Hooded Mergansers

The hooded mergansers have returned.

Hooded Mergansers rule

The hooded Merganser is the bird that pushed us ove the edge. We became birders because these ducks landed in the lake in New Jersey we lived on. I'm glad they spend the fall and winters in Southern California too.

The hoodies are back

The hooded mergansers are returning to Riverside.


The ring-necked ducks too

American Widgeon with Three Hooded Mergansers

Some birds from the UCR campus

Here's a red-tailed hawk and a killdeer.

The hoodies are back

The hooded mergansers have returned to UCR

The hoodies are back

The hooded mergansers have returned to Riverside.

Hooded Mergansers

Hooded Mergansers

The hooded mergansers are back in Riverside.

Ring-necked Ducks and Belted Kingfisher

Ring-necked Ducks

We spent some time at UCRs AgOps this weekend. The migrating ducks have just started arriving. It was nice to see a kingfisher too.

More Ducks

Common Goldeneye


Common Merganser


Female Hooded Mergansers


Male Hooded Mergansers


Ring-necked Ducks


Female Common Merganser and Ring-necked Duck


Ring-necked Duck and American Widgeon


The migrating ducks are starting to arrive nearby. We always enjoy the hooded mergansers, but really appreciated seeing the common merganser female. The common golden eye was a neat find.

Hooded Mergansers

Hooded Mergansers

The Hooded Merganser was the bird that got us most interested in bird watching. They would come by our home on a small lake in New Jersey every fall. We are thrilled that they are nearby in California, too.

Birding in Riverside

Here are a few more of the birds we saw at Riverside, mostly at the AgOps area of my new institution, UC Riverside. The western kingbird was at a nearby park. The Western Wood-Pewee was a new bird to us.


Western Kingbird


Western Wood-Pewee


Acorn Woodpecker


Baby Western Bluebird


Lark Sparrow


Say's Phoebe


Black Phoebe

Northern Flickers

We were out in Riverside, California again and went birding with some people at UC Riverside. One of the highlights for us was the red-shafted northern flicker. We get the yellow shafted in NJ.


Red Shafted Northern Flicker


The Red-shafted Northern Flicker lives in western North America. They are red under the tail and underwings and have red under their tail. Males have a red moustache.



Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker

The Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker lives in eastern North America. They are yellow under the tail and underwings and have yellow under their tail. Males have a black moustache.