Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) 30 November 2025. Lloyd Lake, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, USA. Endemic to North America, the male's extravagant white crest with black trim may be raised in ritualized courtship display giving them an outrageous foppish profile. #Birds

Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 16 November 2025. Nob Hill Pond, Redwood Shores, California, USA. This widespread species gets its name from the patch of bright green on its secondaries usually concealed on swimming birds. Here it shows when the wings are partly raised. An immature male. #Birds

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 20 November 2025. Pescadero, California, USA. Striking a menacing pose, an adult showing reddish head skin and small ivory colored bill. They take three years to get full adult coloration. #Birds

Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus). 18 November 2025. Pier 94, Salt marsh restoration, San Francisco, California, USA. A rare visitor to the Bay Area with most records being males. This is the first female I have photographed. It is In its first winter (formative plumage). #Birds

European Mantis (Mantis religiosa) 12 September 2025. Pier 94, Salt Marsh Restoration, San Francisco, California, USA. Usually called "Praying Mantis" they were introduced to North America from Europe. They can change color from brown to green.

Surfbird (Calidris virgata) 04 November 2025. Hayward Landing, Hayward, California, USA. Endemic to North America, breeding in the mountains of central Alaska and the Yukon and wintering along the Pacific Coast from Alaska to South America. #Birds

Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica) 04 November 2025. Hayward Landing, Hayward, California, USA. Originally found 02 November 2025 by Ed Yong, a first winter (formative plumage) bird retaining juvenile wing coverts and tertials. #Birds

Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) 26 October 2025. North Lake, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, USA. Frequently misspelled, they were named in honor of the German naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller who collected the first specimen. #Birds

Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) 28 October 2025. Mirada Surf County Park, El Granada, California, USA. A rare vagrant in California. The sharply pointed and attenuated rectrices indicate an immature (formative plumage) and the all dark primary coverts and alula indicate a female. #Birds

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata) 27 October 2025. Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary, Alameda, California, USA. Harsh backlighting was a challenge. Found by Deborah Crooks October 24, a very rare and declining late Fall migrant in California. #Birds

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) 24 August 2025. Shamrock Ranch, Pacifica, California, USA. Posing on a dead sunflower head. A female of the race "J. h. pinosus" which is largely resident. They are distinguished by having more extensive pinkish color on their sides. #Birds

Columbian Black-tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus). 23 October 2025. San Pedro Valley Park, Pacifica, California, USA. Note sideways cud chewing action. Not often seen in the wild, deer usually repair to a safe place to chew their cud. #Nature #Wildlife

Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 01 August 2017. Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District, San Rafael, California, USA. A peaceful reflective setting. An adult in breeding plumage showing black chin and bill ring. #Birds

Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii) 22 August 2025. Pacifica, California, USA. A juvenile Cooper's Hawk perching on our backyard fence checking out our bird feeders. They feed on small birds. #Birds

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 24 August 2025. Point San Pedro, Pacifica, California, USA. Late nestlings. Likely a second brood. The yellow "gape flanges" attached to the edges of the bill and yellow-orange mouth lining stimulate the adult birds to feed their babies. #Birds

Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) 9 October 2022. Lake Merced, San Francisco, California, USA. A blue iridescent male striking a tail-up pose. Still expanding their range, they were first recorded in California along the Colorado River in 1964. #Birds

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 16 October 2025. Skylawn Cemetery, Highlands, California, USA. They breeds across much of the continent, choosing gravel bars when available. But they have become well adapted to nesting on roadsides, golf course edges and even tar & gravel rooftops. #Birds

Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) 16 October 2025. Skylawn Cemetery, Highlands, California, USA. Famous for different populations having different call types and bill sizes. #Birds

Hudsonian Whimbrel (Numenius hudsonicus) 13 October 2025. Coyote Point Recreation Area, San Mateo, California, USA. Taxonomy in transition. Formerly lumped with the Eurasian Whimbrel they are scheduled to be split in the next Clements/eBird update. #Birds

Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva) 13 October 2025. Coyote Point Recreation Area, San Mateo, California, USA. A nice bright juvenile found 09 October by Michael Long. Increasingly scarce in California. #Birds

White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) 13 October 2025. Coyote Point Freshwater Marsh, San Mateo, California, USA. Scarce along the immediate coast, this bird was first reported 07 October by Tom Duncan. A non-breeding adult showing the green and bronze sheen. #Birds

Western Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis) 14 September 2025. Fort Mason, San Francisco, California, USA. Formerly split from the virtually identical Cordilleran Flycatcher under the name "Pacific-slope Flycatcher." #Birds

Pygmy Nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea) 14 September 2025. Fort Mason, San Francisco, California, USA. Usually preferring to forage on tree trunks and pine cones, this one has discovered the sweet joy Crimson Bottlebrush nectar. #Birds

Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) 10 October 2025. Mavericks Beach, Moss Beach, California, USA. An uncommon and declining visitor to California, this individual was particularly cooperative. A female in non-breeding (basic) plumage by the lack of rufous nape and overall buffy color. #Birds

Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) 30 September 2025. Bodega Harbor, Bodega Bay, California, USA. Non-breeding (basic) plumage. The smudgy "bow-tie" pattern on the chest and orange legs help distinguish them from the more common Black Turnstone. #Birds

Cinnamon Teal (Spatula cyanoptera) 05 October 2025. Lake Merced, San Francisco, California, USA. A striking adult male still showing body scalloping retained from summer plumage. Its population is estimated at fewer than 300,000 making it one of our least common dabbling ducks. #Birding

