on our fence, but that was the only time I saw one, and we also saw quite a few California Quail. Before the Bark Beetle infestation many of these birds (shown below) were very common in our yard. Another factor that has changed is that there are a lot more people that are full-time residents now, and that keeps the birds away, I think.



This is a Western Tanager and he is rare to see as well.

This is a Spotted Towhee and he used to be frequently seen but I haven't seen any for awhile.
This is a male House Sparrow. They are also frequently around my feeders, and are around all year.

This is an American Robin. They are pretty big and we used to see them hunting for food in our front yard. They are seasonal birds and are not around all year.

This is a male House Finch. The females are all brown. They are frequently around my feeders and waterfall/birdbath.




These are Acorn Woodpeckers, and I've lost more than one mornings pleasant sleep over these guys rat-a-tatting on the side of my house, not to mention that they are wreaking havok with the paint job!





This is a Mountain Bluebird, and if you are very lucky you might catch a glimpse of one flitting through the trees. They don't frequent my birdfeeders so I have to watch the meadow behind our house to see one.

This is a Mountain Chickadee. They are very shy and it takes a great deal of patience to see one. They flitter and bob around a lot. I see them mostly in the fall and winter months.

This is a Stellars Jay, and he can be quite annoying. They have a very loud "caw caw" sound, but they are also capable of mimicking hawks. They are around all year.

This is a Black-Capped Chickadee and they have a very sweet trilling call. These little fellows are at my bird feeders all winter long.

This is a Black Bear and she probably weighs at least 500 lbs. It's a misnomer that black bears are all black, they are not, this one is cinnamon colored.

Then there's our "bandits". These are a set of twins and were very young when I took these photos. I would never attempt this with an adult.They love to play in the water and are rather partial to crackers and cookies but they'll eat anything including your garbage, which they do every trash day. It's why we have to lock up our cans and put them out in the morning.

These little guys are quite prolific and hog the bird feeders chasing off even the aggressive Stellar Jays. It seems that even if I put food out for them they eat all their stuff and then attack the birdfeeders too!