San Gabriel Mountains Heritage Association a California 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation

HIKES AND NATURE WALKS IN THE SAN GABRIELS Walks on the Wild Side, Fall-Winter, 2008-9 November 19, 2008 Marshall Canyon 1. Three Black and White Birds: their sounds, their silhouettes The black phoebe is black except for a white belly. The female and young are dark brown. Its tail-wagging and erect posture are aids to identification. Observe its characteristic posture in this photo. Guys? Come on, guys, we're observing the bird here. Yes? The most common sound is made of two notes, the second downslurred, "fee-bit, fee-bee". Hear it here.    The phainopepla has a perky crest and a long tail and an upright posture when it perches. The male is black with white wing patches visible when it flies. It looks to me like a mockingbird with the white spots in the wrong place. Click on the thumbnail images to see larger pictures. An individual phainopepla eats at least 1,100 mistletoe berries per day, when they are available. To hear its sound click here. The Lewis's woodpecker, named for Meriwether Lewis, appears solid black at a distance. Sometimes you can see the white under the chin. Look carefully at the silhouette in Graham's photo. The closeup photo is from Wikipedia. It is usually silent, although it will make weak chattering or chirring notes. To listen to them, click here. Other smaller black and white birds we saw and heard: mountain chickadee - black and white face junco - white outer tail feathers, central section black yellow-rumped warbler - faint black and white streaking overall with yellow throat and rump patch What we saw: Introduction 1. Three Black and White Birds; their sounds, their silhouettes 2. Three Eucalypts and their bark 3. Fall colors from members of the Anacardiaceae family with two sets of look-alikes Tail End pages created November 19, 2008 Walks on the Wild Side, Fall-Winter, 2008-9 Back to Index Page The mission of the San Gabriel Mountains Heritage Association is to provide support for environmental education, interpretive and heritage programs on the Angeles National Forest. For how you can help, please call the USFS Mt Baldy Visitor Center at 909 982 2829. In partnership with USDA Forest Service