Oak Titmouse

Not my best photographic effort, but I love crested birds and particularly these shy little guys with big round eyes. It was quite breezy when I was watching and it enhanced his topknot. He is hard to photograph because he doesn't sit still  at all, but grabs a seed and flies off to the safety of the oak trees with it.'The only other crested bird we have seen in our garden is the Stellar jay who is a saucy character, although even he disappears when the crazy eyed acorn woodpecker shows up. 

There is a brilliant yellow-orange oriole that comes to the hummingbird feeder every evening at about five. He feeds there just until I go looking for my camera, and then flies off. Perhaps he knows that the hummingbirds come in the mid-afternoon, because there are a lot of them, and they can be quite fierce. They frequently buzz me when I am working out there.

The quail march across the hill in an orderly line morning and evening, and hop down the steps to work the ground under the feeders. The male always stands watch while his wife is feeding.There is another covey that lives in the olive bushes by the driveway. They're very well hidden, but we can hear the babies inside.

The finches are around all the time, but fly off whenever anything bigger  than they are comes around (except the grosbeaks). They also love the fountain out in front where they can bathe with abandon. 

There is a definite and well understood order among the birds. It is fun to watch it unfold….