Clark's Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii) 05 October 2025. Lake Merced, San Francisco, California, USA. A recently hatched juvenile, not yet full grown and still begging for food. Note more extensive white plumage but a darker bill and interesting crown pattern. #Birds

Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) 04 October 2025. El Granada, California, USA. Donna Pomeroy kindly allowed birders access to her house to see this Painted Bunting visiting a feeder in her yard. A rare vagrant in California with at least four previous San Mateo County records. #Birds

Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) 03 October 2025. Fort Mason, San Francisco, California, USA. Note the red inner web extending to the tip and all the way to the feather shaft and the dark centers to the crown feathers. The fourth record for the city of San Francisco. #Birds

Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) 28 September 2025. Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District, San Rafael, California, USA. Rather shy and reclusive immature lacking the bright red frontal shield. Recently split from the Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) of Eurasia. #Birds

North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis) 28 September 2025. Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District, San Rafael, California, USA. A group of three River Otters on the bank of a pond. The species is said to be solitary except for family groups of females and their young. #Wildlife #Nature

Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis) 08 June 2025. Fort Simcoe, Yakima, Washington, USA. Highly migratory summer breeder in grasslands of western North America. Virtually no winter records. Note the dark tail with white outer webs. #Birds

Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) 08 June 2025. Fort Simcoe, Yakima, Washington, USA. A unique well marked sparrow of arid grasslands in the interior of the American West. #Birds

Lewis's Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) 08 June 2025. Fort Simcoe, Yakima, Washington, USA. An unusual weird-looking species acting more like a flycatcher than a woodpecker. They have been driven out of many of their former breeding areas by introduced European Starlings. #Birds

Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) 08 June 2025. Fort Simcoe, Yakima, Washington, USA. Not actually a lark, meadowlarks are New World blackbirds (Icterids). #Birds

Williamson's Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus) 07 June 2025. Chinook Pass, Yakima, Washington, USA. Female looks completely different from the black, white and red male. Not surprisingly, early ornithologists originally described the males and females as a totally different species. #Birds

White-headed Woodpecker (Dryobates albolarvatus) 06 Jun 2025. Ellensburg, Kittitas County, Washington, USA. A unique woodpecker of the far western mountains strongly associated with Ponderosa Pine. An adult male showing a red patch on its nape. #Birds

Pale Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon) 06 June 2025. Parke Creek Road, Ellensburg, Washington, USA. The Pale (or Pallid) Swallowtail is less common than the similar Western Tiger Swallowtail. In addition to its paler color, its forewings are narrower, and its black stripes are broader. #Butterflies

Dark-sided Flycatcher (Muscicapa sibirica) 18 September 2025. Charleston Rd. Marsh, Mountain View, Santa Clara County, California, USA. Old World flycatchers pose some challenging identification issues, but this one has been identified as Dark-sided by a number of experts. #Birds

Gray Flycatcher (Empidonax wrightii) 06 Jun 2025. Ellensburg, Kittitas County, Washington, USA. A member of the cryptic "Empidonax" genus of American flycatchers which closely resemble each other. Best distinguished by voice. #Birds

Milbert's Tortoiseshell (Aglais milberti) 05 June 2025. North Fork Road, Tampico, Yakima County, Washington, USA. Also called "Fire-rim Tortoiseshell." They range widely across Canada and the Western USA. Formerly in the genus "Nymphalis". #Butterflies #Nature

Parasitic Jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus) 13 September 2025. Presidio--Crissy Field Lagoon, San Francisco, California, USA. Distinguished from other Jaegers by having 3-5 white primary shafts and pointed central rectrices. Barring indicates juvenile. #Birds

Sabine's Gull (Xema sabini) 13 September 2025. Presidio--Crissy Field Lagoon, San Francisco, California, USA. A rarity usually seen migrating far off-shore from breeding grounds in the high Arctic to the open ocean off South America. Note yellow bill tip. #Birds

Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus} 08 April 2025. Cano Negro--Rio Frio North, Alajuela, Costa Rica. A male showing a patch of orange and black fur on its back. Note the dark mark below the eye and smiling expression which help distinguish this species. #Wildlife #Nature

Spot-bellied Bobwhite (Colinus leucopogon) 14 April 2025. Coyol Free Zone, Alajuela, Costa Rica. Very shy. Traditionally lumped with similar Crested Bobwhite; recently split based on molecular studies. #Birds

White-naped Brushfinch (Atlapetes albinucha) 14 April 2025. Hotel Quelitales, Cartago, Costa Rica. Lifer! Mexican birds with all yellow underparts preciously split from "Yellow-throated Brushfinch" with yellow confined to the throat as seen here. Split by Dyer & Howell. #Birds

Green Hermit (Phaethornis guy) 14 April 2025. Hotel Quelitales, Cartago, Costa Rica. A female showing long white tails streamers and buff facial stripes. The long bill is adapted for the nectar of long tubular flowers such as "Heliconia". #Birds

Lesser Violetear (Colibri cyanotus) 14 April 2025. Hotel Quelitales, Cartago, Costa Rica. Males and females are similar but males keep up a constant, monotonous chirping all day long. The former Green Violetear was split into Mexican and Lesser Violetears. #Birds

Violet Sabrewing (Campylopterus hemileucurus) 14 April 2025. Hotel Quelitales, Cartago, Costa Rica. Dazzling male. A large hummingbird endemic to Central America. They usually look black, but when the light hits just right, they become an amazing bright purple-blue. #Birds

Green-crowned Brilliant (Heliodoxa jacula) 14 April 2025. Hotel Quelitales, Cartago, Costa Rica. An adult female. Differs from larger male by having spotted breast, short white whisker stripe and lacking the male's blue throat patch. #Birds