Birding at the Farm

February 9 & 10, 2015

James and I spent most of the day on Monday and the morning on Tuesday exploring and birding the farm.  For the birders, the species list is at the end of this post.  The farm is about a hectare large which is about 2 and a half acres.  There are citrus and avocado trees, corn, various squash, and other vegetables growing close to the house.  Across a ditch and up a dry hillside are planted cactus with edible fruit (tuna).  The climate, and cultivated vegetation and flowers, are very much the same as what grows in southern California.  

Photos of the house and garden:

We birded the farm and the tuna patches several times in the two days we were there.  Twice we climbed up the little hill above the farm.  On the grassy hillsides above the diversion ditch that separated them from the ag lands grew the shrubby espino trees and the tall cactus, quisco.  

On a point along a ridge, four soaring Black-chested Buzzard-Eagles and a few familiar American kestrels took advantage of the uplift and we were able to get close looks of them.  

Our species bird list for the two days:

• California Quail
• Harris’s Hawk
• Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle
• Southern Lapwing
• Picui Ground-Dove
• Eared Dove
• Giant Hummingbird
• Striped Woodpecker
• Chilean Flicker
• Chimango Caracara
• American Kestrel
• Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail
• Tufted Tit-Tyrant
• White-crested Elaenia
• Fire-eyed Diucon
• House Wren
• Austral Thrush
• Chilean Mockingabird
• Common Diuca-Finch
• Rufous-collared Sparrow
• Long-tailed Meadowlark
• Austral Blackbird
• Yellow-winged Blackbird