Birds in the garden

Chestnut back chickadee fledgling

The garden is full of bird activity and song every day from morning through twilight.

Here are some photos I took a few days ago.

I was walking around the garden with my camera and heard the distinctive chatter and song of chickadees somewhere above my head in the fig tree that is now full of leaves. I looked up and observed three chestnut back chickadees hopping on the branches, who then flew down to the ceanothus shrub. This was definitely a family of either two parents and one baby (fledgling) or one parent and two fledglings. Quietly I followed them as they moved from shrub to shrub and was very fortunate to get this shot of a fledgling that landed on a jade plant branch. As soon as I took the photo, its parent called out to it and the fledgling flew to join the other chickadees.

California towhee in the fig tree

And later in the day, I spotted a California towhee in the fig tree. Yes, that tree is very large and a favorite hangout for all kinds of birds.

Mourning dove on the neighbors' roof carrying nesting material

Meanwhile, in the backyard I noticed a couple of mourning doves flying back and forth with twigs to a tree next to our house. Nesting time again?