Ornithology 3B Summary

If you miss a class, please check this page and study the listed topics in your field guide. For last year's calendar, click here.


December 14
We completed and reviewed the swallows on page 324. A photo and discussion of California's first Cave Swallow is included in the 15th report of the CBRC here. Click here for a photo of a claimed recent Cave Swallow at the Salton Sea, which I believe is actually a juvenile Cliff Swallow.

Please preregister if you plan to enroll in the Spring. Click here for details.


December 7
We completed and reviewed the swallows on page 322. Click here for photo and discussion of a female Violet-green Swallow.

November 30
We completed and reviewed the larks on page 320. Click here for a photo (with Smith's Longspur comparison) of the Point Reyes Sky Lark. Click here for a pdf of my detailed article with Dick Erickson on that bird. Photos of a Sky Lark in Washington State are here.

November 16
We completed and reviewed the crows & ravens on page 318. Click here for my photo of a Common Raven in San Francisco and detailed taxonomic comments.

November 9
We completed and reviewed the jays & magpies on page 316. Click here for my photo of a Green Jay in Texas.

November 2
We completed and reviewed the jays on page 314. Click here for a photo and discussion of identification of Island Scrub-Jay. Click here for my photo of a Mexican Jay in Arizona.

Note: The field trip schedule has been updated to clarify the meeting site of this Saturday's field trip to Coyote Point.


October 26
We completed and reviewed the jays and nutcracker on page 312. Click here for a photo of a Blue Jay in Fairfield, Solano County and here for a photo of a Blue Jay in Humboldt County. . Click here for photos and discussion of a Steller's Jay from Colorado. Click here for a photo of a Gray Jay from our Alaska trip.

This was the last class of the quarter. Please click here to register for part B. Course numbers, dates and descriptions are here.


October 19
We completed and reviewed the vireos on page 310. Click here for photos and notes of a recent Yellow-green Vireo at Point Reyes. Click here for photos of Yellow-green Vireo in California. Click here and here for my notes on Yellow-green Vireos in San Francisco and Pescadero. Click here for a photo of a Red-eyed Vireo in Arcata. Click here for photos and notes on a Philadelphia Vireo in Kern County, California and here for my notes on a Philadelphia Vireo in Humboldt County.

October 12
We reviewed the vireos on page 306 & 308.

October 5
We completed the vireos on page 306 & 308. Click here for my notes on a White-eyed Vireo in Dublin, California. Click here for a Yellow-throated Vireo photo and here, here and here for my notes on Yellow-throated Vireos in Kern, Orange and Monterey Counties. Click here for photos and external links on the Eastern Bell's Vireo in Golden Gate Park. Click here for a photo and discussion on the identification of Hutton's Vireo. Click here for photos and my notes on a Blue-headed Vireo at Point Reyes; and here for photos, video, audio and my notes on a Blue-headed Vireo in Orange County.

September 28
We completed and reviewed the shrikes on page 304. Click here for a photo of the Brown Shrike at Inverness Park. Click here for my photos of a Northern Shrike at Davis. Additional immature Northern Shrike photos from California are here and here.

September 14
We completed and reviewed the flycatchers on page 302. Click here, here, here, here and here for photos of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers in California. Click here for photos and detailed discussion of an apparrent Scissor-tailed Flycatcher X Western Kingbird hybrid in New York. Click here and here for my photos and notes on Great Kiskadees in Texas (click full size for best rendering). Click here for details and photos of a Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher at Bodega Bay, here for photos of a Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher at Pescadero, and here for photos of a Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher in Baja.

Note: There will be no class next week on September 21. Class will resume Thursday, September 28!


September 7
We completed and reviewed the kingbirds on page 300. Click here for a photo of the Fork-tailed Flycatcher at Bridgehaven and here for a detailed article on North American occurrences. Click here for photos and discussion of a possible Eastern X Western Kingbird hybrid. Click here for a photo of an Eastern Kingbird at Desert Center, here for a photo of an Eastern Kingbird at Orick, and here for an Eastern Kingbird on San Clemente Island. Click here, here and here for details and photos of a Thick-billed Kingbird at Half Moon Bay; and click here for my notes on a Thick-billed Kingbird at Pomona.