Bay Area Hiker: Birds
Birds
Hawk
Sharp-shinned or Cooper's hawk, autumn, San Francisco (retrieved from inside our house!)

Bewick's wren
Bewick's wren (Thryomanes bewickii), spring, Año Nuevo Reserve

Say's phoebe Say's phoebe (Sayornis saya), autumn, Mount Davidson, San Francisco

Greater white-fronted geese Greater white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons), spring, Año Nuevo Reserve

California towhee
California towhee (Pipilo crissalis), autumn, San Francisco backyard

sharp-shinned hawk Sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus), winter, San Francisco backyard

golden crowed and white crowned sparrows
Golden-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla) and white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys), autumn, San Francisco backyard

Black-headed grosbeak Black-headed grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus, female shown), autumn, San Francisco backyard

Chestnut-backed chickadee Chestnut-backed chickadee (Poecile rufescens), winter, San Francisco backyard

Steller's Jay photo
Steller's jay (Cyanocitta stelleri), spring, Quail Loop Trail, Junipero Serra County Park

Turkey Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo): A tom and two females, winter, High Ridge Loop Trail, Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park
View more turkey photos

Avocet photo American avocet (Recurvirostra americana), summer, Hayward Regional Shoreline

Vulture
Vulture (Cathartes aura), winter, El Sereno Open Space Preserve

Canada goose photo
Canada goose (Branta canadensis), spring, Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area

Great blue heron Great blue heron (Ardea herodias), spring, Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area

Kestrel
Kestrel
(Falco sparverius), Arastradero Open Space Preserve, Santa Clara County

Scrub jay
Scrub jay
(Aphelocoma coerulescens),
Edgewood Park and Preserve

Hairy woodpecker
Hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus), autumn, Cataract Trail, Mount Tamalpais

Pygmy nuthatch
Pygmy nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea), winter, San Francisco backyard

Allen's hummingbird
Allen's hummingbird
(Selasphorus sasin), spring, San Francisco backyard

Great horned owl
Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), spring, Glen Canyon, San Francisco

Tree swallows
Tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), late winter, D.U.S.T. Trail, Coyote Hills Regional Park

Hermit thrush
Fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca), autumn, San Francisco backyard

House finches
House finches (Carpodacus mexicanus), winter, San Francisco backyard (two on upper section are males; one on lower is female)

Oregon junco
Oregon junco (Junco hyemalis), autumn, San Francisco backyard

Pine siskins
Pine siskins (Carduelis pinus), autumn, San Francisco backyard

White pelicans photo
American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), summer, Las Gallinas Wildlife Ponds

Western grebe
Western grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis), spring, Estero Trail, Point Reyes

Great egret
Great egret (Casmerodius albus), summer, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Cooper's Hawk
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii), autumn, Blufftop Coastal Park

Raven
Common raven (Corvus corax), autumn, Bothin Marsh Open Space Preserve

Harrier
Northern harrier (Circus cyaneus), winter, Bald Mountain Trail, Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve

California quail
California quail (Callipepla californica), Point Reyes National Seashore

Stilt
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus), spring, San Francisquito Trail, Baylands Preserve

Suggested reading and resources:
Birds of San Francisco and the Bay Area, by Chris C. Fisher and Joseph Morlan (order this book from Amazon.com).
Birds of North America, by Kenn Kaufman. My favorite all-purpose birding guide (order this book from Amazon.com).
Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs: Western Region, by Kevin J. Colver with Donald and Lillian Stokes (order this cd set from Amazon.com). This 4-cd set is a collection of all major western bird calls and songs. The common bird name is spoken and followed by a series of recorded calls and/or songs. A printed booklet is included in the set. If you're trying to expand your birding world, learning to bird by ear is the way to go, and being able to identify individual bird noises is invaluable. I recommend using the cds in conjunction with a bird field guide -- then you can weed out the birds not found wherever you happen to be (many rare southern Texas and Alaska birds are included on the cds) and more effectively narrow down a search.
• Peterson Field Guides:  Hawks of North America, by William S. Clark/Brian K. Wheeler (order this book from Amazon.com) (Note: a new edition of this book in expected in autumn 2001)
• National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Western Region, by Miklos D.F. Udvardy (order this book from Amazon.com)

Links:

Golden Gate Audubon Society http://www.goldengateaudubon.org
Marin Audubon Society http://www.marinaudubon.org
Point Reyes Bird Observatory http://www.prbo.org
Ornithology Web Site (with photographs) http://www.birdwebsite.com
Golden Gate Raptor Observatory http://www.ggro.org/ggro.html
Watchable Wildlife http://www.dfg.ca.gov/watchable/index.html
CONE Sutro Forest http://cone.berkeley.edu/
All About Birds http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/
Virtual Birder http://www.virtualbirder.com/vbirder/