To assist you with your bird watching experience in the Jojoba Hills Resort, here is some information about our birds. The list of Jojoba Hills birds follows this introduction:

 Our Migratory Birds

We are in a unique location where many bird species are encountered. Some of them are migrating and they visit us, season after season, to refuel and continue their long journey. They migrate twice a year. Some of them travel to and from South or Central America to points north of us on the North American continent. Among these are several hummingbird species which show up at feeders for several days and then they are on their way. The brightest example is the Rufous Hummingbird that has appeared at our feeders for a couple of years. You will find its photo below. Other birds migrate within North America. Some of the House Finches migrate to Mexico and return north.

Other birds fly over us, continuing their travels with a wave of their wings. Canada Geese are an example. All of the migratory birds move north at the end of winter to nest, raise their young and then they all fly south for the winter. In about 2 months the youngsters grow to the size of the adults, and are ready to fly the long distance to their winter home. Next season they will do it again and in following years, again and again.

Some species of the birds arrive here after a storm or strong winds blow them off their course and they will not be here again. The Lazuli Bunting may be an example of this though it returned for a second year. The Bonaparte’s Gull was also a very unusual visitor and is expected not to return. It’s photo is below. The oak grove at the northwest corner of the resort is a magnet for migratory birds. It provides a resting place for a few days, plus many insects to consume for new energy along the way. While they are here they will also surely visit your feeders if you are lucky and watching.

Our Resident Birds

In the high desert environment, the oak grove is prime real-estate for the birds. Anna’s and Costa’s Hummingbirds, Goldfinches, Oak Titmice, a Cooper’s Hawk, Western Scrub-jays, and more live and nest here. A Common Raven pair are occasional nesters here. You can see their nest from the road and that may be why they did not nest here this year. They prefer that it be hidden. With them absent the Cooper’s Hawks were able to raise young ones once again.

The grove is within the territory of a pair of local Great Horned Owls that stops in the oaks to rest, digest rodents and regurgitate pellets of hair and whole skeletons. There are people, in other places, who collect the Great Horned Owl pellets for scientists who study rodents. On many nights we have heard the Great Horned Owls, but have never seen them. This spring we heard three Great Horned Owls at once. The parents were teaching a young owl to hunt. The grove is also the location for visiting birds that come here to nest and raise young ones and then leave. The Ash-throated Flycatcher is an example.

Other birds nest and raise their young throughout the resort. Some of them are House Finches, Black and Say’s Phoebes, Western Scrub-jays, Red-winged Blackbirds, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Hooded Orioles, Mourning Doves, and of course the ever present California Quail. Greater Roadrunners nest outside of the resort and come here looking for lizards and insects for their young ones. The roadrunner photo is of a real bird, please be assured.

Visiting Birds

Some birds only frequent parts of the resort. Visiting American Robins prefer the higher elevations and never are seen on the lower west side. The Mockingbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, European Starlings and Hooded Orioles are mainly around the ranch house and boondocks area. Western Bluebirds prefer some parts of the resort to others. Our ponds are not the only bodies of water in Aguanga. All bodies of water in the Aguanga area attract herons and egrets so you will see them flying over the resort and stopping here from time to time. The photos of these birds show them in places other than around the ponds. The heron is on an automobile. The egret is photographed walking across a site. The Great Blue Heron eats gophers and voles as well as small fish. Gophers are larger than herons' necks, so seeing a gopher sliding down the long neck can be humorous to watch. The Northern Harrier cruises low over the resort only on the east side, hunting for four-legged morsels.

Eagle Sightings

Two people, experienced birders, have seen a Bald Eagle overhead. Speaking of eagles, a pair of Golden Eagle visitors brought their juvenile eagle over the valley to learn to hunt. They have stood on the boulders above the manager’s site and the boondocks area to rest. Both species nest in the Palomar mountains south of us.

Bird Tails

I could tell you several bird tales, but only one is recorded here. It is about the Cedar Waxwings that arrive in flocks. They are elegant birds with beautiful coats of feathers. They eat ripe berries, including those of Pyracanthus bushes that have a high alcohol content, until they fall off the branches to roll over, legs and feet in the air, eyes turning to x’s. When they recover they continue eating and try not to run into anything while flying away. Cheers!

