Birds in my Backyard

You can learn a lot about your environment just by watching what's going on in your own backyard! Here are some pics I caught of some local SoCal birds at my backyard feeder.

Housefinch:

Very common almost everywhere in the U.S. today. These birds are very social, gregarious and common at birdfeeders. The males sport a red head and breast, ranging from a dull rust color to a brilliant blood-orange. Females are brown and plain, resembling a large sparrow. They eat seeds and nuts, and, like all finches, share the bigger, seed-crunching beak.

Lesser Goldfinch:

Similar to the regular American goldfinch of the eastern U.S., the lesser goldfinch inhabits the southwestern U.S. Compared to the American goldfinch, the lesser goldfinch looks like a scrubby little brother. He's smaller, with more gray, and a little more drab. Smaller than the housefinch as well, the lesser goldfinch can often be spotted flitting about in groups in scrub oaks in the chapparal. I often see both species feeding together at the feeder. They too, are very social, although a bit more shy than the housefinch. The males have a black cap on their heads and a bright gold-yellow body, hence the name.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house_finch/id

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/lesser_goldfinch/id

Anna's hummingbird--
a very common hummingbird along the Pacific and Southwestern California. The males have irridescent scarlet heads and necks and are fearless, pugnacious little guys. The females are smaller and almost all brown.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Annas_Hummingbird/id

California Towhee--
These birds have been nicknamed "ground robins" and can be spotted hopping about, foraging for seeds in California. Essentially large sparrows, the males have mostly gray-brown head, wings, back, and tail with splashes of red-orange on their breast and underbelly. The females are about the same size, but with very little to no red coloring. They love shrubby canyons and chaparral, southwestern California's native biome.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/california_towhee/id

Song sparrow--one of the most common birds in the U.S.

Another sparrow--most likely an American Tree Sparrow, or a Field Sparrow.

Sparrows can be hard to identify. Try this resource:
http://birding.about.com/od/birdprofiles/ig/Pictures-of-Sparrows/
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/learning/trickyIDs/sparrows

Birds of Southern California:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_of_California