Quail Hollow heat.

This late morning was for the bugs.  With this mid-September day's temperatures reaching the low 80's, I decided to keep my head down.  Pollinators were everywhere down at the grasslands around the pond. So, Violet-green Swallows were also in abundance, among others. I enjoyed a Santa Cruz County Vaux's Swift as well.

Regardless, plenty of butterflies out in the coyote brush, grasses, thistle, and sedge.  The following photographs captured a few common species to be expected late-summer into September/fall in this particular ecotype. 

Plenty of fresh, adult skipper species (family Hesperiidae).

Umber Skipper (Poanes melane)

Mournful Duskywing (Erynnis tristis)

Common Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus communis)

Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides)

Umber Skipper (Poanes melane)

Within (family Nymphalidae), the Brush-footed butterflies..

Callippe Fritillary (Speyeria callippe)

Callippe Fritillary

And (family Lycaenidae)..

the widespread Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus)

And brushfoot subfamily (Satyrinae)..

the curiously creamy-white variation in California, Common Ringlet (Coenonympha tullia)

 Within the order of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), there was no shortage of Cardinal Meadowhawk (Sympetrum illotum)

The Specialized Sapsuckers

Alliteration, anyone?

Woodpeckers that comprise the genus Sphyrapicus are commonly known as "sapsuckers."  These four specialized species drill "sap wells," evenly spaced holes in trees; the sap of which attracts insects they forage upon.

There is an uncommon sapsucker, uncommon to our region, that is spending a third winter with us.

Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis)

On a stand of sizable sycamores, this Red-naped Sapsucker is spending a third winter (presumably the same individual).

Red-naped?  The nape is the back of the head and/or neck.

This photo shows the red patch of feathers on the back of this bird's head

That red-patch isn't always that conspicuous.  It can be smaller, far fainter, or through your binoculars all the bird is affording you to see is the following:

Sweet! Great looks! But..,
Where's the nape? I can't see the nape? What nape?
In our region, the de facto sapsucker is (S. ruber) "Red-breasted Sap-sucker." The red-breasted, for starters, has an almost entire red-head; which is helpful.

Sweet! Great looks! But..,
It isn't the neighborhood Red-breasted sapsucker.  The Williamson's (S. thyroideus) sapsucker has a nearly solid black head.

It leaves us with the question, "Is it a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (S. varius) or red-naped?"  Both of which are rare birds for our area.  However, in some parts of the continent the two species' ranges overlap.
I happened to live for several years in such a place.

So back again, the hypothetical is: this all we are seeing..

We cannot see the back of its head.  We cannot see its nape.  However, you are rocking with views like this... if the bird stops drilling holes for a moment.

The above Red-naped Sapsucker (RNSA) image shows a helpful bit of diagnostic topography.  The red throat on an RNSA extends pretty much all the way to the white stripe that broadly crosses the side of the face.  The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (YBSA) has a black border between the red and the white.

Another helpful tip, if you aren't seeing a red-enough nape, or seeing the nape at all on your bird; the back, the mantle.

Still, our bird, which has a nice conspicuous red-nape.  Let's pretend it does not.

The RNSA's back/mantle has far more black than the YBSA.  The RNSA has black down the center of its back, splitting two white lateral rows or columns.  The YBSA has a single broad whitish back, lending to less black on the "shoulders," the scapulars.

Yellow-bellied sapsuckers do wander in from time to time.  In our region, there was one in Aptos last year at a private residence.  Currently, one is being reported in Santa Clara County.

Years ago our red-breasted, the red-naped, and the yellow-bellied sapsucker used to be lumped into one species: Yellow-bellied.
These three are super-close cousins.  Hybridization occurs frequently. And in certain dark alleyways, there remains grumblings on DNA, and the splitting species from the one, etc.

The bird that's returned for another winter at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in Felton presents all the diagnostic marks to determine it as Red-naped Sapsucker.

Thank goodness.

Stepping Out

Yep.  This blog, here in its nascent stages, has been staggering.  Slowed by its author's neglect.  Time for him to take some steps..

Living here in the Santa Cruz Mountains puts me in a location where I can travel "over the hill" with a bit more expediency.  "Over the hill" is a term people in these parts of the Monterey Bay-area give to going over the Santa Cruz Mountains and into the southern portion of the greater San Francisco Bay-area.

This morning I decided to take a few steps; a few steps, over the hill and into south bay (SF Bay)-area of Santa Clara and San Jose - ish.

More specifically stepping into the part of Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge that is within Santa Clara County.

These 3 words once again rang out: Old world species.

Ruff (Calidris pugnax)

While this wading bird has bred in Alaska, ultimately it is a Eurasian species and a rare visitor.  In some tomes the "Ruff" belongs in its own genus, and the only member of it, Philomachus.
In other, slightly newer, references it has been placed in the larger genus of shorebirds Calidris.  

Since there are many members of genus Calidris here in North America I will refer it there.  It won't be as lonely this winter.  This bird winters mainly in Africa.

Calidris pugnax

Curiously, the female C. pugnax bears a common name of "Reeve."  Only the males are properly called "Ruff."

Google search "Ruff."  In particular, the Ruff's breeding plumage.  Gathered in leks, the Ruffs' breeding plumage it gaudy, attention-getting, bordering both ridiculous and spectacular.
However, not being in Eurasia in the summer, this bird's non-breeding wintering plumage is less-than-conspicuous.

However there are some points of diagnoses on this rare bird, in its ho-hum winter plumage, among so many other... Calidris shorebirds and waders.

While it is about the size of a yellowlegs, it has a smallish head in proportion to its body.  In addition the bill is small.

It's tertial feathers are rather "loose, floppy" and at times that really shows; see below photo:

Also, at times, its scapulars (or feathers on its "back") can stick up on an otherwise rounded back.

In addition to the field marks mentioned above, one other distinguishing and rather unique field mark is one I look forward to showing.

The Ruff/Reeve shows a white U on its upper-tail coverts.  This is shown in flight:

Also a weak, thin, white line appears on the upper-side of wing in flight.

Old World Species. National Wildlife Refuges belong to everyone..

Step out onto the boardwalk, behind the Environmental Center, at the section of Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge in Santa Clara County.