Paper copies of the bird list can be found in the resort office in the ranch house and at the club house in the area of the bulletin board. Birds are in National Geographic Field Guide, 3rd Edition modified AOU order. Listing as of 31 Jan 04 with 125 species sighted here at Jojoba Hills. R - Resident     M - Migrant    V - Visitor    F - Fly Over    S - Summer    W - Winter    Sp - Spring

CORMORANTS

Double-crested Cormorant V

BITTERNS, HERONS AND EGRETS

Great Egret V

Great Blue Heron V

American Bittern V Least Bittern V Black-crowned Night-heron V Green Heron V Snowy Egret V

SWANS, GEESE, DUCKS AND COOTS

Mallard Duck V

Ring-necked Duck V

Canada Goose F Bufflehead Duck V Lesser Scaup V Common Goldeneye V America Coot V

PLOVERS AND SANDPIPERS

Killdeer R
Greater Yellowlegs V
Spotted Sandpiper V

VULTURES, KITES, HARRIERS, EAGLES
AND HAWKS

Cooper's Hawk R

Turkey Vulture V White-tailed Kite V Osprey V Northern Harrier R Bald Eagle V

Golden Eagle V Sharp-shinned Hawk V Red-shouldered Hawk V Red-tailed Hawk V Ferruginous Hawk V

KESTREL

American Kestrel V

QUAILS

California Quail R

GULLS

Bonaparte's Gull V

PIGEONS AND DOVES

 

Mourning Dove WR

Rock Dove V
Band-tailed Pigeon V

CUCKOOS

Greater Roadrunner R

OWLS

Barn Owl V
Great Horned Owl V
Northern Pygmy-Owl V
Northern Saw-whet Owl V

NIGHTJARS

Lesser Nighthawk V

HUMMINGBIRDS

Blk-chinned Hummingbird V

Costa's Hummingbird R

Anna's Hummingbird R

Rufous Hummingbird M

Calliope Hummingbird M
Allen’s Hummingbird V

KINGFISHERS

Belted Kingfisher V

FLICKERS, WOODPECKERS

Nuttall's Woodpecker R

Acorn Woodpecker V Northern Flicker V

TYRANT FLYCATCHERS

Black Phoebe R

Western Kingbird SV Cassin's Kingbird SV Ash-throated Flycatcher SV Say's Phoebe R

LARKS

Horned Lark V

SWALLOWS

Tree Swallow V
Northern Rough-winged Swallow V
Barn Swallow V

JAYS AND CROWS

Western Scrub-Jay R

Common Raven R

American Crow V

WRENTIT

Wrentit R

TITMICE AND CHICKADEES

Oak Titmouse R
Black-capped Chickadee V

BUSHTITS

Bushtit V

NUTHATCHES

White-breasted Nuthatch V

WRENS

House Wren R

Winter Wren V Bewick's Wren R Cactus Wren V Rock Wren V

THRUSHES

Hermit Thrush M

Ruby-crowned Kinglet V Black-tailed Gnatcatcher V Blue-gray Gnatcatcher V Western Bluebird V American Robin V

SHRIKES

Loggerhead Shrike V

MIMIC THRUSHES

California Thrasher R

Northern Mockingbird R

PIPITS

American Pipit V

WAXWINGS

Cedar Waxwing V

SILKY-FLYCATCHERS

Phainopepla SpR

STARLINGS

European Starling V

VIREOS

Hutton’s Vireo V

WARBLERS

Yellow-rumped Warbler M
Townsend's Warbler M
Yellow Warbler M
Wilson's Warbler M

GROSBEAKS

 

Black-headed Grosbeak V

BUNTINGS

Lazuli Bunting V

Indigo Bunting V

TOWHEES

 

California Towhee R

Green-tailed Towhee V Spotted Towhee R

SPARROWS

White-crowned Sparrow WR

Rufous-crowned Sparrow V
Lark Sparrow WR
Black-chinned Sparrow V
Black-throated Sparrow V
Sage Sparrow V
Golden-crowned Sparrow V

JUNCOS

Dark-eyed Junco WR

MEADOWLARKS

Western Meadowlark V

BLACKBIRDS AND ORIOLES

Hooded Oriole (female) SR

Hooded Oriole (male) SR

Red-winged Blackbird Sp

Yellow-headed Blackbird V Tri-colored Blackbird V

Brown-headed Cowbird V Great-tailed Grackle V

Scott's Oriole V Baltimore Oriole V Bullock's Oriole V

TANAGERS

Western Tanager SR

WEAVERS

House Sparrow R

FINCHES

American Goldfinch WV

Lesser Goldfinch R

Laurence's Goldfinch V

House Finch R

Pine Siskin WV
Purple Finch V
Cassin’s Finch V

 

 

Listing maintained by Carl Erickson, Lot 207. Enjoy birdwatching in the Hills of Jojoba.